Seven skiers go off-piste in Savoie: one of the 14-year-olds dies in an avalanche on Christmas Day

A group of seven skiers skiing off-piste in the Aiguille Rouge area of ​​Arc 2000 were caught in an avalanche on Wednesday, December 25, 2024. A 14-year-old boy lost his life in the incident.

A 14-year-old boy died on Christmas Day after being swept away by an avalanche that occurred with a group of six other skiers in the off-piste area of ​​Aiguille Rouge in Arc 2000, according to information provided by mountain rescue services on Wednesday evening.

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“To At 3:22 p.m., this group of seven people, without a supervisor and moving in the off-piste sector of the Aiguille Rouge, were caught in an avalanche”, the ski patrollers indicated at France Bleu. The alert was given by a ski instructor, present nearby and witness to the 'incident.

The sequence of events

The rescue teams quickly intervened, accompanied by two dog teams, and were able to locate the victim using the probe, thanks to the clues left on the surface (notably a pair of skis), at 3:43 p.m., less than 20 minutes after their arrival.

The 14-year-old teenager was not equipped with an avalanche victim detector (DVA). Taken care of by a helicopter rescue doctor, he did not survive despite attempts at resuscitation and was declared dead at 5:08 p.m.

The initial information relayed by our colleagues suggests that a snowboarder moving upstream probably triggered the slide. The seven skiers in the group, including the victim, were all French and members of the same family, on holiday in Arc 1800 for the Christmas holidays.

A high risk of avalanches

The risk of avalanches remained high this Wednesday in almost all the massifs, with an index of 3 out of 5. “The snowpack has not yet stabilised. Although temperatures have been very cold in recent hours, there has been a significant transport of snow. It is therefore still too early to go off-piste”, advise mountain professionals.

They also point out that off-piste skiing requires being accompanied by a guide and have the necessary equipment (shovel, probe, avalanche victim detector).