A third British man has died in the French Alps this week following a devastating avalanche near the resort of La Grave. The victim, a man in his 30s, was skiing off-piste on Tuesday morning with a group of four other people when the snow slide struck. Despite a rapid response from mountain rescue teams, both the British national and a Polish citizen in the group were pronounced dead at the scene. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has confirmed it is supporting the family of the deceased and remains in close contact with local French authorities as an investigation into the cause of the slide begins.
This latest fatality adds to a grim week for British winter sports enthusiasts, coming just days after two other Britons were killed in a separate incident in Val d'Isère. Those victims, identified as Stuart Leslie, 46, and Shaun Overy, 51, were part of a guided off-piste group when they were swept away by a "very high" risk avalanche. A French national also perished in that slide, which occurred after the Savoie region had been placed under a rare Level 5 red alert. The back-to-back tragedies have brought the total avalanche-related death toll in the French Alps to 28 for this winter season alone.
Rescuers and meteorologists are warning of an "abnormal" and highly reactive snowpack across the Northern Alps. Following heavy snowfall and intense winds, a period of unseasonable sunshine and rising temperatures has led to significant thawing ice, making the mountains even more unstable. Météo-France has maintained a "High" risk warning (Level 4 on a scale of 5) for the Hautes-Alpes and Savoie regions, noting that even a single skier's weight can trigger a massive slab release. Authorities are strongly discouraging any off-piste activity and urging visitors to stay strictly within the marked and secured runs.
In response to the surge in fatalities, the FCDO has issued an urgent travel update for UK tourists in the region. Holidaymakers are being advised to check daily avalanche bulletins before heading out and to ensure they are equipped with essential safety gear, including beacons, probes, and shovels, if venturing near backcountry areas. With more "unsettled weather" and temperature fluctuations forecast for the remainder of February, the message from Alpine safety experts is clear: the current conditions are among the most perilous seen in a decade, and caution is the only way to prevent further loss of life.