{"id":10153,"date":"2026-02-17T09:00:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T09:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/10153\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T09:00:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T09:00:07","slug":"two-british-skiers-killed-in-avalanche-at-french-alps-resort-are-named-news-uk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/10153\/","title":{"rendered":"Two British skiers killed in avalanche at French Alps resort are named | News UK"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\"Pictured:
\n\t\tShaun Overy (left) and Stuart Leslie (right) were among three people killed after being swept away in a snow slide at Val\u00a0d\u2019Isere on Friday<\/p>\n

Two British skiers who died in an avalanche<\/a> at a resort in the French Alps have been pictured for the first time.<\/p>\n

Stuart Leslie, 46, and Shaun Overy, 51, were among three people killed after being swept away in a snow slide at Val\u00a0d\u2019Isere, a village in southeast France, at the weekend.<\/p>\n

A French person skiing alone above their group also died, while a third British skier escaped with minor injuries after digging himself out of the snow.<\/p>\n

The deaths followed a rare, day-long red alert across the southeastern Savoie region on Thursday \u2013 a danger level issued only twice before since the system was introduced 25 years ago.<\/p>\n

The warning prompted several resorts to close all or part of their pistes.<\/p>\n

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Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates<\/a> newsletter or get Breaking News<\/a> alerts the moment it happens. <\/p>\n

A spokesperson for the resort\u2019s slope management department said the British skiers were in a group of five people and a professional instructor who did not see the \u200bdanger as it approached.<\/p>\n

An inquiry has now been launched into the disaster.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Three
\n\t\tA French person skiing alone above their group also died, while a third British skier escaped with minor injuries after digging himself out of the snow (Picture: X)<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Stuart
\n\t\tStuart Leslie was remembered as someone who lived life to the \u2018absolute maximum\u2019 (Picture: Facebook)<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Shaun
\n\t\tShaun Overy (left)was killed in the avalanche on Friday (Picture: Facebook)<\/p>\n

Both Brits appeared to be regular skiers, The Telegraph reports<\/p>\n

Mr Leslie frequently posted on social media<\/a> about his love of off-piste skiing.<\/p>\n

One from December 2023 is captioned: \u2018We are in our own world with not a single person in sight, fresh soft untracked powder and blue sky.\u2019<\/p>\n

Another from a year later reads: \u2018Exploring the Alps with my ski team\u2026 No need to go on the piste ever again\u2026\u2019<\/p>\n

Craig Hunter, a friend of Mr Leslie, said in a tribute that he lived life to the \u2018absolute maximum\u2019 and \u2018squeezed everything out of every moment\u2019.<\/p>\n

A photograph Mr Overy posted on Facebook<\/a> in 2016 shows him with a group of friends in Tignes, a ski resort several miles from Val d\u2019Is\u00e8re.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Val
\n\t\tThe Val d\u2019Is\u00e8re ski resort\u2019s website said off-piste skiing is \u2018strongly discouraged\u2019 due to a \u2018very high\u00a0avalanche\u00a0risk\u2019 (Picture: Shutterstock\/Carolyne Parent)<\/p>\n

The foreign office confirmed the deaths on Friday.<\/p>\n

An\u00a0FCDO<\/a>\u00a0Spokesperson said: \u2018We are aware of an accident in which two British men have died in France.<\/p>\n

\u2018We are in contact with the local authorities and stand ready to offer consular assistance.\u2019<\/p>\n

There have now been at least 25 avalanche deaths in\u00a0France<\/a>\u00a0this winter season, with the majority occurring since January.<\/p>\n

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For more stories like this, check our news page<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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