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Fatal collision in Flaine

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
According to reports on Dauphine Libere a British female skier is reported to have died today on a blue piste in Flaine after being hit by a snowboarder. Neither the age nor nationality of the snowboarder has been released. What sad news and a sad end to the season.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
It sounds as though the snowboarder might be with the gendarmes. http://www.ledauphine.com/haute-savoie/2016/04/20/collision-mortelle-sur-les-pistes-de-flaine

A terrible end to the season, indeed. Sad
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Seems that way. He (or she)has a wrist injury.
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only shortly after this fatal snowboarder/skier collision around the same spot:

http://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/alpes/haute-savoie/mort-d-un-skieur-sur-une-piste-flaine-les-premiers-elements-de-l-enquete-951453.html

It is were a natural "half pipe" channel sits next to the piste (just above the "Blanchot") and I suspect in both scenarios riders rejoined the piste out of control.
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If that's the case the commission des pistes et securité really should be looking at the piste layout. But we don't know the facts yet...
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mishmash wrote:
only shortly after this fatal snowboarder/skier collision around the same spot:

http://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/alpes/haute-savoie/mort-d-un-skieur-sur-une-piste-flaine-les-premiers-elements-de-l-enquete-951453.html

It is where a natural "half pipe" channel sits next to the piste (just above the "Blanchot") and I suspect in both scenarios riders rejoined the piste out of control.
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Ah man, so sad to hear. Thoughts and prayers with the family
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mishmash wrote:
only shortly after this fatal snowboarder/skier collision around the same spot:

http://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/alpes/haute-savoie/mort-d-un-skieur-sur-une-piste-flaine-les-premiers-elements-de-l-enquete-951453.html

It is were a natural "half pipe" channel sits next to the piste (just above the "Blanchot") and I suspect in both scenarios riders rejoined the piste out of control.


"The accident occurred shortly after 16H. According to the first elements of the investigation, a Geneva skier coming out of a track sector led, at high speed, the blue track Serpentine. He then violently collided with a snowboarder English, seasonality in the resort. Thorax clash against shoulder which had the immediate effect of causing cardiac arrest in the Swiss skier. Two doctors, witnesses at the scene, raised the alarm and rescued the victim but failed to revive her. Unharmed but shocked the English snowboarder was to be heard by the gendarmes in charge of the investigation, in the course of the day Monday."
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pam w wrote:
It sounds as though the snowboarder might be with the gendarmes. http://www.ledauphine.com/haute-savoie/2016/04/20/collision-mortelle-sur-les-pistes-de-flaine

A terrible end to the season, indeed. Sad


"Reportedly, the accident occurred on the blue track Serpentine. A British skier of 53 years died. It was struck by a rider, who suffers from a trauma to the wrist.

Neither age nor the nationality of the surfer could not be revealed by the gendarmes of Chamonix PGHM, which were dispatched to the scene with firefighters trying in vain to revive the victim.

A survey entrusted to PGHM in Chamonix, was opened to determine the circumstances of the accident remain unclear."
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People rejoin Serpentine from off piste out of control both there and at other points on Serpentine. Depending on the snow conditions, Serpentine has great big rollers that create a narrow 'lower piste', between the big rollers and the edge of piste markers. This gives no option for avoiding anyone that suddenly appears in front of you from off piste. The 'lower piste' seems to have been the preferred route down for anyone wanting to go fast. We'd already taken to avoiding it where possible. It's such a tragedy that two people have died there within such a short time, very sad end of season. In the first case, the person who died was the one out of control, in this one it appears to be an innocent passer by.
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This is just terrible. In another thread we had the sad news of the death of a young pro-freerider in very hazardous terrain. She knew she was exposing herself to the risk of death. When you ski a blue run you shouldn't have to entertain the thought that some selfish fool is going to kill you. Awful.
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From that article it sounds like the skier ran into the snowboarder at high speed, been there many times and it's a great place very sad news.
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Quote:

From that article it sounds like the skier ran into the snowboarder at high speed

That seems to have been the case in the earlier accident - the snowboarder who he hit (an English seasonnaire) wasn't hurt. In the most recent one the snowboarder appears to have hit the skier, who died.

It does sound like a dangerous spot.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@francium., there have been two recent fatalities. In the first, a few weeks ago, the skier was off piste and hit an on-piste snowboarder as he returned to the piste. The skier died. I think that's the one you are referring to.

Yesterday's one was an off-piste snowboarder who rejoined the piste and went into an on-piste skier, who died. The skier has been named locally as Jackie, who was the SCGB chalet lady, although not sure that has been confirmed officially.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@pam w, sorry was obviously typing at the same time as you!

Yes, it clearly is a dangerous spot, but only because of the complete irresponsibility of the rejoining off-pisters. This is a sort of half pipe that is really close to the piste, and attracts people who forget (or don't care) that they have a responsibility to others as they rejoin the piste. The week after the first incident, people were still doing the same thing and have obviously continued to do so.
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@sj1608, a tall fence, possibly with something nasty at about neck level, is clearly needed in that spot. Skullie
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Yeah it was, either way it's tragic lots of blind spots on that piste I'm always pretty careful riding down there.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Wow super tragic. Two fatalities in the same spot... sounds like the ski domain should be netting off the piste re-join area to prevent people flinging themselves back on.
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rip truly awful, you don't expect it to happen at this time of year either given the lower numbers in resorts
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I believe an off-duty instructor killed a child at Val d'Isere some years ago. AFAIK he went airborne from off-piste to on-piste and landed on them. Maybe the risk of transitioning to on-piste needs to be emphasised more.
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I know this piste well - my family and various friends have skied it many times over the years. The natural half pipe is adjacent to the piste and a competent blue run skier can easily ski it as it becomes pisted by frequency of use. It is a popular fun area but people tend to work their way down it getting higher and higher up the sides so they typically exit it airborne and often out of control it seems. It's probably a good idea to keep away from that side of the piste if you're not entering the half pipe and, tragedy though this obviously is, I'm surprised that a skier familiar with it would ski close enough to risk a collision. Yes, I know you should be able to, but you have to be pragmatic.

Maybe there should be plastic fencing there - I guess that will now happen.
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@billb, They will probably adjust the piste and fill in the half pipe with a bit of remodelling this summer.

There are always people jumping off the lips back on to the piste, and you can't see over the lip nearest to the piste lower down the pipe, plus there is a restaurant just below that area, so the people on piste tend to go down that side...............
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@Zorrac, Be interesting to see what they do with it. And, yes, you do of course need to ski on that side if you're stopping at the restaurant, I should have considered that more.
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Just had it confirmed that the fatality was Jackie of SCGB Freshtracks Chalet, so sad, RIP
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If that news is correct it is indeed terribly sad. I stayed in her chalet in both the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

A more down to earth lady you could not wish to meet. From Manchester way I think.

A great character, fantastic cook and she really knew how to run a chalet.
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I need to correct my post of two days ago.

For those that do not know, the SCGB runs two small identical chalets side by side in the hamlet of Hameau above Flaine. The lady who I was thinking of and in whose chalet I twice stayed is Sue who has been running one of the chalets for several years. She is obviously OK.

Jackie who died started with the club in February 2015. I think she may have started together with her partner at short notice because of somebody leaving. I did get to meet her on several occasions last year as each night the occupants of both chalets would gather together for pre dinner drinks, alternating between the two chalets.

Tragedies such as this recent accident are always dreadful, but it always shocks me more when it involves someone whom I have known.

I offer my apologies for any confusion or upset that my previous post may have caused.
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