They took too many risks by leaving despite the announced bad weather. Care providers agree on this. Yet they were experienced skiers and adventurers. Evidence of this is the snow cave that they made in the hope that they could get through the night and be rescued the next morning, when the weather was calmer. This is what police chief Christian Varone of the Swiss canton of Valais said. He was there when the bodies were found on Sunday.
The six skiers, five members of the same family and the girlfriend of one of them, left Zermatt on Saturday morning to reach Arolla USA via the Haute Route. They would be picked up there. But around 5 p.m. they made an emergency call in the area of the Col de Tête Blanche. The weather had suddenly changed. It was very windy and visibility was limited to almost zero.
A search was immediately launched, but even the most experienced mountain rescue services were unable to reach the snowbound skiers with whom there had originally been telephone contact.
Even the most experienced rescuers were unable to reach the snowbound skiers in the storm. — © AFP
The six then went into survival mode and built a snow cave, said Anjan Truffer, head of Zermatt’s mountain rescue service. “The best they could do at the time.”
“Snow caves are very suitable as a shelter in emergency situations. Basically all you have to do is dig a hole in the snow and go inside. Your body heat will warm the air space around you, and the temperature will gradually rise,” says former US soldier and survival expert Mike Millerson. He has his own website with all possible tips and tricks for adventurers.
But even if such a snow cave is dug quickly, he warns, “make sure you always stay dry, because sweat in combination with cold can quickly lead to hypothermia.”
There was a memorial service for the victims on Monday — © EPA-EFE
In the meantime, it appears that the weather was extremely bad on the mountain tops on Saturday evening. Even worse than predicted. In the Kleinmatterhorn region, where the six got stuck, wind peaks of up to 120 kilometers per hour were recorded. While you can hardly find shelter there. The wind made the feeling temperature drop to minus 30 degrees. And the skiers were not prepared for that at all.
“I don’t understand why they didn’t return sooner or raise the alarm sooner. They must have become completely disoriented”
Klaus Aufdenblatten
Berggids
According to mountain guide Klaus Aufdenblatten, they seriously underestimated the weather conditions. “When the fog rises in the mountains, like on Saturday, you can suddenly find yourself in front of a white curtain and you no longer know which is left or right. I don’t understand why they didn’t return sooner or raise the alarm sooner. I believe they became completely disoriented,” he says.
It wasn’t until Sunday evening that five of the six skiers were found in the snow cave. They had frozen to death. Today the search continues for the last missing person. It may have fallen into a crevasse. His skis and backpack were recovered from the five bodies.
Three brothers among the victims
More is now known about the victims. Five of the six were family. Three were brothers.
The three brothers were David, Jean-Vincent and Marc Moix. David was a new municipal councilor in Vex and a lawyer by profession. Marc was a captain in the cantonal police of Valais.
The other two victims are the uncle of the three farmers – an ex-banker who worked in London – and Emile (28) from Fribourg. She was David’s girlfriend and had just graduated from law school. Emile was the only woman in the group.
A sixth skier, a cousin of the three brothers, is still missing.
