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Man dies in crash with fellow skier on Alps piste

A 43-year-old man died after crashing into another skier on a piste for beginners and intermediate skiers in the French Alps.

Man dies in crash with fellow skier on Alps piste
Photo: Kallu/flickr

The incident happened on Sunday afternoon at the French Alps resort of Flaine, in the Haute-Savoie part of the Alps.

The 43-year-old was skiing down the blue run, a fairly easy slope suitable for beginners and intermediate-level skiers, when he crashed into another skier.

Two doctors who witnessed the crash raised the alarm and tried gave initial treatment to the two skiers, before being helped by the paramedics and specialist mountain police.

However, the 43-year-old died as a result of his injuries. It was not clear whether he was wearing a helmet.

The second skier, the sex and age of whom is not yet known, survived the crash but was left with injuries. Their exact condition is also unknown.

Police have opened an investigation.

It has been a winter marred by a series of fatal incidents in the Alps, some caused by avalanches and others by crashes.

In February, The Local reported how a teenager died after sledding down a piste on a mattress normally used as a safety barrier. 

He was one of five who hauled the mattress up the slope after a night drinking. But as they slid back down, they lost control and it hurtled into trees.

The crash at Les Deux Alpes came in the same week a British skier died after she lost control on beginners slope and hit a tree at La Plagne resort.

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SKIING

Snow report: What’s the latest outlook for French ski resorts this winter?

Good news for skiers in France, as a mild December has given way to a cold blast in early January that's bringing some much-needed snow.

Snow report: What's the latest outlook for French ski resorts this winter?

After a mostly dry and mild December, snow returned to the the Pyrenees on Friday.

Meanwhile most resorts in the Alps have been able to stay open after a promising early start to the ski season, thanks to fresh snowfalls, with more on the way this weekend.

Pyrenees

Snow has returned in the Pyrenees. Some 5cm fell overnight into Friday, January 5th in eastern parts of the mountain range, with forecasts predicting a further 15cm to 20cm to be on the ground 24 hours later. The region had not seen any snow since December 2nd.

In Angles, 20cm of snow had fallen at higher altitudes by mid-morning on Friday.

Further west, numerous resorts in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département remained closed this week after early December snow had melted in mild conditions that have dominated France in recent weeks, but significant snowfall is expected over the weekend into Monday, and resorts are hoping that they will see enough to open.

One resort, Artouste, has been unable to offer skiing since the start of the season on December 23rd due to a lack of snow. A scenic rail service – usually reserved for warmer months – has kept the resort going. It is set to stop running on Friday, amid expectations of enough snow to finally open the slopes.

READ ALSO Climate crisis: ’90 percent’ of Europe’s ski resorts face critical snow shortages

Alps 

Many ski resorts opened on time, or even a little earlier than scheduled last month, after significant early snow fall, and have enjoyed deposits in the first days of 2024. But, even here, resort managers welcomed the promise of more significant snow this weekend.

Some resorts weren’t so fortunate. Ski areas in Gérardmer, in the Vosges, were still closed in the week leading up to Christmas because of poor snow conditions, but they are hoping for enough snow to finally get started this weekend, while La Bresse-Honeck was using ‘stocked snow’ made by using snow that fell earlier in the winter months to stay open as recently as December 30th.

In the Northern Alps, resorts such as Alpe d’Huez benefited from fresh snowfall on December 22nd, while Val d’Isère had new snow on December 29th. In the Southern Alps, Les Orres’ last pre-New Year snow was on December 8th.

And the French Alps have enjoyed more snow since the start of the year. There’s at least 50cm of fresh snow on the higher slopes of Les Gets and Morzine, for example, a significant improvement on the same time last year, when the resorts were among several that had very little snow to speak of.

In Chamonix, meanwhile, snow has fallen on eight of the last 14 days, with more expected every day between Friday and Monday.

Massif Central

As the post on X / Twitter shows, the Massif Central has not had the best of winters for snow so far. But between 30cm and 50cm is expected in Le Lioran by Monday. 

READ ALSO ‘So many barriers since Brexit’: The French ski businesses no longer willing to hire Brits

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