A mother and her 22-year-old son, both British nationals, have died in an avalanche that occurred in the French Alps near the Saint-Gervais ski resort on Thursday.
The pair had been skiing off-piste with a group of five others and an instructor when the avalanche struck around 3:30 pm local time. Rescue teams searched for hours before locating their buried bodies, but they were sadly already deceased.
The incident brings the dangers of backcountry skiing into focus once again. Despite favourable weather and snow conditions at ski resorts presently, venturing outside marked boundaries on the Mont Blanc massif brings ever-present risks.
Mayor Jean-Marc Peillex of Saint-Gervais emphasized that the weather had been unstable with rain, snow and warmer temperatures. He tragically likened the deaths to the decimation of an entire family.
Details remain limited currently as local authorities have opened an investigation. However, initial reports suggest the avalanche originated around 2,300 meters altitude and then travelled 400 meters down the mountainside.