Two British skiers who died in an avalanche in the French Alps have been identified as Stuart Leslie, 46, and Shaun Overy, 51. The incident occurred on Friday while the pair were skiing off-piste in Val d’Isère, south-east France, as part of a group of five accompanied by an instructor.
A French national skiing alone was also killed, while another British skier survived. France’s national weather service had issued a red alert for avalanche risk on Thursday, only the third such warning in 25 years, according to Le Monde.
Leslie, who regularly posted about his skiing adventures on social media, was believed to be friends with Overy, a plumbing company owner from Wimbledon. Friend Craig Hunter paid tribute on social media, saying: “We have lost a true legend – our beautiful Stuart. He lived life to the absolute maximum – he packed 10 men’s lives into one.”
Albertville prosecutor Benoît Bachelet confirmed a manslaughter investigation had been launched. The ski instructor, who was uninjured, tested negative for drugs.
The deaths follow another British skier in his 50s dying in an avalanche at nearby La Plagne in January. Thirteen backcountry skiers, climbers and hikers died in the Italian mountains in early February amid unstable snow, and a train was derailed by a snow slide in Switzerland on Monday.
