British skier, 68, dies after crashing into a tree while swerving to avoid a group of people at French resort

A British skier was killed yesterday after a violent collision with a tree at the French ski resort of Avoriaz in Morzine.

The mountain rescue team was informed of the accident at 3pm local time yesterday, amid reports that a skier had left the slopes and hit a tree at high speed after swerving to avoid a group of fellow skiers.

The unidentified victim, believed to be 68 years old, was found unconscious by rescuers and could not be resuscitated despite their efforts.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Avoriaz is one of 13 ski resorts in the Portes du Soleil region, a top ski destination for alpine enthusiasts worldwide covering parts of the French and Swiss Alps.

It comes a month after another British skier fell during an ill-fated attempt to descend the notoriously difficult ‘Swiss Wall’ route in the Portes du Soleil area, near Avoriaz.

Avoriaz is one of 13 ski resorts in the Portes du Soleil region, a top ski destination for alpine enthusiasts worldwide covering parts of the French and Swiss Alps.

It comes a month after another British skier fell during an ill-fated attempt to descend the notoriously difficult ‘Swiss Wall’ route in the Portes du Soleil area, near Avoriaz.

The route was closed at the time of the fatal fall due to icy conditions, but the skier was spotted heading to the closed piste with two other alpinists.

The Swiss Wall, which starts at the French-Swiss border and descends into Switzerland, is known as one of the steepest and most difficult descents in the world, with gradients of up to 76% in some places.

The 47-year-old skier, who lost control and tumbled down the mountain, was pronounced dead at the scene on February 7.

A week earlier, a 30-year-old British skier died at the Serre Chevalier resort in the La Salle-les-Alpes sector after 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 died in January after a ‘major fall’ near a Frenchman in the Hautes Alpes, France

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)

“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.

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 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.