British Skier Killed By Avalanche In Italy

A British skier has been killed after an avalanche in the Italian Alps, mountain rescue officials have said.

The 36-year-old man, who has been named as James Richard Ryan and is believed to come from Huddersfield, was swept away by tonnes of snow as he skied with a group of five friends and a guide, who were all British. The Foreign Office has confirmed the death, and is providing consular assistance to the family.

Mountain officials say heavy snow in the last few days means there is an increased risk of avalanches, as the fresh falls have not yet had a chance to bind to the mountains. The tragedy happened at Val Di Rhemes near Aosta at an altitude of 2,800 metres on the Mt Rosso mountain, as the group made its way down a run called the Punta Paletta.

The avalanche happened at around 5pm local time and was around 400 metres long and 100 metres wide, engulfing the victim and one of his companions immediately. Rescue teams managed to pull both men alive from the avalanche, but one died en route to the Parini hospital in Aosta.

Mountain rescue commander Delfino Viglione said: ''The group were skiing off piste when the avalanche took place.'' When asked if it had been caused by the group he said: ''That will be a question for the investigating magistrate, who has opened a file and is speaking to the group and the ski guide.''

Across the Italian Alps - which is preparing to welcome holidaymakers on Easter breaks - there was a series of avalanches over the weekend.

On Friday, a Norwegian man was killed at Courmayeur and his companion, who was skiing with him off-piste, has been charged with manslaughter for causing the avalanche. A dozen people have been killed in avalanches in the region this winter, leading officials to consider whether to launch rescue attempts for people who ignored warnings and got caught out.

Woman dies on ski slopes

A woman from Mississauga died Wednesday after crashing into a tree while snowboarding at the Beaver Valley Ski Club east of Markdale.

Police were called to the ski club at about 11 a.m. to respond to a report of a seriously injured snowboarder, Grey County OPP said in a news release. "Investigation revealed that a 48-year-old . . . woman was snowboarding on the hill when she left the ski slope and entered a wooded area where she struck a tree."

The woman was taken by ambulance to the Markdale hospital, where she died, the release said. A post-mortem was to be held today in Barrie to determine the exact cause of death, police said. The woman's name was not being released pending notification of her family.

Briton found dead in ski resort

A 24-year-old British man has been found dead in a ski resort, the Foreign Office said.

Police believe Paul Rea wandered off and got lost in freezing temperatures after becoming separated from friends on a night out in Pas de la Casa in Andorra. His body was discovered on Friday covered in snow in the Envalira tunnel close to the French border.

A spokesman for police in Andorra told Spanish news agency Europa Press the body showed "no signs of violence" and it was likely Mr Rea died of hypothermia. He said police believed he became "disorientated" and headed off in the wrong direction away from the centre of the resort.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We are aware of the death of a British national in Andorra on March 12. "Next of kin are aware. We are providing consular assistance and a post-mortem is under way."

11 year old boy collapses & dies while skiing down hill

An 11-year-old Newton boy reportedly collapsed and died while skiing with his father and brothers Sunday in New Hampshire.

The boy was identified by school officials as Joseph Kelly Heilbron, a fifth-grader at the Pierce School, according to the Newton Tab. Josephwas the youngest of six children. Police in Henniker were unavailable for comment last night. The ski facility Pat’s Peak in Henniker, N.H., did not return a call for comment.

Officials at Joseph’s school told the newspaper the boy’s death has shocked and saddened the entire community. “The mood of the school is very sad and (this was) very sudden. This was a very sweet child that was an integral part of our school,” Interim Principal Ruth H. Chapman told the paper.

According to a letter Chapman sent home to parents, Joseph was on the last run down a hill and winning a race with his father and brothers when his body gave out and he collapsed, she wrote. Grief counselors were on hand for students at the boy’s school yesterday.

Riddle as ski body had no shoes

Ski Brit Myles Robinson had no shoes on when his body was found, it emerged last night.

Sources in the Swiss resort of Wengen revealed he was wearing just one sock at the foot of an icy ravine.

Initial tests show the 6ft 5ins former public schoolboy, from Wandsworth, South London, was four times over the drink-drive limit.

But Newcastle University graduate Myles's relatives don't think he fell and suspect foul play.

They are demanding more answers from Swiss police.

Two climbers die on Eiger

Two mountain climbers have frozen to death on the Eiger after being trapped by a storm.

