Photo: Giant rockfall blocks major route to ski stations in France
One injured as 150 tonne blocks fall on RN90 in Savoie
The road between Albertville and Moûtiers has since partially reopened to traffic
Ville de Moûtiers / facebook
Three huge blocks of rock - weighing more than 150 tonnes each - fell onto a key access road to ski stations in Savoie on Saturday morning, leaving the route blocked and injuring one driver.
The 50m3 of rock crashed onto the RN90 between Albertville and Moûtiers. The RN90 was closed for hours after the rockfall at 10:45 on February 1, complicating access to the nearby Tarentaise, 3 Vallées, Tignes, Val d’Isère, La Plagne, les Arcs and La Rosière ski resorts.
Incredibly, only one driver was hurt - a 62-year-old woman who was taken to Albertville hospital with reportedly minor injuries.
The RN90 was partially reopened in the afternoon, but will not be fully open for "at least several days" according to the prefecture
“Traffic is still saturated, but the road is no longer cut", announced the department on Saturday evening. “If you have already set out, don't go to the Tarentaise valley but look for overnight accommodation."
"An emergency overflight of the area with geologists is planned to carry out a reconnaissance," added the department's communications department.
The department implemented a “reception and accommodation plan” in nearby communes for drivers unable to reach the Tarentaise resort on Saturday evening.
Local snow plough driver Pierrick told French media that the fall of the massive rocks had been anticipated.
“For several years now, the locals and the mayor of Moûtiers have been asking for the work to be stepped up. We're about to host the Winter Olympics and we find ourselves with a blocked valley. We all make our living from the economy, and now it is at a standstill because of this," he told BFMTV.
“Now we are going to have to be patient,” he said, awaiting the removal of the giant rocks that he estimates at around “150 to 200 tonnes each.”
Alpine landslides
The Alpine valleys are notoriously susceptible to landslides.
On January 23, rocks fell onto the RD28 road through the Cians gorges near the village of Beuil (Alpes-Maritimes), completely blocking the road in both directions.
Another major landslide happened in August 2023 as a 300-metre tunnel was blocked, cutting rail travel between France and Italy through the Maurienne valley for 19 months.
Direct high-speed trains between Paris and Milan/Turin are set to run again from the end of March 2025.
