An American skier died today in Val Thorens, France. | Image: Val Thorens Facebook
An American skier in his early 50s has died following a fall in an off-piste area at Val Thorens, in France’s Savoie region, authorities confirmed Tuesday, December 30. The fatal accident occurred mid-afternoon in the Boismint sector of the resort. According to the local ski patrol, Service des Pistes de la Vallée des Belleville (SPVB), which responded to the incident, the skier suffered a serious fall while skiing outside marked runs. According to French newspaper La Provence, the man was accompanied by an independent ski instructor when he fell.
Emergency services were deployed immediately but the American skier could not be saved. | Image: SPVB
A ski patroller reached the victim within minutes and immediately began first aid, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation. A defibrillator was deployed within six minutes of the accident, the SPVB confirmed in a statement. Despite the rapid response, the skier remained in cardiac arrest. A resort doctor and a medical helicopter from Haute-Savoie’s Choucas 74 rescue service were dispatched to assist. However, despite extensive resuscitation efforts by emergency teams, the skier was pronounced dead at the scene. It was confirmed that the victim was a U.S. national.
In a statement, the management of the Belleville Valley ski areas, which include Val Thorens, Les Menuires, and Saint-Martin-de-Belleville, expressed condolences to the victim’s family and praised the commitment and professionalism of the rescue teams involved. The exact circumstances of the accident are under investigation. However, Benjamin Blanc, Director of Ski Patrol at Val Thorens, is urging guests to stay on marked slopes wait for the next snowfall before going off-piste. In an interview with AFP, Blanc said, “The snow has been blown a lot. We had almost 15 days of strong wind on Val Thorens, and it really stirred the snow, and therefore the rocks are not covered.”
The death marks the third fatal off-piste fall in Savoie since the start of the winter season. Earlier this month, two 24-year-old men died in separate off-piste accidents in Les Arcs and the Méribel-Mottaret sector.
The tragedy adds to a somber start to the ski season in Savoie, which has also seen two fatal avalanches in Valloire and La Plagne on Friday, December 26, as well as the death of a 19-year-old skier at Les Karellis.
Val Thorens, France. | Image: Val Thorens Facebook