What a devastating way to die…
Over the weekend, the deaths of pro skier Jean Daniel Pession and his girlfriend Elisa Arlian were sadly confirmed by the Italian Winter Sports Federation, and the story of what went down is just unimaginable. According to Italy’s national public broadcasting company RAI, the athletic couple left “early in the morning” to head to one of their favorite summits for a weekend trip. As they scaled toward the peak of Mount Zerbion, though, suddenly they vanished.
Their families became increasingly concerned when they didn’t return home, and they weren’t able to contact them, so local authorities were alerted about the missing couple. Eventually, search and rescue crews were able to get a ping from one of their cell phones and locate them — but what they would discover on the mountain was something no one was prepared for.
The outlet reported that horrifically Jean Daniel and Elisa were found dead, buried in snow, “still tied together”:
“It took hours and hours of flying over to locate them. There were no traces on the rock to suggest that they had fallen.”
So awful…
Aosta Valley’s Regional Council President Alberto Bertin told the broadcasting service in a statement on Saturday:
“Two young lives cut short by a mountain accident, that mountain which was their passion. In this moment of deep sadness, we express our closeness to the families, friends, and the entire sports community, embracing them with affection and compassion.”
The President of Aosta Valley Renzo Tostolin also offered words of condolences to the family, saying the whole region is mourning “the loss of its young children”. While Elisa’s age is still unclear, Jean Daniel was only 28 years old. Heartbreaking.
Our hearts are with the victims’ families as they try to navigate this indescribable loss. May Jean Daniel and Elisa rest in peace.
