"An avalanche swept through an off-piste route on the Bellecôte massif in La Plagne, France, shortly before noon on Friday, December 26, injuring several skiers and triggering a large-scale rescue operation involving helicopters, doctors, and avalanche dogs. According to French authorities, a group of four skiers-including a professional guide from La Plagne-was caught while descending the Rodzins Couloir on the north face of Bellecôte, a steep and well-known off-piste line above the resort."
"The La Plagne mountain rescue teams received an alert at 11:47 a.m. The High Mountain Gendarmerie Platoon (PGHM) of Savoie deployed two helicopters to the scene, carrying five rescuers, two doctors, and a dog handler. Rescuers reported that an initial slab fracture approximately 2 meters wide released near the top of the couloir, followed by a second, much larger slide measuring up to 200 meters wide."
"Three members of the group were buried in the debris, while a fourth skier remained on the surface. Thanks to avalanche beacons worn by the skiers, two of the buried victims were located by 12:10 p.m. The third skier had been partially buried and had managed to free themselves and was evacuated to Bourg-Saint-Maurice hospital in a state of shock but without apparent injuries."
An avalanche struck an off-piste route on the Bellecôte massif in La Plagne shortly before noon on December 26, catching four skiers, including a professional guide, on the Rodzins Couloir. Rescue teams received an alert at 11:47 a.m.; the High Mountain Gendarmerie Platoon of Savoie sent two helicopters with five rescuers, two doctors, and a dog handler. An initial 2-meter slab fracture triggered a much larger slide up to 200 meters wide, burying three skiers. Two buried victims were located by 12:10 p.m. using avalanche beacons. One skier was found in cardiac arrest and resuscitated; another suffered multiple traumatic injuries. Both were airlifted to Grenoble University Hospital, and a fourth skier was taken to Bourg-Saint-Maurice for evaluation. Avalanche danger that day was rated 2 out of 5 ('moderate') on the French scale by Météo-France.
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