Skiing champion Jean Daniel Pession and his girlfriend, Elisa Arlian, tragically lost their lives after plummeting over 2,000 feet from a mountain in Italy. The couple was reportedly hiking on Mount Zerbion, a well-known Alpine destination for skiers in the Aosta Valley, when the tragic incident occurred.
A rescue team was dispatched to locate Pession, 28, and Arlian, a 26-year-old ski instructor and educator when they did not return home as expected. Their families alerted the authorities, prompting firefighters and helicopters to be sent to the area. After several hours, their bodies were discovered buried in snow. It is believed that they fell around 2,300 feet from near the summit.
Tragic Deaths
According to reports in Italian media, the search team tracked the couple using a signal from one of their cell phones. They found the couple still tied together after rescuers descended towards the snow.
Italian skier Pession, who was only 28 at the time of his death, had previously ranked 15th in the World Cup. The Italian Winter Sports Federation confirmed the tragic 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."
