British Mother & Son Die in Avalanche in France
29th December 2023
Last modified on January 2nd, 2024
Tributes have been paid to Kate Vokes, 54, and her 22-year old son, Archie. A criminal investigation is underway as further details become clear. UPDATED
The accident happened in St Gervais near Chamonix as they skied in a family group off piste with an instructor.
A statement from the family on Sunday said, “We are beyond heartbroken at the loss of our beloved, wonderful Kate and Archie.
“Words cannot express how terrible we all feel nor the hole in our lives that has been left by this tragic accident.
“We kindly ask for privacy as we grieve together as a family.”
Mother and son were with a guide they had known for years and were part of a group of five people from the same family when the incident occurred.
The family came from Manchester.
The avalanche was triggered at an altitude of 2,300 meters on the slopes of Mont Joly on Thursday.
Eight people were affected by the incident.
Five English people from the same family were off piste near the Mont Joly chairlift with an instructor when they were hit by an avalanche.
Avalanche danger. Image c/o PlanetSKI.
Two other people were involved.
It is being reported that they may have been skiing above the British group and triggered the avalanche, but this has not been officially stated.
Reports in many UK national newspapers report that the two were cross-country skiers.
This is unlikely as cross-country skiing is done mainly on prepared tracks at low altitude.
It is more likely they were off piste ski tourers.
Official statements in French have described the two as ‘ski randonee’ and google translate often mistakenly calls this cross-country skiing, when it is actually ski touring.
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The avalanche was 400m long and the risk at the time was Level 2 on a scale of 5.
31 people were involved in the search and rescue operation that took 5-hours.
Post mortem examinations are set to be carried out on the two deceased.
The Bonneville public prosecutor’s office say that a manslaughter investigation has been opened by police in nearby Chamonix.
Saint-Gervais mayor Jean-Marc Peillex said the weather conditions were too unstable for such risky outings.
“It rained, it snowed, it was warm,” he said.
“There are enough marked paths to ski on. It’s terrible what happened.”
Archie Vokes was a personal trainer at Form in Manchester, and in 2022 had achieved his level 1 ski instructor qualification in Canada.
Ms Vokes was chair of the Oglesby Charitable Trust, deputy chair of the Royal Exchange Theatre and a trustee of charities Shared Health and Focused Care.
“We are supporting the family of two British people who died in France and are in contact with the local authorities,” said the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office.
Avalanche sign. Image © PlanetSKI
A spokesperson from the Haute-Savoie regional government said: “An avalanche 400m long occurred this Thursday, December 28, 2023 at 3.30pm, in the off-piste area, at an altitude of 2,300 meters and near the Mont-Joly chairlift located in the Mont-Joly ski area. Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, involving eight people.
“A major search and rescue system was immediately deployed by the emergency services. slopes of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, reinforced and commanded by the high-level gendarmerie platoon mountain (PGHM) of Chamonix.
“The final report shows two victims dead, one lightly injured and five other people unhurt.
“Yves Le Breton, prefect of Haute-Savoie would like to send his sincere condolences to the loved ones of the victims and his thoughts to those involved in this avalanche. He also thanks all the personnel who made it possible to carry out the search operations.”
Around 110 people are caught in avalanches every year in France, leading to about 30 deaths.
Update:
Kate Vokes was a well-known figure in her home city of Manchester and was closely involved with several charities.
Manchester City Council leader Bev Craig said Ms Vokes would be “very sadly missed” in the city.
“This is a terrible tragedy and our hearts go out to Kate and Archie’s family and friends on their loss,” she said.
“Kate Vokes played a significant role in Manchester and was a great champion of many social and cultural causes in our city.
“She was known for her passion, commitment and energy.”
The council leader added Ms Vokes “believed passionately in the positive social impact that business could have”.
Ms Vokes, 54, was chair of the Oglesby Charitable Trust, a director of their family-owned property company Bruntwood, deputy chair of the Royal Exchange Theatre and a trustee of charities Shared Health and Focused Care.
