Grim News from Tignes this morning

An avalanche, off-piste in the Tovieres sector above Le Lavachet and Le Lac, is reported to have engulfed a group of 9 skiers (including one guide).


Photo from Le Dauphine

The slide occurred at around 10:35 this morning and although rescuers were quickly on the scene, there are four confirmed fatalities and five persons believed still to be missing.

Reports (in French) here :- http://www.ledauphine.com/savoie/2017/02/13/tignes-une-avalanche-en-hors-piste-emporte-plusieurs-skieurs

and (in English on the BBC) :- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38954628

The avalanche risk level in the area is reported to be at 3 (Considerable), and unconfirmed reports suggest the slide was triggered by skiers above the group hit.

Not looking good! From photos you can see a huge crown wall so looks like localized wind slab, with people being caught in terrain trap, which explains the depth that victims appear to have been buried at. Am sure there will be something for all of us to learn from this one.

Well seem the news improved slightly (5 people no longer missing) although if reported correctly seems a strange incident. Walking (boarders) in a terrain trap engulfed by slab avalanche triggered from above. Group was apparently with an instructor although seems some situational awareness was perhaps lacking.

Ranchero_1979 wrote:Walking (boarders) in a terrain trap engulfed by slab avalanche triggered from above.

:(

So maybe just enjoyed a few too many turns and found themselves below a level they could traverse out from? If that's the case they may not even have been visible to the (supposed) group above. There's speculation elsewhere that the group can be seen at the top of the slope in the webcam snapshot immediately before the slide, but with this new info I guess that would have been the group that triggered it.

An ESF instructor with a father and his two teenage sons, apparently.

RIP.

This was us in November doing exactly the same section over and over. Us at the top and then having a beer at the bottom. The top section is very safe it's when you get over the final ridge and drop down into le lac. I'm guessing but I'm sure it's 65 degrees in places and I'm being conservative. We were coming down through an old slide at the bottom. They had been blasting all week as there was so much snow
Very sad news and a wake up call. In Nov I didn't have tranc, probe etc but now have the full hog, pieps bag the lot. No risks taken anymore.
Thoughts go out to the families.

At the bottom