The accident occurred last week, and is the first accident on the 3970m high mountain this year, which is regarded as one of Switzerland's most dangerous.

The 21 year old men were attempting to climb the peak's notorious north face, which is one of the most challenging in the Alps.

The two mountaineers, who have not yet been named, are thought to have frozen to death on a ridgeline leading back towards a mountain hut and the Jungfraujoch railway station, a popular tourist attraction.

Both climbers were from the Swiss army's mountain training centre based in Andermatt, and would have been experienced and well prepared. They are thought to have reached the summit before becoming trapped.

A rescue operation was attempted by a mountain rescue station in Grindelwald late on Monday night, but the weather deteriorated to a point where a helicopter rescue was impossible. "We just couldn't reach them," Marc Ziegler, head of the Grindelwald rescue station told Swiss news website, swissinfo.ch. "That is unusual but the conditions made it not possible.

The body of one man so far has been retrieved by rescue services.

Met police officer dies in ski plunge as wife looks on

A Metropolitan police officer died in front of his wife on a skiing holiday in France.

Michael Probert, 43, lost control as he skied down a slope in Alpe d'Huez, and fell into a 10ft ditch, hitting his head. His wife Emma, a Scotland Yard Royal Protection sergeant who was praised for her work on the day of the 7/7 bombings, was watching as the tragedy unfolded. Mr Probert, a pursuit driver based in Harrow, was declared dead at the scene on Saturday. He was with his wife and friends skiing within sight of the village of Villard-Reculas, part of the vast Alpe d'Huez resort, where they had just begun a week's holiday.

Mr Probert was an inexperienced skier, and was on low slopes considered safe for beginners and intermediates. The group had just finished lunch when they began descending a low gradient blue run - the third hardest after black and red - with few obstacles. But as he approached the ditch he lost control and fell into it, said emergency workers who attended the scene by motorised sledge. They arrived in minutes, but Mr Probert had suffered a heart attack and could not be revived even though his injuries appeared slight. A spokesman for the French high mountain police said: "The emergency services reached the victim extremely quickly but could not save him. Cause of death was a heart attack caused by the shock of the fall.

"The victim has been out skiing with his family and friends, some of whom witnessed the accident." Mrs Probert was praised for her work following the 7 July terrorist attacks when she was a sergeant in Camden. She was among the first officers on the scene in Tavistock Square where suicide bomber Hasib Hussain killed 13 when he exploded his rucksack bomb on a bus. Neighbours of the couple in StAlbans said they last saw Mr Probert on Friday evening when he was looking forward to the coming week.One neighbour said: "He was a lovely man and so friendly. I think he believed in working hard and playing hard and that's why they loved their skiing holidays and, when they could, they would take their boat to go waterskiing."

In Alpe d'Huez, the slopes were crowded with weekend skiers and snowboarders enjoying unseasonably warm weather. Conditions in the resort were good with bright sunshine and excellent visibility. A spokesman for the local tourist office said: "Serious accidents, especially fatalities, usually take place off piste where conditions can be extremely dangerous." It is unusual to have a fatality on low pistes because they are usually extremely safe."

Twitter and iPhone help find lost skier

A missing skier in the Swiss Alps has been rescued with the help of Twitter and an iPhone, but a snowboarder was found dead after the two were separated from the rest of their group on holiday in Verbier.

The Foreign Office has confirmed that the man who died was entrepreneur Rob Williams, 29, who went missing on Monday. Entrepreneur Rob, from Liverpool, was discovered in a stream at the foot of a cliff. He is thought to have fallen more than 60ft after getting lost near the resort. He was on holiday with a group of internet entrepreneurs including Michelle Dewberry, a former winner of the second series of The Apprentice.

Williams, and Jason Tavaria who was also 29, got into difficulty after becoming separated from fellow snowboarders in the resort. Tavaria survived and was found after Michelle Dewberry launched an online rescue on Twitter where she reportedly wrote, "2 of our ski party been missing since 4pm. Conditions terrible. 1 guy found but trapped. 20 man team searching for other." A helicopter search was not possible due to the bad weather conditions, but a GPS signal from Tavaria’s iPhone was used to guide in the rescue services. The rescue attempt continued to unfold on Twitter as details of the whereabouts of the two men were relayed back and forth. The search sadly ended with the discovery of the body of Rob Williams but Jason Tavaria was found unharmed about 6 hours later.