Two British skiers lost their lives in an avalanche while on a skiing trip, with the incident unfolding on a mountainside in Val d’Isère, a region in southeastern France. Stuart Leslie, aged 46, and Shaun Overy, aged 51, were part of a group of five individuals who ventured off the designated ski slope with an instructor despite the area being under a red avalanche warning. Tragically, they, along with a solo French skier who was also caught in the avalanche, were swept away by cascading snow and ended up at the base of the slope in a stream, where their bodies were later recovered by emergency responders.
A third British skier survived the avalanche by freeing himself from the snow, as per reports from local media sources.
According to Cédric Bonnevie, the piste director at Val d’Isère, the avalanche descended a distance of 400 meters (1,300 feet) before coming to a halt in the stream.
The exact cause of the avalanche remains unknown, although French media speculates that the solo skier above the group might have triggered it.
Fortunately, due to having avalanche transceivers, Stuart Leslie and Shaun Overy were located within 15 minutes of the incident. However, locating the third victim took longer as the transceiver was submerged in the stream, rendering it inoperable. Search teams, including dogs and avalanche probes, were called in, leading to the discovery of the missing body several hours later.
Expressing his sorrow, Director Cédric Bonnevie remarked to the Telegraph, “This is always a sad situation. Three people caught in the same avalanche is truly tragic.”
Queries have arisen concerning the decision of the instructor to lead the group out during a red avalanche alert, a level of warning rarely issued in the past 25 years since its inception.
Family and friends have paid emotional tributes to Stuart Leslie, who held the position of sales and marketing director at Barratt Redrow construction.
“We have lost an exceptional individual,” remarked Craig Hunter, one of his close friends, on Facebook, adding: “our beloved Stuart”.
Stuart often showcased his enthusiasm for off-piste skiing on social media, a practice that involves skiing down natural mountainsides rather than man-made ski runs.
Shaun, who operated a plumbing business in Wimbledon, London, alongside his wife Rebecca, was also an avid skier as seen from photos on social media depicting his trips to Tignes, a nearby location to Val d’Isère, where he enjoyed skiing with his family.
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