A British skier has fallen to his death in the French Alps, authorities have said.
A spokesman at the gendarme mountain rescue unit in Grenoble, France, said three skiers had got into trouble after venturing off-piste in the Alpe d’Huez ski resort region of the central French western Alps on Saturday morning, the Press Association reports.
The trio went the wrong way, encountered difficulty in the conditions and took off their skis to attempt to climb upwards, mountain rescue spokesman Francois Bepol said.
However, it was “very steep and icy” and two of the three men fell from what he described as a cliff.
A British man was found dead following the fall.
The second skier who fell was injured, but survived. The third was unharmed.
The pair were able to be rescued, Bepol said. He was unable to confirm their ages.
The Foreign Office issued a statement confirming a British person had died in the mountains.
“Following the death of a British National in the French Alps, we are providing consular support to the family,” the statement said.
“We remain in close contact with local authorities. Our thoughts are with the family at this difficult time.”
The accident follows the death of a 12-year-old French boy, who fell off a cliff near the ski resort of Avoriaz in the French Alps on Saturday.