Tourists have been ordered to leave parts of the Italian and Swiss Alps after extreme snowfall and increasing avalanche risks forced authorities to evacuate villages and shut down entire areas.

In just hours, weather conditions in regions of northern Italy and Switzerland deteriorated so dramatically that emergency measures were introduced.

These included road closures and evacuations, as drifts several metres high buried Alpine communities.

Beginning on Monday, severe snowfall across Switzerland and parts of northern Italy has created mounting issues.

Regional media report that up to 40 centimetres of fresh snow has fallen, significantly increasing the danger of avalanches.

The second highest warning level is now in effect across the region, and heavy snowfall is forecast to continue today.

The situation is especially serious in Italy’s Piedmont region, leading the regional government to put out a municipal decree ordering the prompt evacuation of Rochemolles, a tourism dependent town, Bild reports.

An access ban was imposed at the same time, with all roads closed to both pedestrians and motorists, according to the Italian newspaper Il Dolomiti.

The Rochemolles section of Bardonecchia was evacuated due to heavy snowfall

An access ban was imposed on the Rochemolles section of Bardonecchia due to heavy snowfall

The village of Le Tour above Chamonix covered in feet of snow

Around 40 people, including both residents and tourists, were told to leave.

Some found their own accommodation, while others were placed in nearby hotels.

Andrea Vuolo, a meteorologist at Meteo Piemonte, warned of the growing threat.

He wrote on Facebook: ‘The area causing the greatest concern is the Gran Vallone, which bears strong similarities to the conditions that triggered the last major avalanche event in this area in 2018.’

During that event, an entire road was blocked. Because of its location, the high mountain valley in Piedmont is particularly vulnerable to heavy snowfall and avalanche danger.

In Switzerland, around 50 people in the municipality of Orsières were forced to leave their accommodation after avalanche risks rose sharply, according to 20minuten.

The village of Le Tour above Chamonix covered in feet of snow

The Rochemolles section of Bardonecchia was evacuated due to heavy snowfall

Those affected either returned home or found accommodation in areas considered less dangerous.

Alongside snowfall, danger has also come from severe winds approaching hurricane-level force.

According to the regional environmental agency ARPA Piemont, gusts of up to 189 kilometres per hour were recorded at the Gran Vaudala weather station in Ceresole Reale, Italy which sits at an altitude of 3,272 meters.

Forecasters have warned that conditions may worsen further.

This comes as two skiers died over the weekend after being buried in the snow following an off-trail avalanche in Italy, close to the borders with France and Switzerland.

At least three skiers were caught up in Sunday morning’s avalanche on the Mont Blanc massif.

The tragedy occurred in the Couloir Vesses, a well-known freeride route in Courmayeur, in upper Val Veny, according to Italy’s Alpine Rescue.

An avalanche at Cervinia in the Aosta Valley in Italy

An avalanche on Tuesday in the Zermatt region of Switzerland

And on Friday, two Brits were among three people killed in an avalanche in the French Alps, a day after several ski resorts shut down due to the risk of snowslides.

Friday’s avalanche in Val-d’Isère swept away six skiers in an off-piste area of the slopes, killing one French national and the two Britons, as red alerts were issued across the Alps.

Emergency services responded quickly but could not prevent the deaths, a resort official said, noting that all of the victims had avalanche transceivers.    

A record 13 backcountry skiers, climbers and hikers died in the Italian mountains during the first week of February, Alpine Rescue reported last Monday, including 10 in avalanches triggered by an exceptionally unstable snowpack. 

By OLIVER SALT, US ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Published: 18:14 EST, 16 February 2026 | Updated: 01:15 EST, 17 February 2026

Lindsey Vonn’s sister insists the Olympic icon is ‘super strong’ despite her gruesome leg break after battling through a ‘rough’ week in hospital.

Vonn, 41, underwent four surgeries in Italy after fracturing her complex tibia in a horror skiing crash at the Winter Olympics.

The serious damage suffered to her leg requires multiple procedures, while one specialist has warned that some similar injuries even require amputation.

Following her older sister’s fourth op on Saturday, and release from hospital on Sunday, Karin Kildow has told TMZ Sports that she is now taking it ‘one day at a time.’

‘It’s been a rough one, been in the hospital a lot,’ Kildow, 37, admitted. ‘Just one day at a time. She’s super strong, but there’s a lot of surgeries and things. We’re working on getting her back to the U.S.’

On Monday night, Vonn confirmed she had returned home and paid tribute to hospital staff in Europe. ‘[I] haven’t stood on my feet in over a week… been in a hospital bed immobile since my race,’ she posted on social media. 

