Dôme de Neige des Écrins, avalanche kills 7 alpinists in French Alps

According to www.ledauphine.com, the German and Czech mountaineers were ascending in three separate but close groups and were hit by the avalanche at circa 3900m, below the Barre des Écrins on the final traverse that leads to the summit of Dôme de Neige (4015m). The alarm was raised by Refuge des Écrins hut warden Jef Fouchard at 11:50, but the French mountain rescue teams could do no other than recover the dead bodies.

According to Fouchard, 35cm of fresh snow had fallen recently and there were high winds at altitude. Furthermore, Fouchard indicated that the death toll could have been even worse: two pairs of Spanish mountaineers had decided not to climb due to conditions.