Off Piste Skiers Caught in Avalanche in Tignes
Two skiers buried in Toviere sector avalanche - one dead
A group of off piste skiers were caught in an avalanche in the Toviere sector of Tignes, one of whom died on Thursday the 6th of December 2012. The group were skiing off piste under the Aeroski lift when the avalanche struck at around midday on Wednesday.
The female skier who lost her life in the avalanche is rumoured to have been buried under the snow for 40 minutes. Rescuers managed to resucitate the girl, restarting her heart and continued to perform CPR until she reached hospital. She sadly died from her injuries late on Thursday afternoon.
The two skiers caught in the slide are reported to have been in their 20's and initial fears that a third person may have been caught in the avalanche turned out to be false. Reports from the tourist office suggest that none of the skiers appear to have been wearing avalanche transceivers.
Pisteurs and ski instructors from the resort were at the scene to assist in the rescue operation but the CRS Rescue helicopter was unable to fly due to the poor weather conditions and limited visibility.
On Wednesday Meteo France had warned of a high avalanche risk in the Alps due to significant and intense snowfalls in the area combined with strong winds at altitude. The Tarentaise area has seen over a meter of snow with drifting over the last 5 days and the avalanche danger for Wednesday was rated at Level 4.
For more information on safety in the backcountry, make sure you check the avalanche forecast for your local area on Meteo France and take a look at our avalanche safety section.
