Jean Daniel Pession: Italian World Cup skier dies next to his girlfriend in mountain accident

CNN
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Italian World Cup speed skier Jean Daniel Pession and his girlfriend Elisa Arlian have died in a mountain accident in northwest Italy, the Italian Winter Sports Federation (FISI) confirmed.

“A terrible tragedy has struck the world of winter sports and speed skiing in particular,” the association said in a statement on June 1.

“In a tragic mountain accident above Champoluc (Aosta), Jean Daniel Pession, a 28-year-old member of the World Cup team, lost his life. Along with Pession, his girlfriend also died,” FISI added.

“President Flavio Roda and the entire association express their condolences to the Pession family for this tragic accident.”

Pession was a ski instructor at the Antagnod ski school in northern Italy. The school said in an Instagram post that his and Arlian’s funeral would take place on Tuesday.

According to Italian public broadcaster RAI, rescue workers found the couple’s bodies still tied together after hours of searching.

According to RAI, Pession and his 26-year-old girlfriend – who was also a ski instructor – fell 700 meters (almost 2,300 feet) from the summit of Monte Zerbion, above the resort town of Champoluc in the Aosta Valley, after taking a well-known route.

After worried family members called the rescue center because they had not returned home, helicopters were immediately deployed, the broadcaster reported.

There were no visible marks on the rocks indicating the spot where the couple had fallen and the rescue operation by the three-man team took hours, it said.

According to RAI, rescue workers finally managed to locate the couple using their mobile phone signals.

According to the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), Pession finished 15th in the 2021 World Cup in speed skiing. He was in the top 25 at the 2022 World Championships in Vars.