Family of British mother, 54, and her son, 22, were killed in French Alps avalanche are ‘beyond heartbroken’ following ‘tragic accident’ – as police hunt cross-country skiiers who may have sparked disaster

The family of a British mother and her son killed in an avalanche in the French Alps are “immensely heartbroken” after the “tragic accident”.

Kate Vokes, 54, and her son Archie Vokes, 22, were killed when an avalanche swept through the off-piste area of ​​the Saint-Gervais-les-Bains ski resort near Mont Blanc on December 28.

Ms Vokes was chairman of the Oglesby Charitable Trust, a director of their family property company Bruntwood, deputy chairman of the Royal Exchange Theater and a trustee of the charities Shared Health and Focused Care.

Mr Vokes was a personal trainer at Form in Manchester and last year qualified as a Level 1 ski instructor in Canada.

A family spokesman said: “We are absolutely heartbroken at the loss of our loved ones, the wonderful Kate and Archie.

“Words cannot express how terrible we all feel and the hole in our lives that this tragic accident has left. We ask for privacy as we grieve together as a family.”

Investigators fear the mother and son were caught by surprise when they were hit by a torrent of ice and snow.

A 400-metre-long wall of snow swept through the party at around 3.30pm on Thursday at an altitude of 2,300 meters above sea level.

It took rescuers five hours to recover the bodies of the victims.

Three other members of their family, including Ms Vokes’ husband, survived the crash on Thursday afternoon, along with their professional ski instructor and two others.

They were all experienced skiers and had gone out on a day when the avalanche risk was merely “moderate.”

Yesterday it emerged that “two skiers were climbing the slope” and “could have caused the avalanche”, said Carlene Buisse, prosecutor for the town of Bonneville, near Grenoble.

Local prosecutors have launched an investigation into the incident and may have charged two skiers with manslaughter.

Ms Buisse has opened a criminal investigation for “manslaughter” while judicial police collect evidence.

She said the British side knew the area well and that the risk at the time was “moderate” – level 2 out of 5 on the European Avalanche Risk Scale.

Guy Le Neve, deputy commander of the mountain search team in Chamonix, said: “This place is for very good skiers.

“This is a group that has known the instructor very well for many years and has come to ski in the area regularly.”

He told MailOnline: “We believe the avalanche was caused by two skiers above the group.”

“An avalanche expert has arrived at the scene and will provide the prosecutor with a report, but this will take several weeks.

“We are looking for witnesses and will try to identify the skiers, but it will be the prosecutor’s responsibility to bring any charges.

“It was initially reported that the instructor had a radio beacon, but this is incorrect: neither he nor his family were wearing one.

“Two other people were also caught in the avalanche, and one of them had a locator.

“That’s how we found them first, and the entire search and rescue operation continued until 8 p.m.”

A source in nearby Megève, where the instructor, named Arnaud, lives, said: “The family are regular customers and always use Arnaud. He has led and instructed for many years and is one of the best.

“He’s independent and self-employed, and I see him on the mountain often, but I don’t know him personally other than to say hello.

“He’s obviously very shaken up by what happened and I don’t think he’ll be skiing for a while.”

But it took 30 rescuers, supported by two helicopters, two dogs and a medical support team, up to five hours to find the mother and son.

“By the time they were found, both victims were already dead,” Ms Buisse said.

Another source in the investigation said the five survivors who were not buried in the snow “watched as the others were swept away.”

“Including the husband, who would have watched helplessly,” the source said.

While avalanche detectors are not mandatory for those who prefer to ski off-piste, they are recommended by Alexandre Merlin, the ski area’s director.

Mr Merlin said: “At the moment it is very difficult to assess the stability of snow cover, temperature fluctuations and frosts. It’s hard to be 100% sure of safety.”

The mayor of Saint-Gervais, Jean-Marc Payet, said: “What happened is terrible. The family has been destroyed and we in Saint-Gervais are very sad.”

Autopsies on the victims are due to be carried out next week at a Grenoble hospital.

On the same day, another accident occurred in the Alps: a 31-year-old man fell 500 meters from a rocky ridge in Chanteperrier, in the Ecrins massif.