Mother and Son Die in Alps Avalanche

A British woman, 54, and her son, 22, have died in an avalanche that took place in the Mont Blanc mountain range of the French Alps. The avalanche occurred at 2,300 metres elevation and measured 400 metres wide.

They were skiing with an instructor out of a designated area at the ski resort of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains in the Haute-Savoie when the avalanche was triggered by skiers above. The instructor was also buried but rescued by other skiers.

Five other skiers were in the area but not buried, including the husband and father of the deceased. Police said an inquiry has been opened to establish the circumstances of the deaths. The victims have not been named.

“Zero risk doesn’t exist off-piste,” Jean-Luc Boch, the president of the Association of Mountain Station Mayors, told FrenchInfo. “There is a risk and that risk exists even if you are accompanied by professionals, by guides, by ski instructors … there is always a risk weighing over you. Never forget that in the mountains security is the most important thing and you have to be extremely careful. Mountains, like the sea, are always stronger than us.”