An experienced skier fell to his death while attempting to find an off-piste route in the French Alps, an inquest has heard. Michael Rowell, 34, from Farnborough, Hampshire, travelled to the Chamonix area in March this year to go skiing with friend Niall Jones.
On their first full day on the slopes, the pair decided to ski an off-piste route between black and red runs of the Aiguilles Rouges massif. The Winchester hearing was told that during their descent, the pair realised the route was not safe to continue and they stopped with the intention of retracing their steps to find a better approach to the slope.
Coroner Jason Pegg said: “They both sensibly stopped, they reassessed the situation, when they stopped, Mr Rowell was slightly ahead. Mike stepped forward to see if there was an identifiable run, they decided to turn where they came from.”
