Trial Against 2 Ski Tour Guides Opens in Swiss Court Over 2023 Avalanche That Killed Colorado and British Teens

The trial of two guides who led an ill-fated ski tour with a group of boarding-school students will begin Wednesday, August 12, 2026, in Switzerland, more than three years after an avalanche killed two 18-year-old students: Emily Franciose of Vail, Colorado, and British student Archie Harvey.

Franciose grew up in the Colorado ski town of Vail and traveled to Switzerland for her final year of school. She had skied since she was 2 and was passionate about sports and the outdoors, according to reporting on her life.Harvey, an 18-year-old from West London, was also a boarding student at the École d’Humanité in Hasliberg, Switzerland.

The two students were among 12 people on a ski tour near Gstelliwang in Switzerland’s Bernese Oberland when an avalanche swept through the group’s second descent on March 21, 2023. Harvey was located approximately 1 hour and 35 minutes later beneath about 2 meters (6.5 feet) of snow and was found dead. Franciose remained missing for nearly three months before her remains were recovered from the Rychenbach on June 18, 2023.

More than three years later, the two leaders of the ski tour are scheduled to appear before the Oberland Regional Court in Thun, Switzerland, beginning Wednesday, August 12. Both deny violating their duty of care, and the presumption of innocence applies.

According to an independent investigation by the Swiss Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF), the group of 12 was skiing in the Rychenbachtal near Meiringen when the avalanche released shortly after 4:15 p.m. Franciose and Harvey were caught during the group’s second descent.

The group began its ascent from Broch at approximately 10:30 a.m. on March 21, eventually reaching an elevation of about 8,200 feet (2,500 meters) below the north face of the Wellhorn.

The group’s first descent was reportedly uneventful. The mountain guide selected less-steep terrain on the eastern side of Gstelliwang, with a slope angle below approximately 35 degrees. The guide descended first and instructed the others to maintain spacing. The group reached a gathering point safely.

The participants then decided to climb again for a second run. That descent would take them onto significantly steeper terrain.

The avalanche released on a north-facing slope measuring approximately 40 to 45 degrees, according to the SLF report. The dry-snow slab avalanche was approximately 280 meters (920 feet) wide and 1,300 meters (4,265 feet) long, with an average crown height of about 60 centimeters (24 inches).

Investigators determined that the slide failed in a weak layer of old snow beneath a crust located approximately 72 to 74 centimeters (28 to 29 inches) below the snow surface. In some areas, the avalanche removed virtually the entire snowpack.

Avalanche danger in the region was rated Level 2, or moderate, that day. However, the official bulletin specifically warned of an old-snow problem on steep north- and east-facing slopes and cautioned that skiers could trigger avalanches capable of becoming large.

The SLF’s assessment is central to the questions surrounding the group’s second descent. The experts found little to criticize about the group’s ascent and first descent but questioned the decision to take the second descent through the steep, exposed northern slope. According to the assessment, additional safety measures would have been warranted on that terrain.

The trial is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, August 12, at the Oberland Regional Court in Thun. The two defendants are facing charges of negligent homicide in connection with the deaths of Franciose and Harvey. The court is expected to examine the route selection, snow conditions, decisions made during the first and second descents, and the responsibilities of the two leaders.

A verdict is scheduled for Friday, August 14.