Avalanche on Pic dels Pedrons carries skier about 400m; rescued with minor injuries
On 27 November an avalanche in the Puymorens sector swept four off‑piste skiers; a man in his 50s was carried ~400m and found conscious with mild.
Key Points
- Avalanche struck Pic dels Pedrons (Puymorens) on 27 November, near Porta and the Andorran Pas de la Casa.
- One skier in his 50s was carried ~400m, found conscious with mild hypothermia and a dislocated shoulder.
- PGHM: wind slab ~80cm released after a skier moved off the single‑file line; victim stayed on surface, not fully buried.
- Authorities warn of unstable wind‑transported snow; advise extreme precautions and full specialised safety equipment off‑piste.
On Thursday 27 November an avalanche on the Pic dels Pedrons massif, in the Puymorens sector near Porta and close to the Andorran border by Pas de la Casa, swept a party of four off‑piste skiers. A man in his fifties was carried about 400 metres before being located by mountain rescue teams.
The Peloton de Gendarmerie de Montagne (PGHM) from the Pyrénées‑Orientales said the group had been skiing in single file when one member moved away from the line and triggered the release of a wind slab roughly 80 cm thick. The victim remained on the surface of the avalanche and was not fully buried, which the PGHM said likely prevented a more serious outcome.
Rescuers found the man conscious; he received treatment for mild hypothermia and a dislocated shoulder. Authorities said the four skiers could potentially have been buried, but the situation did not result in fatalities.
The PGHM warned that recent strong winds and fresh snowfall have produced unstable snowpack and wind‑transported accumulations where layers can detach. They urged anyone venturing off‑piste to take extreme precautions and to travel only with full, specialised safety equipment.
Original Sources
This article was aggregated from the following Catalan-language sources: