Family of British mum and son killed in Alps avalanche pay heartbreaking tribute

31 December 2023 , 16:16

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Kate Vokes, 54, and her son Archie Vokes, 22, who died when an avalanche swept through an off-piste area of a French ski resort (Image: PA)

The family of a British mum and her son who tragically died when out skiing have paid tribute to them, saying they are "beyond heartbroken".

Kate Vokes, 54, and her son Archie Vokes, 22, both from Manchester, died when an avalanche swept through an off-piste area of a French ski resort on Thursday 28 December, when they were out skiing.

The avalanche took place at an altitude of 2,300metres and it travelled around 400metres and swept through an off-piste area of the Saint-Gervais-les-Bains ski resort at around 3.40pm, the administration for the Haute-Savoie region said in a statement.

Their family have since paid touching tribute and said they are "beyond heartbroken" following the "tragic accident". In the statement, they 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.”

A search and rescue operation was launched after the avalanche struck

The statement added: "Kate 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 Focussed Care. Archie was a personal trainer at Form in Manchester and in the previous year had achieved his level 1 ski instructor qualification in Canada."

Horror as two skiers killed in terrifying avalanche that hit popular ski resort

In the aftermath of the fatal avalanche, dozens of mountain rescuers set off on a search and rescue mission. They discovered the bodies of Kate and Archie and one injured person, alongside rescuing five others, including Kate's husband.

At the time an investigating source said: "They were surprised by an avalanche around Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, while off-piste. They were in a group of eight people, made up of a ski instructor and his students, when they were hit at a height of around 2300metres.

One theory is that a group of skiers higher up accidentally triggered the fatal avalanche (PA)

Kate and Archie were thought to have been skiing with a group of eight people at the time (PA)

"Three out of the eight skiers were buried in the snow, and a search party was mobilised very quickly, after an emergency alarm. The instructor was detected and pulled out, but the man and woman who were buried perished, following a far more complex and long search. The initial theory is that another party of skiers higher up triggered the avalanche."

It was reported that only the instructor had been wearing an avalanche victim detector. But 30 rescuers, supported by two helicopters, two dogs and a medical support team, took up to five hours to find the mother and son.

A criminal case has been opened into the cause of the avalanche with police launching a manslaughter hunt. Yesterday, it was revealed that "two cross-country skiers were upslope" and "could have caused the avalanche", according to Karline Bouisset, the prosecutor in Bonneville, near Grenoble.

Ms Bouisset has opened a criminal enquiry into "manslaughter" while judicial police collect evidence. The two cross-country skiers have been traced and will be helping investigators with their enquiries.

Saint-Gervais Mayor Jean-Marc Peillex said the weather conditions were too unstable for such risky outings. "It rained, it snowed, it was warm. There are enough marked paths to ski on," he told BFM television. "It's terrible what happened. A family is decimated, and we are very sad in Saint-Gervais."

A Foreign Office spokesperson said previously: "We are supporting the family of two British people who died in France and are in contact with the local authorities."

On the same day, a 31-year-old hiker died to the north of Mont Joly, on the slope of the Ecrins mountain range. Local broadcaster France-Bleu cited rescuers as saying he had left the hiking paths with a friend to look at mountain goats.

Kieren Williams