Avalanche at La Norma: a woman in her forties loses her life, the second victim in a week in Savoie

Tragically, a woman in her forties lost her life on Saturday 28 December when she was swept away by an avalanche in the La Norma ski area in Savoie. She was skiing with two other people in an off-piste area when an avalanche was triggered when they crossed the Saint-Antoine stream, according to France Bleue Pays de Savoie.

The emergency services were alerted at 12:14pm and a large number of resources were deployed. Less than 15 minutes after the incident, a helicopter flew over the area, deploying a dog handler and three rescuers. The team was quickly joined by three ski patrollers from La Norma. The victim, who was not wearing an avalanche transceiver, was located using a probe at 1pm and freed 15 minutes later. Unfortunately, despite resuscitation efforts, she could not be saved.

This tragedy comes just a few days after the death of a 13-year-old teenager, who was also swept away by an off-piste avalanche on the Les Arcs ski area on 25 December. The Prefect of Savoie had also issued a reminder to be cautious in the face of avalanche risks, particularly off secure slopes. These two accidents highlight the dangers of off-piste skiing, which is particularly risky at this time of year.