- Jean Daniel Pession, 28, and his girlfriend, Elisa Arlian, fell to their death in Italy
- The Italian Winter Sports Federation recently confirmed the ‘terrible tragedy’
- Pession and Arlian died in Mount Zerbion, a popular mountain for skiers
Ski star Jean Daniel Pession and his girlfriend, Elisa Arlian, tragically died after falling more than 2,000ft off a mountain in Italy.
The couple are believed to have been on a hike on Mount Zerbion, a popular Alpine spot for skiers in the Aosta Valley.
A rescue team was sent to search for Pession, 28, and Arlian, a 26-year-old ski instructor and teacher, after they failed to return home.
Their families contacted the authorities, with firefighters and helicopters dispatched to the area. It’s said that hours later their bodies were found buried in snow. They are believed to have fallen around 2,300ft from near the summit.
According to reports in Italy, the search team located the couple using signal from one of their cell phones. When rescuers lowered themselves down towards the snow, they found the couple still tied together.
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Italian skier Pession, who was just 28 when he died, previously finished 15th in the World Cup. The Italian Winter Sports Federation confirmed the awful news over the weekend.
‘A terrible tragedy strikes the world of winter sports and speed skiing in particular,’ a statement read.
‘Jean Daniel Pession, a 28-year-old member of the World Cup team, lost his life in a tragic mountain accident that occurred above Champoluc. His girlfriend also died together with Pession.’
‘Over the course of his career, the Aosta Valley native had achieved the best results in 2021, placing fifteenth in the final World Cup ranking, while at the World Championships he came 22nd in Vars in 2022.
‘President Flavio Roda and the entire Federation express their condolences to Pession family for this tragic misfortune.’