Fiesch skier dies 2 metres off the piste
Woman dies after Champéry fall, man in Engadine killed by stalactite, ski trekker caught by avalanche
Champery is one of 12 ski resorts that are part of the Portes du Soleil ski region on the Swiss-French border in canton Valais
Update 21:00 Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The number of accidents on mountains in the Swiss and French Alps is climbing, with icy slopes and warmer conditions possibly playing a role. This weekend in Switzerland four people lost their lives doing mountain sports: all were Swiss with alpine sports experience.
Monday 7 February a Bern man, 50, died in Fiesch, in the Goms/Conches valley in upper canton Valais, for reasons that are not clear, say police. He was skiing along the edge of the Obere Galvera run at 2,150m altitude when he fell and ended up off-piste, 2m from the edge of the run, where he died.
No further details are available except that he was wearing a helmet. Police have opened an investigation.
A 65-year-old woman from canton Vaud died in hospital after being flown to the Chuv, Vaud university hospitals, in Lausanne Sunday night 6 February following a fall while skiing in Champéry.
The accident occurred on the Pas de Chavanette in Champéry, a 1 km run with a vertical drop of 331 metres, well known for its moguls.
The run was closed to the public but the woman, her son and his female companion slipped under the nets to go down the run.
Pas de Chavanette's steep and rocky stretch: the slope is sometimes called an orange run - more difficult than normal black runs (photo 2007, Ale de Vries / Wikipedia)
The older woman fell and slid several dozen metres, say police. The younger woman also slipped and suffered a broken collarbone. She was hospitalized in Monthey.
Police have opened an investigation into the accident.
Man hit by falling ice after ice-wall climbing
An ice climber died in a freak accident in canton Graubuenden, in the Engadine region, when a stalactite fell on him. The man was sorting out his gear 30 metres below the giant icicle when it detached and pinned him to the ground.
The accident occurred Saturday afternoon, about 14:00, near Sils, at the entrance to Vallon du Fextal. The man had been climbing with two companions. He died from his injuries the following day.
Uri man dies; cell phones didn’t work in mountainous area
A 39-yar-old man died in canton Uri after he and a friend were caught by an avalanche as they came down from the Vorder Schloss near Attinghaussen. He was wearing an avalanche alert system that allowed his friend to find him and partially dig him out.
The friend was unable to call for help because their cell phones couldn’t pick up a signal in the mountainous area. He left his friend behind after failing to revive him, to call for help.
International sports, curling
Champéry, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The Swiss teams won bronze medals in both the men’s and women’s events at the Le Gruyere European curling championships 11 December. In the men’s final, Norway beat Denmark 5-3, while Switzerland beat Germany 7-4 for the bronze. In the women’s, Sweden took gold after beating Scotland 8-6, while the Swiss beat Russia 9-5.
Link to other sites: , Swissinfo, The Foreigner, The Scotsman
Sion, Valais, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The body of a man found in the snow not far from a skilift in Champéry has been identified as that of a 36-year-0ld Frenchman from Dijon. The cause of death is not yet known, but foul play is not suspected, say Valais police. The man’s family had not heard from him since 20 December 2009. He was identified thanks to DNA tests.
Police had distributed photos found on him and asked the public for help in identifying him.
Champery, Valais (GenevaLunch) – A body, not dressed in ski clothes, was found under the snow by a skier in Champery, close to the Grand-Paradis chairlift Saturday 13 February. Police believe the person may have died there before the winter snows arrived, but no details are available yet.
Title: Sheep come back from the Alps
Location: Champery, Valais
Link out: Click here
Description: Sheep come down from the summer alpine pastures
Start Time: 11:30
Date: 10 Oct 2009
