7 dead in avalanche

nbcnews.com/news/world/fren…

sad news from the French Alps

ledauphine.com/hautes-alpes…

4 Germans, 3 Tcheques, 1 german injured

French news are reporting that it was a slab avalanche on the Dome des Ecrins route around mid day between 3900 and 4000 meters. Three roped teams were caught in the avalanche, with only one survivor.

Over the years this "easy" route has become more dangerous due to the shifting location of the seracs that may direct climbers to steeper slopes prone to slab avalanche conditions.

Luc wrote:http://www.ledauphine.com/hautes-alpes/2015/09/15/massif-des-ecrins-plusieurs-morts-dans-une-avalanche 4 Germans, 3 Tcheques, 1 german injured

The page in Le Dauphine reported that it was specifically a wind slab, formed by fresh winter-like snow. A rather substantial slab: 1 meter fracture (so some parts were over three feet thick).

My opinion is that almost any section of the roughly N-facing slope under or approaching the Dome de Neige des Ecrins is steep enough to enable a dangerous slab avalanche.

Usually summer climbers worry about a slide of warm mushy snow, and choose their times (and day) of ascent and descent accordingly. But wind slabs often are not related to sudden rises in temperature, so harder to predict and plan around -- not surprising that summer climbers might not have considered the hazard.

Ken