Three British skiers survived an avalanche in the Swiss Alps after jumping out of their helicopter as it slid off of a precipice in a disaster that killed three other people.
One of the Brits, named as Edward Courage of the Courage Brewing family, is believed to have saved the lives of brothers Teddy and Guy Hitchens by pushing them out of the aircraft as it slid off of Petit Combin.
Mr Courage survived a 1640ft plummet in the Air-Glaciers B3-type helicopter and subsequent 100ft plunge into a crevasse, but the crash killed pilot Jerome Lovey, along with young skier James Goff and guide Adam George.
Eyewitnesses have suggested the helicopter was swept up in an avalanche as it tumbled down the mountain.
Investigators are attempting to piece together how the crash occurred: locals have suggested conditions were ideal with little in the way of wind that may have affected the helicopter’s journey.
A handout photo made available by the Wallis regional police shows rescue helicopters stand on the mountain landing site of the Petit Combin summit in Valais, Switzerland, April 2, 2024
Mountain guide Adam George was among those killed in the helicopter crash at Petit Combin
Valais regional police force said in a statement: ‘Having reached the summit of a mountain culminating at 3,668 metres above sea level, for a reason that the investigation will have to determine, the aircraft slid down the northern slope.’
The tourists and their guide had planned to go heli-skiing, which is off-trail, downhill skiing where the skiers get to the top of the mountain by helicopter, instead of via a ski lift.
The Telegraph reports that Mr Courage, in his seventies, is undergoing surgery in hospital for numerous broken bones.
He is a prominent member of Verbier’s English-speaking community, and is part of the English Speaking Church of Verbier Association.
The Hitchens’ parents, Richard and Maeve, said in a statement reported by the paper: ‘Our thoughts are with the families of James, Adam and the pilot for their appalling losses.
‘Ted was released from hospital today on crutches. Guy is still in hospital. No operations currently required but severely beaten up and bed-bound.’
Adam George, 45, was an experienced guide from New Hampshire in the United States, who had scaled difficult cliff faces such as El Capitan and the north face of the Eiger.
Friends have set up a donation group for his widow, Caroline George-Ware, who is also a mountain guide, and their daughter Olivia.
A skier who arrived at the summit shortly after was reported to have said: ‘We landed after them on the south side of Le Petit Combin and saw the avalanche. It was horrific.
‘We couldn’t make out the helicopter, it was consumed in the avalanche. We heard of the crash over the radio. We were advised to get safely off the mountain.’
Seven helicopters were sent to the site as part of the rescue effort. An investigation has been opened by the Swiss Federal Prosecutor’s Office (MPC), which is responsible for aviation accidents.
A safety investigation has also been launched by the SESE (Swiss Safety Investigation Service).
According to the Swiss weather service, there was moderate wind in the high mountains earlier in the morning.
A measuring station at a height of 2735 metres on the nearby Verbier mountain logged an average wind of 15mph and gusts of up to 26mph.
An earlier avalanche on Monday in the same canton (state) killed three people. Pictured: The avalanche rolling down the hillside at Zermatt
Helicopter owner Air Glaciers, who was also involved in the rescue efforts, told local media: ‘We are deeply shocked by this event. Our thoughts are with the families and relatives of the victims.’
Swiss authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the accident.
This comes after a huge avalanche killed three people, including a teenager from the US, in the same canton (state) on Monday.
An American teenager and two other people were killed in an avalanche near the Swiss resort of Zermatt, police have said. One person was flown to hospital with serious injuries.
The avalanche occurred at about 2pm local time on Monday in an off-piste area of the Riffelberg, above the resort and below the famed Matterhorn peak.
Rescuers recovered three bodies and the injured skier, a 20-year-old Swiss man.
The victims were a 15-year-old American boy, as well as a man and a woman whose identification has not yet been concluded, police in Valais said in a statement.
A family of skiers was found dead last month in Valais after getting caught in freezing conditions, and two other helicopter crashes have occured in the region in 2024 – though this is the first with fatalities.
