NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Two skiers were killed and another injured Sunday when an off-trail avalanche tore through a popular freeride route on the Italian side of the Mont Blanc<\/a> massif near the French-Swiss border, officials said.<\/p>\n Three skiers were swept up in the Sunday morning slide along the Couloir Vesses, a well-known off-piste route in Courmayeur\u2019s upper Val Veny, according to Italy\u2019s Alpine Rescue, The Associated Press reported.<\/p>\n Search and rescue operations involved 15 rescuers, three canine units and two helicopters. One victim was transported to a hospital in serious condition but later died, the agency said.<\/p>\n Authorities said another person was partially buried in an avalanche<\/a> in Trentino but was pulled to safety by companions.<\/p>\n LINDSEY VONN TRAINS WITH KNEE BRACE AFTER COMPLETELY RUPTURING ACL ONE WEEK BEFORE OLYMPIC RETURN<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n This handout image released by the Italian Alpine Rescue shows the avalanche that killed two men in the Couloir Vesses, a well-known freeride route in Courmayeur, in the upper Val Veny, northern Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026.<\/span> (Italian Alpine Rescue via AP, HO)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The deadly slide comes amid a particularly dangerous stretch in the Italian Alps. Italy\u2019s Alpine Rescue said last week that 13 backcountry skiers, climbers and hikers died in the Italian mountains in the week ending Feb. 8 \u2013 a record toll \u2013 with 10 of those deaths caused by avalanches<\/a> linked to an unusually unstable snowpack.<\/p>\n Officials said recent storms have dumped fresh snow onto fragile underlying layers, while strong winds have created unstable drifts, producing hazardous conditions across the Alpine arc bordering France, Switzerland and Austria.<\/p>\n The main issue is caused by “persistent weak layers in the snowy cloak, often covered by fresh snow or wind, conditions that make detachments unpredictable and easily triggered even by the passing of a single skier or alpinist,” the National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Corps said. “The dangerous points are many and difficult to identify, even for an expert.”<\/p>\n LINDSEY VONN CRASHES IN WINTER OLYMPICS ALPINE SKI WOMEN’S DOWNHILL EVENT<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Vigili del Fuoco crew members conducts a helicopter rescue over a snow-covered mountain area.<\/span> (Vigili del Fuoco)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Federico Catania, a spokesperson for Italy\u2019s Alpine Rescue Corps, said recent snowstorms have drawn visitors eager to take advantage of fresh slopes, “and as a result, the number of accidents, and therefore fatalities, has increased proportionally,” The AP reported.<\/p>\n Courmayeur, a town of roughly 2,900 residents, sits about 200 kilometers \u2013 or 124 miles \u2013 northwest of Milan, a host city for the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics<\/a>.<\/p>\n The incidents occurred as the Winter Olympics were kicking off in the region on Feb. 6.<\/p>\n![\"Italian](\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1200\/675\/mont-blanc-avalanche-two-skiers-killed-italian-alps-001.jpg?ve=1&tl=1\")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n![\"Vigili](\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1200\/675\/italy-search-and-rescue-mountain-2.jpg?ve=1&tl=1\")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n
![\"Two](\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1200\/675\/italy-search-and-rescue-mountain.jpg?ve=1&tl=1\")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n