EuroWire, ROME: Three skiers were killed in separate avalanches while traveling off-piste in northern Italy’s Alps, as rescue teams warned that recent snowfall and wind have left parts of the mountain range dangerously unstable. The deaths were reported on Saturday, Feb. 7, in the Dolomites and in the Valtellina valley in Lombardy, areas within a few hours of venues hosting events for the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
In the first fatal incident, rescuers recovered the body of a skier buried near Punta Rocca, about 3,300 metres up on the Marmolada massif, the highest peak in the Dolomites. The skier had been moving outside marked runs with three companions when the avalanche swept through. His companions immediately began searching, joined by other skiers, before rescue teams arrived and continued recovery efforts.
The second deadly avalanche struck around midday on Alpe Meriggio, in the municipality of Albosaggia in the lower Valtellina valley. Three ski mountaineers were caught by the slide, and two were killed, according to local emergency responders and alpine rescue personnel. The third member of the group survived after managing to get out of the snow and was later taken for medical checks, while search crews used helicopters and avalanche detection equipment to secure the area.
Later updates from local authorities confirmed that another avalanche in the same broader alpine region left a fourth person dead, after earlier reports had described a seriously injured victim. That slide hit four ski mountaineers near Bellamonte in Val di Fiemme, close to the border with the San Martino area, and the injured man died after being airlifted to hospital in Trento. Two of the group escaped without serious harm and a fourth was treated for injuries.
Rescue operations and terrain conditions
Mountain rescue services said all three skiers initially reported killed in the Dolomites and Valtellina were outside monitored resort runs, where avalanche control measures are typically focused. Emergency crews deployed helicopter teams, specialized alpine units and dog handlers, and carried out final sweeps to confirm no additional people were buried. Authorities also reiterated standard backcountry safety guidance, including carrying a transceiver, probe and shovel and traveling with partners trained to use them.
Italy’s snow and avalanche risk authorities reported elevated danger in multiple alpine zones after fresh snow accumulated on older, weaker layers and wind formed unstable slabs. Officials said that in some areas a single skier or snowboarder can be enough to trigger a release, particularly on steep lee slopes where drifted snow has built up. The warnings covered a wide stretch of the Alpine arc from west to east.
Warnings during Milano Cortina Winter Olympics
The incidents occurred as Italy is hosting the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, which began on Feb. 6 and runs through Feb. 22, with alpine venues spread across the northern mountains. Cortina d’Ampezzo is staging women’s alpine skiing events, while Bormio is hosting men’s alpine skiing competitions, placing the weekend’s avalanche sites within the broader Olympic region even though the fatalities occurred away from race courses and controlled pistes.
Italy’s national alpine rescue service urged “maximum caution” in the days following the weekend accidents, saying avalanche risk remains present across much of the Alps under the current snowpack structure. The service reported 11 avalanche-related deaths over seven days across the mountain range, including a 70-year-old hiker found dead in the Veneto region. Officials again advised checking local avalanche bulletins, choosing conservative routes and postponing outings when conditions are unstable.