{"id":1773065,"date":"2026-02-16T00:57:39","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T21:57:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1773065"},"modified":"2026-02-16T00:57:39","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T21:57:39","slug":"massive-avalanche-hits-val-veny-courmayeur-italy-two-confirmed-dead-one-in-critical-condition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1773065","title":{"rendered":"Massive Avalanche Hits Val Veny, Courmayeur, Italy: Two Confirmed Dead, One in Critical Condition"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Courmayeur on the French-Italian border. | Image: SnowBrains<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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A massive avalanche struck the Ves Canal in Val Veny, above Courmayeur, on Sunday, February 15, at around 11 a.m., overwhelming a group of off-piste skiers on one of the most popular freeride routes at the foot of Mont Blanc.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The final toll is two dead and one critically injured.<\/strong> One victim, a 31-year-old from Chamonix, France, was found lifeless in the snow. The second, whose identity has not yet been confirmed, died shortly after arriving at the Parini hospital in Aosta despite resuscitation attempts. The third skier, a 35-year-old Frenchman, was buried for approximately 40 minutes before being airlifted to the Citt\u00e0 della Salute-Molinette hospital in Turin. He remains in critical condition, with doctors employing advanced warming and life-support techniques in an effort to stabilize him.<\/p>\n

Rescue operations were immediate and complex.<\/strong> Teams from the Aosta Valley Alpine Rescue (CNSAS Valdostano) and Guardia di Finanza responded, supported by two doctors, three canine units, and two helicopters. A total of 15 rescuers worked on site, coordinating extraction and medical assistance, including an advanced on-site medical post in Courmayeur. Authorities confirmed that one skier was located first using an avalanche beacon, while the other two were later recovered. The search concluded in the afternoon after confirming no other people were caught in the detachment.<\/p>\n

CNSAS teams at work at an unrelated rescue earlier this season. | Image: CNSAS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Eyewitnesses reported seeing the skiers in the gully moments before the avalanche struck and immediately raised the alarm.<\/strong> Investigations into the background of the accident have been entrusted to the Entr\u00e8ves Guardia di Finanza and the State Police.<\/p>\n

The avalanche bulletin for Val Veny had warned of a danger level of 4 out of 5\u2014classified as \u201cstrong\u201d\u2014with particular caution advised for steep slopes.<\/strong> A yellow alert for strong wind and avalanche risk was also issued for the entire regional territory.<\/p>\n

This tragedy raises the season\u2019s avalanche death toll in Italy to 24\u2013above the 10-year annual average of 21.6.<\/strong> Authorities continue to stress the importance of strict adherence to marked trails, proper avalanche safety equipment, and careful assessment of conditions before venturing into the mountains.<\/p>\n

The site of the avalanche. | Image: CNSAS Valdostano<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Courmayeur on the French-Italian border. | Image: SnowBrains A massive avalanche struck the Ves Canal in Val Veny, above Courmayeur, on Sunday, February 15, at around 11 a.m., overwhelming a group of off-piste skiers on one of the most popular freeride routes at the foot of Mont Blanc. The final toll is two dead and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,267],"class_list":["post-1773065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-snowbrains-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1773065","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1773065"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1773065\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1773065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1773065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1773065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}