‘Drunken’ skier, 29, dies after falling through gondola window and plunging 40m before being impaled on piste marker
- 29-year-old fell to death after crashing through ski lift window after drinking
- France Bleu reported that the man had fallen on a piste marker and impaled himself
A Frenchman has fallen in the Alps after crashing through a plastic ski lift window while “messing around” under the influence of alcohol, prosecutors and the lift operator said.
The accident occurred Saturday as two men, 29 and 23, were descending the mountain at the Deux Alpes resort in France.
They “were messing around in the elevator when the 29-year-old smashed through the Plexiglas screen and fell 40 meters dead,” local prosecutor Eric Vaillant said Sunday.
According to local media, the men were filming themselves when the victim, who weighed more than 15 kilograms, slammed into the side of the elevator.
Local radio station France Bleu reported that the man fell on a piste marker and impaled himself on a pole.
A Frenchman has died in the Alps after crashing through a plastic ski lift window while “messing around” under the influence of alcohol, prosecutors and the lift operator said. In the photo: a gondola at Les Deux Alpes
The French commune of Les Deux Alpes, near Grenoble, surrounded by mountains
Fabrice Boutet, director of the Deux Alpes resort, told the BFM station today: ‘These are lifts built for 20 people.
“If there’s been any movement caused by sudden braking or anything else, they’re designed to withstand shock… This stupid accident was caused by it gaining momentum and throwing itself against the plexiglass.”
The director denied any responsibility for the accident. The ski lift is being investigated by the police.
With an altitude of 3,600 meters, Les Deux Alpes is the highest ski area in France.
Les Deux Alpes is located about 70 km from the mountainous border with Italy to the east
In February, a 50-year-old British skier died after falling ‘several tens of meters’ and suffering cardiac arrest while skiing off-piste in the French Alps.
The tourist suffered serious injuries after “rising” into the air at “very high speed” before landing on a rocky slope.
The accident took place in the Saulire sector in the seaside resort of Meribel, northeast of Les Deux Alpes.
France’s National Mountain Safety Observation System (SNOSM) recorded a total of 12 deaths in France’s mountains during the 2021-22 ski season, according to The Times.
More than 45,000 people were treated for injuries, while emergency services attended about 50,000 incidents.