German skier dies in Swiss Alps avalanche
A 29-year-old German man died in an avalanche while skiing in the Swiss Alps over the weekend. The victim was swept 450 metres by an avalanche just after 1pm on Saturday, the Bern Oberland region prosecutor confirmed on Sunday.
He was found dead by mountain rescue volunteers who arrived at the scene in helicopters from the Rega Swiss air rescue service. Another man who was also caught up in the avalanche was only slightly injured.
The man, who has not been identified but who lived in Bern, was one of a group of four who were skiing below the summit of the Ärmighorn, a 2,742-metre peak above the Ramslauenen area. The two who were not hit by the avalanche called the emergency services.
The accident is the latest in a string of fatalities and injuries linked to avalanches in the Swiss Alps in the past six weeks.
The WSL institute for snow and avalanche research said on Sunday that gusting snow posed the greatest danger in Swiss mountain regions.
The centre identified a “marked risk” for avalanches in Alpine areas extending from the canton of Valais through to Andermatt and the canton of Graubünden to the east.
The Local/Malcom Curtis
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The victim was swept 450 metres by an avalanche just after 1pm on Saturday, the Bern Oberland region prosecutor confirmed on Sunday.
He was found dead by mountain rescue volunteers who arrived at the scene in helicopters from the Rega Swiss air rescue service. Another man who was also caught up in the avalanche was only slightly injured.
The man, who has not been identified but who lived in Bern, was one of a group of four who were skiing below the summit of the Ärmighorn, a 2,742-metre peak above the Ramslauenen area. The two who were not hit by the avalanche called the emergency services.
The accident is the latest in a string of fatalities and injuries linked to avalanches in the Swiss Alps in the past six weeks.
The WSL institute for snow and avalanche research said on Sunday that gusting snow posed the greatest danger in Swiss mountain regions.
The centre identified a “marked risk” for avalanches in Alpine areas extending from the canton of Valais through to Andermatt and the canton of Graubünden to the east.
The Local/Malcom Curtis
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