A professional skier and his girlfriend died after falling more than 2,000 feet while mountaineering in the Italian Alps, Italian sports officials said.
The deaths of Jean Daniel Pession and Elisa Arlian are According to FISI, The Italian Winter Sports Federation called the incident an “accident” and a “terrible tragedy.”
Peision and Alian, both Italians, were climbing a ridge on Saturday that separates the east and north faces of Mount Zerbion, a mountain in the Alps that both men are very familiar with. As is common practice on such climbs, they were traveling together. They were alone and therefore had no idea how or why they fell.
Rescue workers began searching for the couple after their families reported them missing. A helicopter equipped with mobile phone signal detection equipment found their bodies. Italian TV station TG3 reported that the two had almost reached the top of the mountain when they fell.
Ms. Arlian is a primary school teacher and a ski instructor. Mr. Pession, 28 Participated in On the World Cup speed skiing circuit, athletes attempt to ski at top speeds while descending a hill, typically 125 miles per hour or more. He was No. 15 in the world rankings in 2021. He is No. 33 in 2022.
