Two American skiers lost in Italian Alps near Olympic venue rescued

Two American skiers who went missing while skiing near an Olympic venue in Livigno, Italy, were rescued Tuesday night with the help of thermal imaging cameras and drones.

The harrowing scene began when two unidentified male skiers became “stranded at high altitude” after “losing their bearings” in the dark, Vigili del Fuoco said. of italy the national fire and rescue service said in a translated statement.

The men provided GPS coordinates, authorities said, and with the help of the Alpine Rescue Corps and the use of drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras, the skiers were quickly located and rescued.

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According to local news, due to the 2026 Milan Cortina Games, rescue protocols already in place for the Olympics have allowed for faster response and recovery.

Officials said the skiers returned uninjured.

Livigno, a ski town in the Italian Alps, close to the Swiss border, is one of the main venues to host the Winter Olympics. The region, at an altitude of approximately 2000 meters, hosts all freestyle skiing and snowboarding competitions and is home to three hotels that have been converted into an Olympic village.

South Korean Jung Dae-yoon will compete in the men’s freestyle skiing emperors final at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Livigno, Italy, on February 12, 2026. (Abbie Parr/AP Photo)

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Tuesday’s rescue operation comes not long after a record 13 skiers, climbers and hikers died in the Italian mountains earlier this month. Fresh snowfall and unstable snow cover caused 10 avalanches in the region.

“Under these conditions, the passage of a single skier or the natural overload of snow weight may be sufficient to trigger an avalanche,” Federico Catania, spokesman for the Italian Alpine Rescue Association, recently told The Associated Press.

Vigili del Fuoco, Italy’s national fire and rescue service, said in a translated statement that two unidentified male skiers were “stranded at high altitude” after “losing their place” in the dark. (Vigili del Fuoco)

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“There is no danger to people skiing at managed ski resorts and, in particular, there is no risk to the Olympic venues,” Catania said. “All of these areas are constantly monitored and are generally safe regardless of Olympic events.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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