British Father Films Terrifying Avalanche in Italian Alps as Skiers Narrowly Escape
A British father's initial fascination turned to sheer terror as he filmed a gigantic avalanche cascading down a mountain at an Italian ski resort, suddenly realising the deadly wall of snow was heading directly toward his group. The dramatic footage, captured in Val Veny, Courmayeur, on Tuesday, shows tons of rolling snow tumbling down steep slopes just days after a similar incident killed two people in the same region.
The Moment of Terror Captured on Camera
In the short clip posted to Instagram, a cloud of powdery snow can initially be seen falling down the mountain toward unsuspecting skiers. Within seconds, the cloud appears to quadruple in size and accelerates rapidly, completely engulfing the skies above the terrified group. Some individuals can be heard screaming in panic while others urgently shout for people to move to safety.
The man filming the video maintains remarkable calm, repeatedly telling those around him: 'It's alright, it's alright.' Another voice can be heard saying 'relax' as the snow begins to fall rapidly over the group, with skiers ducking their heads down to protect their faces from the blizzard-like conditions.
Remarkably, a child describes the terrifying moment as 'so cool', while others try to turn their bodies away from the masses of snow descending and blowing into them with tremendous force. When asked if they should attempt to flee, the filming father again stays calm and advises: 'No, we're alright, stay here.'
Recent Avalanche Tragedies Across the Alps
The Courmayeur incident occurred against a backdrop of multiple deadly avalanches across the Alps in recent days. On Sunday, just two days before this footage was captured, two people were killed on the Couloir Vesses in Courmayeur, a well-known freeride route according to Italy's Alpine Rescue service. One victim was taken to hospital in serious condition but later died despite extensive rescue efforts involving fifteen rescuers, three canine units, and two helicopters.
On Tuesday, the same day as the Courmayeur footage was filmed, a British national living in Switzerland was killed in an avalanche on the Côte Fine couloir in La Grave, France. Two skiers were found in cardiorespiratory arrest and later pronounced dead - a 39-year-old Polish man and a 37-year-old British national originally from Poland who resided in Switzerland. Their French guide was injured and hospitalized, while two other skiers from Germany and Australia escaped unhurt.
The tragedy continued on Monday in Val-d'Isère, France, where two Britons and one French national were killed when an avalanche swept away six skiers in an off-piste area. The British victims, named as 46-year-old Stuart Leslie and 51-year-old Shaun Overy, were carried hundreds of metres down the mountainside into a stream where rescuers later recovered their bodies. A third Briton survived with minor injuries after reportedly digging himself out of the snow.
High Alert Conditions Across European Ski Resorts
Italian resorts have been placed under high avalanche alerts after fresh snowfall on weak internal layers created particularly risky conditions for skiers. The Savoie region in France had been placed on a rare red avalanche alert - a warning level issued only twice before in the 25 years since its introduction. Although this alert had been lifted by Friday morning, the risk remained at four out of five, officially classified as 'high', with avalanches described as 'easily triggered by skiers or hikers' and capable of mobilising 'very large volumes of snow'.
Storm Nils had blanketed the area with up to a metre of fresh snowfall on Thursday, leaving what Météo-France described as a 'very unstable snow cover'. Several major resorts, including La Plagne, Les Arcs, Peisey-Vallandry, and La Grave, were forced to close due to the dangerous conditions.
Experts warn that the majority of fatal winter sports accidents in France, Switzerland, Austria, and Italy occur off-piste rather than on secured runs. Avalanches account for approximately half of those deaths, with France averaging about 25 fatalities each winter. This season alone, there have been at least 25 avalanche deaths across the country, highlighting the ongoing dangers despite advanced warning systems and safety equipment.
Skiers are strongly advised against going off-piste when avalanche danger levels exceed tier three, and all winter sports enthusiasts are urged to check local conditions, carry appropriate safety equipment including avalanche transceivers, and heed official warnings during this particularly hazardous period in the Alps.
