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Avalanche at Courmayeur. 3 dead.

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
http://www.ledauphine.com/haute-savoie/2017/03/02/une-avalanche-a-fait-au-moins-trois-morts


From the report it sounds like it was off piste in the plan d gabba area. I don't know for sure but there is some side piste skiing under the chair which gets quite steep in places. It was 3/5.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Google translate of local news report here http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A//www.ansa.it/valledaosta/notizie/2017/03/02/valanga-a-courmayeur-persone-coinvolte_3254807b-73cd-4974-a658-bdd886e1f38c.html&hl=en&langpair=auto|en&tbb=1&ie=UTF-8

""It looked like a battlefield, people shouting, shouting, all in another language. It 'was a very complex operation." So Daniel Ollier, corporal of the Guardia di Finanza of Entreves, describes the scenario that has been faced when it intervened on the fall avalanche afternoon above Courmayeur. "Today was a need for greater caution," added the Marshal Delfino Viglione, head of the Alpine Rescue of Courmayeur yellow flame. According to what has been learned, some skiers were saved thanks to the airbag. Everyone was still with Arva, appliance for the avalanche."
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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?
I spent most of today and yesterday skiing this area. It had the best snow, both on and off piste ,and it was obvious this was because of wind accumulation.

It didn't happen under the lifts, that was mogulled out and therefore (I assume) safe, I'm 99 per cent certain it happened skiers left off the top lift. In order to access the area people had tracked off to the left. There was a sign warning of the dangers of avalanches at the point where the track started at the top of the lift, the only such sign I noticed in courmayeur, but it was easier to join the track a little further down the piste. The track led above a section which had obvious cornicing due to wind. Today's avalanche report also mentioned risk of wind blown accumulations near bumps. You couldn't have gotten a better picture test for avoiding danger.

I skied the track yesterday and even then felt exposed at the hip height slab above the track that it had created. Thereafter the choice was ski back down the bank to the right and back on to the piste as I did, or continue along the track which accessed a wide area of off piste, which was obviously very popular. Loads were skiing it yesterday and today. Looked like it went a long way back to the pistes or possibly on to the resort. There is a black lined itinerary on the piste map which broadly equates to its location. In any event it is clearly a well established off piste route.

Today I was watching them on the lift skiing out along the track. I remember seeing about 15 of them at one point, and most looked like teenagers. I remembered wondering if they had thought at all about the danger, the cornicing (though in fairness, the area they were accessing was the area from which the wind was been blown). 5 years ago I would have 100% followed the track without q. Yesterday I refused to without a guide and had booked one today with the intention of exploring this and other lines. When he turned up in the morning he suggested the snow was too heavy and the areas far away from the piste too dangerous. He suggested we just ski ourselves beside the piste, a suggestion which cost him the guts of 400 euro. It was good advice, given for free.

I hate the thought that some of those kids I saw going out, while I was thinking of the danger, might have been among the dead. But it doesn't really matter as its clear a few families are beginning a nightmare today, one way or another. Very, very sad.
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I should say I didn't witness the incident or exactly where it took place, but did see the helicopter flying in several times, and from the area the only logical access point where a lot of skiers could get in was the track I described above. I thought I heard a muffled rumble that lasted about 15 seconds earlier today when skiing the trees under the lift mentioned above that I thought was an avalanche but didn't think anything of it at time as the face opposite (mont blanc) was having waterfalls of snow during the day and they were blasting on the other side higher up.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@8611, I'm interested in exactly where you mean. I know the area very well. From the youla lots of skiers traverse skiers right onto a big face and drop back down to the red piste. Skiers left there is acess to what is known as goat fully high up although it is well fenced and is steep at the top and not usually that busy. Lower down skiers left you can cut over the ridge and ski above the gabba lift, this sometimes is busy.
Your guide was very wise.
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You'll need to Register first of course.

If it helps this is the area.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@jbob, years ago I got stuck in new snow above Plan de la Gabba, skied down to the lift which was submerged in snow, tried to traverse towards Bertolini/Larzey and ended up 6 hours later walking to Zerrotta having ditched skis and scrambled down the "gully" directly below the lift.

The wall traversed from Youla was always a temptation even in crusty conditions, and the pitch under the chairlift P de la Gabba was always skied out quickly after new snow. To the right just above the top of P de la Gabba lift is an OP section accessed from the red piste from Youla, is this the avalanched section?
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Sorry - youla and top lift weren't open today or yesterday, I'm talking about skiers left off the gabba lift
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
So either side of that lift there are gentle gradient pistes that go either side of a forest with the steep pitches you mentioned and also the line under the lifts. On that map and the piste map there seems to be two pistes skiers left but really its just one wide open piste and a track that goes through the forest.

If you stay skiers left on the piste you traverse across a small face and up on a knoll. Then you can out left into a wider area of off piste, with bowls and curved ridges. Judging from helicopter avalanche happened somewhere further down there. Not sure what terrain like but presumably it gets steeper as its quite gentle at the top.


Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Fri 3-03-17 0:00; edited 1 time in total
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skimastaaah wrote:
@jbob,To the right just above the top of P de la Gabba lift is an OP section accessed from the red piste from Youla, is this the avalanched section?


No as those lifts weren't open. But you could access the same area from above and probably would normally come from that lift down to that area.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Mate who has a place in Entreves (skyway lift) just sent me this....

"Looks like it was Couloir Espagnols. Not a place you want to be in those conditions. That was the one that we found the 2 guys being helied out when we skied earlier in the season"
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
http://pistehors.com/margherita-beria-d-argentina-killed-by-avalanche-24790846.htm

Is this the same avalanche?
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
no that was back in Mid feb
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
So it was@stefoy4me, !
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
One dead and three or four injured in another avalanche out here

http://torino.repubblica.it/cronaca/2017/03/05/news/aosta_valanga_in_val_grisenche_tre_salvati_si_teme_per_un_quarto_scialpinista_disperso-159807680/?refresh_ce

The victim was Spanish, and one British national was involved
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I was Nordic skiing up the Val Grisenche today and saw the rescue helicopter flying in, also the ambulance go passed. At the local tiny ski resort 4/5 was posted.
There was a newly posted warning at the side of the road advising drivers of the high risk today, to cars!
I generally refrain from commenting until all the facts are known, but I observed several of my personal red flags up there today, spontaneous avalanches, lots of sun balls rolling down the slopes, and large lumps of snow falling from the trees.
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