The Flaine ski area is in shock. On Monday, the head of the slopes, Pierre Denambride, 51, was killed while carrying out a check at the end of the day, shortly before the slopes closed.
According to information released by the management of Grand Massif Domaines Skiables, the manager had gone onto a ski slope to check a marker. As he was leaving, while riding a tracked quad bike adapted for snow, the vehicle overturned into a hole. The man was trapped underneath the vehicle and crushed by it.
No one witnessed the accident. Ski patrollers, during the closing procedures for the ski area, discovered their colleague unconscious. Rescuers attempted resuscitation, but were unsuccessful. The doctor who arrived at the scene pronounced him dead.
An iconic figure of the resort
Pierre Denambride had worked for many years at the Flaine ski resort. He managed the piste maintenance department, which was responsible for snowmaking and grooming. Within the resort, his name was known to everyone, from the technical teams to the mountain rescue personnel.
On Tuesday at 15 p.m., a minute of silence was observed on the ski slopes in his memory. Further tributes are planned in the coming days. Numerous messages of support have been posted on social media, notably by the President of the Haute-Savoie Departmental Council.
An investigation entrusted to the PGHM
The precise circumstances of the tragedy remain unclear. An investigation has been opened and entrusted to the High Mountain Gendarmerie Platoon.
