Two British skiers killed in French Alps named | France

The names of the two British skiers who died in an avalanche in the French Alps were announced as Stuart Leslie and Shaun Overy.

The pair were part of a group of five, accompanied by an instructor, when they were skiing off-piste in Val d’Isère in southeastern France on Friday when they were swept away by falling snow.

A French skier who was skiing alone also died, while a British skier survived.

France’s national weather service issued a red alert for avalanche risk on Thursday; According to Le Monde, this is only the third time such a warning has been issued in the 25 years since the system was introduced.

Leslie, 46, who regularly shares his skiing adventures on social media, is believed to be friends with Overy, 51, who runs a plumbing company in Wimbledon.

Paying tribute to Leslie on social media, friend Craig Hunter said: “We have lost a true legend, our beautiful Stuart.”

“He lived life to the absolute maximum; he crammed the lives of 10 men into one. He squeezed everything out of every moment.”

“He was at his happiest when we skied together. He always said there was no better feeling in life, skiing in fresh powder was pure freedom.”

Albertville prosecutor Benoît Bachelet said a manslaughter investigation had been launched. The ski instructor, who was not injured, tested negative for drugs.

It comes after another British skier in his 50s died in an avalanche at the nearby La Plagne resort in January.

Thirteen skiers, climbers and hikers died in the Italian mountains due to unstable snow conditions in the first week of February.

A snow slide derailed a train in Switzerland on Monday, as large areas of the Western Alps remain at high avalanche risk.