French Alps on alert after a series of deadly avalanches

Skiers have been warned to be “extremely careful” after a series of deadly avalanches in the French Alps.

In just ten days there have been at least 46 avalanches, according to www.data-avalanche.org, including the one on Monday (March 13) that killed Guillaume Mulliez, part of the family that founded the Auchan supermarket chain. 

The avalanches have been caused by a sudden abundance of snow, which itself followed a long period without. As a result, the new snow, buffeted by significant wind, fell on stony ground, meaning the snow has not meshed with the soil. 

This means it is not stable, especially on the southern, sunny peaks, where an avalanche could take the entire layer of snow with it, according to Stéphane Bornet, director of the French National Association for the Study of Snow and Avalanches (Anena).

The dangerous conditions have seen the prefecture of France’s Haute-Savoie department warn skiers to be “extremely careful and know when to abandon” the pistes.

D'importantes chutes de neige se sont produites sur l'ensemble des massifs de #HauteSavoie ces dernières heures. Demain le temps sera plus clément et propice aux activités en montagne. Le manteau neigeux sera très instable. Soyez extrêmement prudents et sachez renoncer! pic.twitter.com/iJQEfcqQ4X

— Préfet de la Haute-Savoie (@Prefet74) March 14, 2023

Mr. Bornet echoed the prefecture’s warning, saying on news website France 3 that “caution and humility are the key words. People want to go skiing, as we have not had fresh snow in a long time, but abandoning [the pistes] means being able to go back to them”.

Ten departments on yellow alert

Météo France has issued yellow warnings (be vigilant) for avalanches in ten departments on March 15.

The departments are: Haute-Savoie, Savoie, Isère, Hautes-Alpes, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Hautes-Pyrénées, Haute-Garonne, Ariège and Pyrénées-Orientales as well as in Andorra, the tiny principality on the border between France and Spain.  

Yellow warnings mean people should be “on alert” for weather phenomena common to the region and stay informed of the changing situation.

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