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AVALANCHE

Swiss champion snowboarder killed by avalanche

Swiss snowboarder Estelle Balet, the two-time world freeride champion, has died in an avalanche in Switzerland.

Published: 19 April 2016 17:05 CEST
Swiss champion snowboarder killed by avalanche
Estelle Balet celebrated her win in Verbier just two weeks ago. Photo: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP

Balet, who earlier this month won her second world freeride title in the Swiss resort of Verbier, was killed on Tuesday morning near Orsières in her home canton of Valais, police said.

The 21-year-old champion was making a film on the Portalet mountain when the avalanche hit just after 8am on Tuesday morning.

By the time rescue workers arrived by helicopter at the scene, the snowboarder had been dug free, however resuscitation attempts failed to revive her and she died at the scene.

According to police another person had already skied the slope before Balet descended. As she did, a wave of snow of around one kilometre in length detached from the mountain and swept her away.

Balet was wearing a tracking device, an airbag and a helmet.

“I feel a huge sadness, a feeling of bitterness and above all solidarity with her family and friends,” Nicolas Hale-Woods, founder of the Freeride World Tour, told AFP.

“It is a reminder that no matter how well prepared you are, taking part in freeride in the mountains has an element of uncertainty,” he added.

A tribute added to her profile page on the Freeride World Tour website said: “Estelle Balet was a naturally gifted shining star and demonstrated remarkable talent as she quickly became a household name on the Freeride World Tour, bringing home her second title as World Champion just a few weeks ago in Verbier.”


Balet was swept away by an avalanche in the Orsieres area of the Valais. Photo: Valais police

Speaking to Swiss media, the snowboarder’s father Eric Balet called his daughter “a real ray of sunshine. She lived her life with passion, it’s all gone so quickly.”

Alain Perruchoud, the president of the commune of Chalais where Balet lived, told the paper: “Everyone here knew Estelle.”

“I can hardly imagine the pain of losing a child in these circumstances.”

Tributes also poured in on social media, with British ski star Chemmy Alcott calling Balet “a lovely, friendly girl”.

Christian Constantin, president of FC Sion, tweeted “Her smile, her love of life, her bravery and her audacity will be missed.”

Balet came from the Valais region of Switzerland and had been snowboarding since the age of 10. She had been on the Freeride World Tour since the junior level.

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SKI

Dad’s ‘miracle escape’ after being buried by avalanche in French Alps

A man out walking with his family in the French Alps has made a miraculous escape from an avalanche after spending more than two and a half hours trapped under snow, rescuers said.

Published: 29 January 2021 11:46 CET
Dad's 'miracle escape' after being buried by avalanche in French Alps
Ski lifts in France are closed, but visitors and locals are free to enjoy other outdoor sports. Photo: AFP

The 50-year-old father was snowshoeing near the high-altitude Val d'Isere ski resort with his wife and two children on Thursday without anti-avalanche safety equipment.

“Thank to the mobilisation of nearly 100 people… the man was found alive after two hours and 40 minutes of searching,” the police for the local Savoie département announced on Twitter.

Because of the depth of the snow, rescue dogs were unable to detect a trace, but the man was eventually dug out by a specialised mountain police team which used a Wolfhound device to locate his mobile phone under the ice.

“I think it's a miracle,” Alexandre Grether from the PGHM rescue team told the France 3 local news channel, adding that the man was found 2.5 metres (eight feet) below the surface.

The chances of survival after more than 20 minutes in an avalanche are usually slim.

“He was protected by a tree, that's what prevented him from being crushed by all the ice that slid down. The snow had surrounded him, but he had a pocket of air,” he explained.

The victim is expected to make a full recovery after suffering a fracture to his hip.

The avalanche risk on Thursday was at its maximum – five on a scale of five – and rescuers urge people to always check the snow conditions before venturing out.

READ ALSO 'Whole season a write-off' – what next for France's ski resorts?

Ski lifts in the Alps, which have seen some of their heaviest snowfalls in years in January, are currently closed because of restrictions imposed by the government to limit the spread of Covid-19.

Visitors and locals are free to enjoy hiking, cross-country skiing and snow-shoeing, but occupancy levels in hotels and chalets are way down and business owners and seasonal staff face serious hardships.

The government has promised an economic support package for the sector.

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