 Poster: A snowHead
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Four skiers were killed by a major avalanche close to the ski resort of Valmeinier in France yesterday, including 3 school children.
The group, composed of seven high school kids from the Savoie and their guide, were ski touring above the resort. The guide was also killed in the slide, and two other children were injured. ...
See: http://pistehors.com/news/ski/comments/907-four-killed-in-avalanche-valmeinier/
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Very sad indeed. 
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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?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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From the report it would seem that the guide totally ignored the warnings
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Mike Pow,
what Davidof's article doesn't mention, which I read in the French press yesterday,is that the kids/party were all part of a "ski-etudes" class which is the sort of course/school that trains future athletes/professionals. Despite their young age, they were fairly experts already, out learning/training not on a holiday so at face value an avalanche risk of 3/5 does not seem that unreasonnable to go out in..
From what I read they also were properly equipped and had followe dtheir usual procedures when going on such sortie..
It might have been a mistake by the guide on teh choice of route....or just very bad luck... It just reminds everyone that off-piste is dangerous equipped or not equipped, trained or not trained..
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Mike Pow wrote: |
| From the report it would seem that the guide totally ignored the warnings |
That could be a reasonable interpretation of what I said and the guide obviously got it wrong.
Some more information though. If a guide that doesn't go out at risk 3 he won't work enough days in the season to make a living out of it. The avalanche bulletin mentioned a risk of slabs on all slope aspects but didn't predict an avalanche of the scale of the one at Valmeinier. Locally the risk was more like 4 (as Claude Rey, French mountain guide trainer, once said: globably things are good, locally there is a danger of death). In the language of courts and insurance companies it was not a forseen danger. I believe the slide was remotely triggered, the group was climbing a west facing slope when they were hit from above. The route choice was not unreasonable but it is a reminder that you have to be careful of the slopes above. Ski touring groups are always vulnerable when climbing due to the difficulties of group spacing, escaping from the slide and the length of time they are exposed to risk.
Did they out in poor visibility or did the cloud come down later? Poor visibility makes rescues complicated and also make route finding difficult. It is easy to stray onto slopes steeper than you think. One can imagine the dilema of the guide - he has a class to take out and cast around for a suitable route. In those circumstances the col des Marches might appear to be a reasonable choice. As one rescue worker commented "ski studies students don't learn about sking or the terrain in a classroom".
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How dreadfully sad - tragic
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It is worse than usual as schoolchildren are victims.
I wonder what the French reaction to this will be in comparison to British reaction to children dying on activity holidays ( canoe trips etc.) ?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Latchigo, it wasn't just an 'activity holiday' as Kruisler points out.
One of the students was from Venosc, much rearranging of rotas here so that people can go to the funeral this afternoon.
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Lizzard, I was trying to find a UK parallel. Maybe Duke of Edinburgh award ?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Thanks for the extra info.
The fact that 8 people died in three separate incidents would suggest that conditions weren't right.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Mike Pow wrote: |
Thanks for the extra info.
The fact that 8 people died in three separate incidents would suggest that conditions weren't right. |
Yes.
Very sketchy last week and still unstable today on some slopes. Probably the most dangerous conditions of the season in the Northern French Alps.
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I knew the guide he was from our village. A real tradegy and very very sad indeed.
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You know it makes sense.
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Last week in Courmayeur there were two days of fresh snowfall followed by sun and high temperatures. These are apparently the worst avalanche risk conditions although the risk went from 5/5 to 3/5 during that period...
I really don't know much about this stuff as I am a recreational piste-only skier but I was shocked by the number of people going off-piste in what I thought would be too risky conditions. The Youla, Arp and Monte Bianco cable cars were over 50% occupied by off-pisters (judging by the long fat skis and big backpacks) not to mention the sight of fresh tracks on the off-piste areas...
Is this usual practice? Do off-pisters ignore the risks or simply accept that they might die doing what they love best like Isle of Man TT racers? Any fatality on the mountains is inevitably tragic, but it's more of a concern if risks are ignored. I realise there are also fatalities on piste whether through collision/loss of control or a health condition, but for most of us the pistes feel like a safe and controlled environment to have our snow fun...
Condolences to the families and friends involved. Very sad indeed...
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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queen bodecia, I am sure some ''off-pisters'' ignore the risks, most try to reduce the risk to a level which is acceptable for them to feel comfortable on whatever their choice of terrain may be. Even when the danger of an avalanche is rated highly certain slope aspects or types of slope may be seen as 'less likely' to slide or relatively safe and those get skied.
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Poster: A snowHead
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arv, fair enough. It's not a subject I know anything about I was just stunned to see people on the lifts clearly about to go off-piste skiing when the avalanche risk was so high...
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