British man, 27, falls 50ft to his death after 'exceptional' avalanche hits top French ski resort

The man, 27, has not yet been named but is believed to be a British citizen visiting the Val Thorens resort in the French Alps.

The region was bombarded by a slew of avalanches on Thursday morning, seeing slopes closed and residents forced to bunker down inside.

Val Thorens is the highest resort in Europe, with its altitude meaning snowfall continues for much longer than the typical ski season.

Read more: British skier dies in Swiss Alps crash after plunging into river

Only one person is thought to have been injured in the avalanche after suffering a cardiac arrest while being trapped under snow, local media said.

An air ambulance attempted to lift the man to hospital but was unable to save him due to the extreme weather.

'Four landslides have been reported in Les Menuires and Val Thorens,' said Ludovic Trautmann, director of the Savoie prefecture.

“Two of which reached the town center. Given the conditions in the coming days, we are calling for the utmost vigilance. The buried person was affected by the landslide at the bottom of the resort.'

Following the news of the man’s death, the Albertville prosecutor said: “'On April 17, 2025, an avalanche broke out shortly after 10am at the entrance to Val Thorens.

“A British man, who was lying at the side of the road, was buried and swept about fifteen meters below.”

This comes after a British skier died after losing control while skiing in the Swiss Alps and crashing into a river.

The man, aged 54, was skiing in Switzerland’s Bernese Alps when he crashed into the Rychenbach Stream.

The skier was travelling from Kleine Scheidegg in the direction of Brandegg.

According to local media, he was pulled from the water by fellow skiers who administered first aid and called the emergency services.

He was airlifted to hospital, but despite best efforts of emergency services, he died the following day.

Local police are investigating the circumstances of the accident.