Awe turned to terror Sunday as a viral video captured the moment an avalanche overtook off-trail skiers in the Italian Alps, leaving at least two dead.
Spanning some 750 miles and eight countries, the Alps have served as a stunning backdrop for athletes competing at the 2026 Winter Olympics. However, west of Milan in Courmayeur, recreational skiers were seen desperately fleeing the devastating force of nature.
In the video, people could be seen congregating at the end of a slope observing the rapidly approaching flow of snow in the autonomous Aosta Valley on Sunday morning, with more gathering as they completed their runs. However, it wasn’t until the avalanche had reached the nearby tree line that skiers began to attempt to get away from the path, at which point it was too late.
NEW: Skiers engulfed by “snow clouds” as a large avalanche descends towards them at Courmayeur ski resort in north-west Italy.
According to Fox News, two skiers lost their lives on the Italian side of Mont Blanc due to an avalanche on Sunday.
“Search and rescue operations… pic.twitter.com/FNnSGS556f
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 18, 2026
According to the Associated Press, three skiers had been caught in the avalanche on the Italian side of Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Europe, and Italy’s Alpine Rescue had dispatched fifteen rescuers, three canine units and two helicopters to locate the skiers. One of the victims was said to have been located alive, in serious condition, only to die after transport to a hospital. A third victim was said to have suffered undisclosed injuries from the avalanche.
Sunday’s incident had followed a tragic record in Italy as Alpine Rescue had accounted for 13 deaths between climbers, hikers and skiers in the week ending Feb 8, with 10 of those related to avalanches.
The AP detailed, “Fresh snowfall during recent storms and wind-swept snowcaps on weak internal layers have created especially risky conditions along the entire Alpine crescent bordering France, Switzerland and Austria, Alpine Rescue said.”
Meanwhile, conditions were no less tenuous stateside as the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office provided updates on an avalanche near Northern California’s Lake Tahoe, where nine skiers remained missing after another six had been rescued.
“The six initially reported skiers who survived the avalanche have been rescued this evening by search and rescue teams with varying injuries,” NCSO detailed Tuesday night. “Due to extreme weather conditions, it took several hours for rescue personnel to safely reach the skiers and transport them to safety where they were medically evaluated by Truckee Fire.”
Earlier Tuesday, the sheriff’s office had shared footage of the conditions rescue teams were working under to locate the missing skiers who remained unaccounted for and in unknown conditions. It further detailed that “The Sierra Avalanche Center previously issued an avalanche warning for today, Feb. 17, which has been in effect since 5 a.m. today through Feb. 18 at 5 a.m., stating: ‘HIGH avalanche danger exists in the backcountry. Large avalanches are expected to occur Tuesday, Tuesday night, and into at least early Wednesday morning across backcountry terrain. HIGH avalanche danger might continue through the day on Wednesday.”
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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