Refuge du Mont-Joly on the Mont Blanc massif. | Image: Refuge du Mont Joly
A British mother and her son died in an avalanche on the famous Mont Blanc massif in France on Thursday, December 28, 2023. The couple and three other family members were in a guided group with a ski instructor. In total, three of the six skiers were swept away by the avalanche and buried. The third skier who was swept away and buried by the avalanche was the ski instructor, who was the only skier wearing an avalanche burial device. He survived with minor injuries.
The avalanche occurred around 3:40 p.m. in a popular off-piste area in the Saint-Gervais-les-Bains ski resort of the Mont Blanc massif. The avalanche began at an altitude of about 2,400 meters (7,874 feet) near the Mont Joly chairlift and descended about 400 meters (1,312 feet).
The avalanche occurred near the Mont Joly chairlift. | Image: Saint Gervais les Bains website
An extensive search and rescue system was initiated by the Peloton de Gendarmerie de Haute Montagne de Chamonix Mont-blanc (“PGHM”) of Chamonix. The avalanche rescue team worked into the night to find and rescue all avalanche victims. Unfortunately, any help came too late for the 54-year-old British mother and her 22-year-old son. The father was reportedly part of the ski group but was uninjured.
According to initial investigations by the authorities in Haute-Savoie, the avalanche was triggered by two other skiers who were crossing a little higher on the slope. The Bonneville District Attorney's Office will conduct a full investigation to determine the exact circumstances of this tragedy.
“Mont-Joly is a mountain that is open to alpine skiing, but has very steep slopes and is unfortunately very popular with off-piste skiers. Today was not the time to go off-piste.”
— Jean-Marc Peillex, mayor of Saint-Gervais-Les Bains
In April 2023, an avalanche on the Armancette glacier near Mont Blanc in southeastern France killed six people.
Every year around 100 people are caught in avalanches in France.
Every year around 30 people die in avalanches in France.
PGHM search and rescue efforts. | Image: PGHM CHamonix