On January 1, 2025, 2 women died in almost the same place while hiking in the Pyrenees. The authorities are calling for vigilance and several municipal decrees will be issued to prohibit certain access.
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This first January 2025 is a day of mourning in the Pyrenees. 2 hikers aged 34 and 46 were found dead after a fall from the Col du Pas de l’Âne in Haute-Garonne.
The CRS Pyrénées company had to intervene twice this Wednesday for fatal accidents in the Pyrenees. “The conditions have been special in recent hoursspecifies Sébastien Abbadie, head of the mountain section of the CRS Pyrénées. There was a big snow episode. On the last day, it rained very high at altitude. This destroyed the powder. Then the clear night covered the snow cover. The snow has become extremely hard, like concrete.”
As a result, emergency services first intervened at 8:30 a.m. A group of 3 people had been hiking since 6:30 a.m. this Wednesday, January 1, 2025 to see the sun rise over Cagire. A 34-year-old woman fell to her death despite forestry crampons which did not allow her to hold on to the packed and icy snow. The helicopter from the aerial section of the Tarbes gendarmerie found her unconscious, 300m further down in the town of Boutx (31).
Still on the north-west slope of the Col du Pas de l’Âne, a couple was also doing a hike which can be done without any problem in summer but which is much more dangerous in winter. Around 2:45 p.m., emergency services found the lifeless body of a 46-year-old woman in Arguenos (31).
-The Saint-Gaudens public prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation to find out the exact circumstances of these two tragedies. She was entrusted to the CRS of Luchon.
These interventions are not limited to the Luchon sector. Today, help was also requested in Hautacam (Hautes-Pyrénées). A man fell 150 meters. Fortunately, there were no trees or obstacles on the slope. He escaped with only a few burns. Other interventions took place this week at the Pic du Midi for example. The CRS Pyrénées mountain rescue services have launched an appeal for the greatest vigilance.
“We advise you to be equipped with ice crampons and ice axes when you leave secure areas, recalls Major Sébastien Abbadie. You should be wary of snowshoes that no longer sink in because the snow is hard. In the mountains it should be avoided.”
The mayors of the two Haut-Garonnaise municipalities of Boutx and Arguenos where the two inanimate bodies were found are currently considering issuing one-off orders prohibiting dangerous access.
If you have to go hiking outside the ski resorts but in the mountains, Sébastien Abbadie provides some advice. “First of all, you must prepare your outing well, find out about the weather conditions, contact guides and high mountain professionals. You can also contact the mountain CRS or the PGHM (High Mountain Gendarmerie Platoon) . With a unique prevention number for Haute-Garonne (05 61 89 31 31) or Hautes-Pyrénées (05 62 92 41 41).”
We can thus avoid the tragedies that occurred today. Last element, if you witness an accident, you must dial 112 for help.
