Valgrisenche, Italy – On March 5, 2017 a skier was caught, buried, and killed in an avalanche while off-piste heli-skiing on Mount Giasson in Valgrisenche in the Aosta Valley of northern Italy.
RAINews.it and LaStampa.it report that the victim was in a group of 5 – four skiers and a guide – when the avalanche struck. The incident occurred at roughly 2600 meters while the group was waiting for someone who was stuck in the snow. According to RAINews.it, 4 skiers were fully buried between 50 and 150 cm and 1 was partially buried. Find photos of the avalanche at Torino.Repubblica.it.
First responders included other skiers. TheGuardia di Finanza and the Aosta Valley Mountain Rescue responded quickly. The victim was a 25-year-old Spaniard. A 55-year-old Frenchman, a 59-year-old Englishman, and a 51-year-old American all had minor injuries and were transported to the hospital.
The avalanche warning was 3/5 at the time of the incident.
This is the 50th avalanche fatality in Italy this winter.
We will try to update this post when more information is available.
UPDATE 3/6: ANSA.it identified the victim as Bejar Luis Frias, 28, of Madrid. An investigation has been started involving the incident and the two French mountain guides from Chamonix who were with the group of 12 people.
Read more about the avalanche on Mount Giasson near Valgrisenche, Italy from the following sources:
All information in this post was found using Google Translate. There may be errors in this information. Please use the sources listed above to verify all facts.
