‘Drunk’ skier, 29, dies after falling through gondola window and plummeting 130ft before being impaled on piste marker
- 29-year-old fell to death after crashing through ski lift window after drinking
- France Bleu reported that the man fell onto a piste marker and impaled himself
A Frenchman fell to his death in the Alps after crashing through a plastic window on a ski lift while ‘messing about’ under the influence of alcohol, prosecutors and the lift operator said.
The accident took place on Saturday as the two men, 29 and 23, were descending the mountain at the Deux Alpes resort in France.
They ‘were messing about in the lift when the 29-year-old smashed through the plexiglass screen and fell 40 metres (130 feet) to his death,’ local prosecutor Eric Vaillant said on Sunday.
According to local media, the two men were filming themselves when the victim, who weighed more than 220 pounds (100kg), rammed himself against the side of the lift.
Local radio station France Bleu reported that the man fell onto a piste marker and impaled himself.
The French commune of Les Deux Alpes, near Grenoble, surrounded by mountains
Fabrice Boutet, director of the Deux Alpes resort, told the BFM channel today: ‘These are lifts built for 20 people,’ the director of the Deux Alpes resort.
‘If there’s movement caused by abrupt braking or something else, they are are designed to resist impacts… This stupid accident was caused by him gaining momentum and throwing himself against the plexiglass.’
The director denied any responsibility for the accident.
The ski lift is set to be examined by police who are investigating the death.
Topping out at 3,600 metres, Les Deux Alpes is the highest ski resort in France.
Les Deux Alpes is about 70km from the mountainous border with Italy to the east
In February, a 50-year-old British skier died after falling ‘several dozen metres’ and suffering from cardiac arrest while skiing off-piste in the French Alps.
The tourist sustained serious injuries after ‘taking off’ into the air at a ‘very high speed’ before landing on a rocky slope.
The accident took place in the Saulire sector in the resort of Meribel, due northeast of Les Deux Alpes.
The French National Mountain Safety Observation System (SNOSM) recorded a total of 12 deaths in the French mountains during the 2021-22 ski season, according to The Times.
More than 45,000 people were treated for injuries while emergency services attended around 50,000 incidents.
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