GENEVA (AP) - Alpine ski resorts were on high alert Monday after heavy weekend snowfalls across central Europe, with avalanches killing at least four people in the last three days. Almost all of those killed by avalanches had ventured outside marked ski runs.
An American died Monday in the French resort of Tignes after apparently falling into a lake while off-piste skiing, rescue services said. The victim's identity and the exact circumstances of the death were not immediately clear.
In nearby Val d'Isere, a 19-year-old Swede was swept away by an avalanche to his death after skiing off marked trails.
Avalanches also were responsible Monday for a number of injuries in France and Switzerland, where four skiers were hurt near the resort of Verbier after being caught up in a 1,000-foot-wide snowslide.
"People by themselves can continue to easily activate avalanches," the Davos-based Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research said in its Monday evening bulletin.
On Saturday, a 45-year-old woman was killed while snow shoeing near the Alpine resort of Les Diablerets—the season's 17th avalanche victim in Switzerland.
A 28-year-old Norwegian tourist also died in a landslide on an Italian mountain while sightseeing.
Switzerland was just one of several European countries blanketed by blizzards over the weekend, when up to 2 feet of snow also closed roads, rail lines and airports in parts of Germany and France.
Most roads and rail lines were reopened by Monday, but some train services were still closed to morning commuters outside Munich. At least 13 people died in Germany from weekend traffic accidents and another three were killed in Switzerland in weather-related incidents.
Near Val d'Isere and Tignes, roads were cleared after being blocked by an avalanche, allowing at least 2,500 vacationers to access ski areas or return to the valley floor.
A number of ski stations in France were shut down over the weekend because of the avalanche fears, but by Monday the risk had largely subsided.
Three departments, however, were still on elevated avalanche alert, and an off-piste skier caught in an avalanche had to be helicoptered to a Savoy hospital after being discovered with hypothermia.
Switzerland's snow institute said "isolated, spontaneous avalanches are possible," because the snow in most parts of Switzerland "is reacting sensitively to additional weight." More snow was likely Monday night.
