Young Briton dies after being buried by Val Thorens avalanche568

A 27-year-old British man has lost his life after being caught in an avalanche at the Val Thorens ski resort in the French Alps, officials confirmed. The avalanche struck shortly after 10 a.m. on Thursday near the entrance to the resort in the Savoie region, sweeping the man about 15 metres along the roadside where he had been lying.
Police officers nearby were alerted by a witness and quickly pulled the man from the snow, where he had gone into cardiac arrest. Despite receiving first aid on site, he was transported to Grenoble University Hospital, where he died later that evening.
The regional prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation into the incident, while local services are providing support to the victim’s family. The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office stated, “We are supporting the family of a British man who died in France and are in contact with the local authorities”34.
The avalanche was part of a series of four that struck the Val Thorens and neighboring Les Menuires areas amid an extreme weather event marked by over a meter of fresh snowfall at high altitudes. Authorities raised the avalanche risk to the highest level, 5 out of 5, leading to the closure of the entire ski area and advisories for residents and visitors to remain indoors in secure buildings.
Ludovic Trautmann, director of the Savoie prefecture, emphasized the ongoing danger, stating, “Given the conditions in the coming days, we are calling for the utmost vigilance.” The road connecting Les Menuires and Val Thorens remains closed, and the prefecture warns that avalanche risk will persist at extremely high levels, urging the public to avoid all mountain activities outside secured ski slopes.
Val Thorens, situated at 2,300 meters and known as the highest ski resort in Europe, is surrounded by six glaciers and typically guarantees snow cover from November to May. Avalanches in the Alps often occur when unstable snow masses break away due to heavy snowfall or sudden wind changes, conditions that were present during this recent weather event.
This incident highlights the inherent risks of alpine environments during periods of heavy snowfall, underscoring the importance of strict safety measures and public awareness during elevated avalanche warnings. Other resorts in the French Alps have also closed temporarily amid the heightened risk, reflecting widespread caution across the region.