British skier, 30, dies after ‘bad fall’ at French resort – the second British national to die in the Alps within days after the 63-year-old collapsed from a heart attack
A British skier has died after a “heavy fall” at a French resort, the second British national to die in the Alps in days, according to local reports.
The 30-year-old was reportedly evacuated to hospital in a serious condition last Monday, but died during the night.
The accident took place at the Serre Chevalier resort in the La Salle-les-Alpes sector, reports said, and involved an Englishman who suffered a “heavy fall.”
First responders in the area at the time were the first to provide care to the skier before the French National Police (CRS) arrived and evacuated them.
France’s BFMTV said the skier was “in a state of brain death” when they were transported to Grenoble University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A British skier has died after a ‘major fall’ involving a Frenchman in the Hautes Alpes, France (pictured, file photo). According to local reports, he is the second British national to die in the Alps within days.
The exact circumstances of the incident are currently unknown, reports said.
“The victim was discovered by a patrol who immediately raised the alarm,” said Patrick Arnaud, the ski resort’s boss, according to Le Dauphine.
‘Together with a number of other trackers, they provided first aid. All teams at the ski area are affected by this tragedy and all our thoughts are with the family,” he added.
Marion Lozac’hmeur, the prosecutor for the Hautes-Alpes department in Gap, said an investigation has been opened into the incident.
“A judicial investigation has been opened to determine the circumstances of the accident. It has been entrusted to the CRS Alpes,” she said.
The person involved in the accident has not been identified.
A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office told MailOnline: ‘We are supporting the family of a British man who died in France and are in contact with local authorities.’
Also on January 29, about 40 miles away, a 63-year-old British man collapsed and died in the ski resort of La Plagne, Savoie, an alpine region in southeastern France.
Officials said last week that the man had suffered a heart attack and could not be revived by the mountain rescue team.
‘Emergency workers were on the scene very quickly, but the man could no longer be resuscitated. He was pronounced dead at the mountain aid station in Modane,” a police spokesman said.
The accident involving the 30-year-old took place at the Serre Chevalier resort in the La Salle-les-Alpes sector, reports said, and involved an Englishman who suffered a “heavy fall”. Pictured: A snowboarder is seen at the Serre-Chevalier resort (file photo)
This comes on the same day a 79-year-old Briton suffered a skiing accident at the SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser ski area in the Tyrolean town of Brixental, in western Austria.
The man was riding downhill around 12:15 p.m. local time when he fell over the edge of the track in a right-hand bend.
He was seriously injured after falling 45 meters. He was not wearing a helmet and suffered serious head injuries.
A rescue helicopter took the man to the nearby Kufstein hospital after he received first aid from the local pister rescue service.
Just last month, three British holidaymakers, including an eight-year-old boy, were taken to hospital after separate skiing accidents at a resort in Austria.
In the first incident, a 19-year-old male Briton collided with a man from Germany on the slopes of the Tyrolean ski resort Obergurgl on Sunday, December 17.
Due to the severity of his injuries, the teenager was taken by helicopter from the slopes to the Innsbruck university clinic.
The 59-year-old German tourist with whom he collided was less seriously injured and was taken to the valley in a rescue sled. Austrian authorities have not revealed the identity of the Briton.
Due to the country’s strict privacy rules, they also did not provide information about the type of injuries he suffered in the accident.
The next day (December 18), an eight-year-old British boy crashed with a 21-year-old man on a slope at the same resort.
This comes on the same day a 79-year-old Briton had a skiing accident on the SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser slope in the Tyrolean ski resort of Brixental, in western Austria (file image from SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser)
Three British holidaymakers, including an eight-year-old boy, were airlifted to hospital after separate skiing accidents at the Obergurgl resort (pictured) in Austria
While the young man received medical care in Obergurgl, the child was flown to the Innsbruck university clinic. As with the first incident, police have not released the identities of the skiers involved.
In a statement on December 18, the Tyrol state police said: ‘On December 18, 2023 around 10:50 am, an accident occurred on the red slope number seven in the Obergurgl ski area.
‘The reason has not yet been determined. A 21-year-old male skier from Great Britain collided with an eight-year-old British boy. The child suffered unknown injuries. He was taken to the Innsbruck University Clinic by emergency helicopter.’
Heavy early snowfall has provided plenty of deep snow, which could be a challenge. especially for novice skiers, which may have contributed to the spate of accidents involving British holidaymakers.