British skier, 63, collapses and dies of a heart attack on the slopes of a French ski resort

A British skier has collapsed and died of a heart attack on the slopes of a French ski resort.

The unnamed 63-year-old complained of feeling ill before collapsing yesterday at the ski resort of La Plagne, Savoie, a mountain region in southeastern France.

Officials say he 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.

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.