French prosecutors have opened an enquiry into the death of a British skier on a notorious black run in the French Alps.
The 62-year-old woman was involved in “an extremely fast and violent” collision with a 35-year-old, who was also from the UK, on the Aiguille Rouge mountain in Les Arcs on Tuesday.
The latest fatality is the fifth since 2008 on the toughest slope in a resort that is hugely popular with British skiers and snow boarders. It comes just weeks after a 13-year-old boy died in an avalanche near there on Christmas Day.
Neither of those involved in the most recent tragedy have yet been named, but judicial officials confirmed that the investigation was underway.
Benoît Bachelet, the Albertville prosecutor, was on Wednesday working with high mountain officers, who were examining the area where the accident happened.
An enquiry source told The Independent: “Early indications suggest the woman was coming down the black run on the Aiguille Rouge, and lost control of her skis.
“A male skier was perhaps hidden in a gully on the run, and standing still, when he was hit from behind.
“The collision was extremely fast and violent, because of the speed of the run, which was on a very well-groomed piste.”
The collision happened at around 10.30 on Tuesday morning, in good conditions, said the source.
Both of those involved were wearing helmets, and a team from France’s CRS Republican Security Companies was on the scene within minutes, thanks to calls from other skiers.
The source added: “The woman was declared dead at around 11.30, as the team were unable to revive her after she lost consciousness.
“The man who was hit was evacuated to hospital, and had a broken leg, and was suffering from extreme shock.”
A spokesperson for the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British woman who has died in France and are in contact with the local authorities.”
A spokesperson for Les Arcs said: “Despite the rapid intervention of the ski rescuers, assisted by the Courchevel CRS teams and the emergency doctor, the English victim could not be resuscitated.
“The stationary skier, aged 35, was taken to the Arc 2000 medical centre with a fractured tibia-fibula.”
A post mortem examination will take place to find the exact cause of the woman’s death.
Philippe Janin, the safety director at Les Arcs, confirmed that the black run off the 3226m peak of the Aiguille Rouge could be extremely treacherous.
In 2009, another British woman, aged 38 and from London, died in a fall on the piste, after suffering a cardiac arrest.
Another fatal fall in an off-piste area nearby saw a snowboarder die on Aiguille Rouge in 2014.
More recently, a 13-year-old boy lost his life on Christmas day while skiing with his family on the same mountain.
The group had ventured off-piste when an avalanche, thought to have been triggered by a snowboarder above, buried the boy.
A ski instructor in the area reportedly alerted authorities, with dog teams among those sent to the scene.
Emergency services found the child because his skis were sticking out of the surface of the snow, according to the local reports, and he was airlifted to hospital – but he died later that evening.
Some 10 traumatic deaths caused by collisions are recorded on French slopes every year, with up to half of them caused by skiers hitting each other.
Les Arcs, in the Savoie department of France, is part of the Paradiski ski area in the Tarentaise Valley.
