Saint-Maurice-Sur-Moselle, France – On Thursday, February 1, 2018 an experienced solo skier was caught, buried, and killed in an avalanche in the Birkel Couloir in the Roches de Morteville area of Ballon d’Alsace in the Vosges Mountains near Saint-Maurice-Sur-Moselle in France.
Authorities were notified about the incident around 17:00 by family members because the victim did not show up for work or answer calls. The man had gone ski touring near Ballon d’Alsace and rescuers focused their search there.
Rescuers located an avalanche near the Birkel Couloir which is located between the old Jumenterie Ski Lift and the Roches de Morteville. After locating a ski, rescuers began a transceiver search and found the man was buried near a tree.
LeParisien.fr identified the victim as 49-year-old Laurent Poirot from Le Menil. He was equipped with all of the appropriate gear and helmet when the accident occurred.
We will try to update this post when more information is available.
See Also: Global Avalanche Accidents 2017/2018
Read more about the avalanche on Ballon d’Alsace in France from the following sources:
- VosgesMatin.fr
- FranceBleu.fr
- PisteHors.com
- Campdesrecrues.com
- 20Minutes.fr
- FranceTvInfo.fr
- Anena.org
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.