Lindsey Vonn’s sister insists the Olympic icon is ‘super strong’ despite her gruesome leg break

The 41-year-old Vonn has undergone four surgeries after a horror crash at the Winter Olympics

‘And although I’m not yet able to stand, being back on home soil feels amazing… huge thank you to everyone in Italy for taking good care of me.’ 

Critics on social media have questioned Vonn’s decision to compete in the women’s downhill race on the day after suffering a torn ACL in the lead-up to it.

But Karin says the family are not paying any attention to the negativity online.

‘You know what? Everyone’s gonna have their thing to say, I think… but she’s strong and she did it,’ she concluded.

Earlier on Monday, Vonn shared a behind-the-scenes video from hospital on Instagram, which shows her undergoing exercises, having her hair washed and being fed dinner while stepping up her recovery.

She also included the caption: ‘Thankful for friends, family, my team and all the medical staff that are getting me back to myself…. I’m slowly coming back to life, back to basics and the simple things in life that mean the most. Smile. Laugh. Love.

‘My sister @kar_inthegarage made this video and it instantly made me cry and made my heart full. Love you guys’.

Vonn lost control last Sunday over the opening traverse after cutting the line too tight and was spun around in the air.

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She shared a behind-the-scenes video of the recovery process in hospital on Monday

The skiing legend suffered a broken left leg after she crashed in the women’s downhill race 

She was heard screaming out after the crash as she was surrounded by medical personnel before she was strapped to a gurney and flown away by a helicopter.

Last week, a defiant Vonn also suggested that she will one day ski again despite fears that she could lose her left leg.

In an emotional post, the iconic skier added that she had no regrets about competing in the downhill event – she had torn her ACL in her left knee days before the crash, something she insists had no influence over what happened – and remarkably vowed to ski again one day in the future.

While she surely meant it in a recreational sense rather than trying once again to compete at the highest level, she said: ‘Please, don’t feel sad. The ride was worth the fall. When I close my eyes at night I don’t have regrets and the love I have for skiing remains.

‘I am still looking forward to the moment when I can stand on the top of the mountain once more. And I will.’

An instructor who was supervising two British skiers allegedly ignored safety warnings before an avalanche which killed them.

The pair and a French man died on Friday after being swept away by the avalanche while skiing in an off-piste area in the French Alps ski resort of Val d’Isere.

Emergency services responded quickly but could not prevent the deaths. They said all of the victims had avalanche transceivers. 

The deaths followed a rare, day-long red alert across the south-eastern Savoie region on Thursday – a danger level issued only twice before, since the system was introduced 25 years ago.

The freelance instructor was unharmed and prosecutors have opened a manslaughter investigation into the deaths. 

Skiers are warned against going off-piste when the avalanche danger level is above tier three.

The area had been issued a tier four warning when they took to the slopes. A day earlier the avalanche risk level was at five out of five – the first time in 17 years.

‘We can’t prevent people from going off piste,’ Cédric Bonnevie, the piste director, said.

The avalanche in Val d’Isere swept away six skiers in an off-piste area of the slopes, killing one French national and the two Britons, as red alerts were issued across the Alps 

The two Britons killed were part of a group of four skiers accompanied by a professional instructor and were skiing off-piste at the time. Pictured: A stock image of Val-d’Isere

‘We can’t hold everyone’s hand and there isn’t much we can do unless we close the slopes, which we don’t normally want to do.’

A third British citizen also suffered minor injuries from the avalanche on Friday, while a further two off-piste skiers died in an avalanche in the Courmayeur resort in Italy on Sunday.

Adrienne, 43, a professional skier at Val d’Isere, told The Times: ‘No one here understands why the instructor went off-piste and everyone thinks it was irresponsible.

‘I know that some instructors refused to take their groups out on Friday. The customers weren’t happy but it’s the price you pay for safety.’

Another skier, Jean-Louis, 42, added: ‘We get warnings almost every weekend. We’re told to be careful and now there’s a debate about whether off-piste skiing should be banned.

‘Personally, I think everyone has to take responsibility for themselves.’

The red alert which had been in place was lifted on Friday in Savoie but the risk level remained high across the Alps, with ‘very unstable snow cover’, especially above 1,800 to 2,000 metres altitude, according to the Meteo France weather service.

Storm Nils, which passed through France on Thursday, dumped 60-100 centimetres of snow.

The two Britons killed were part of a group of four skiers accompanied by a professional instructor and were skiing off-piste at the time.

All were equipped with avalanche safety gear, including transceivers, shovels and probes, according to the resort.

The public prosecutor, Benoit Bachelet, said alcohol and drug tests carried out on the instructor were negative.

The other two were among a group of five, including a professional guide, further down the mountain face and did not see the avalanche coming.

It was not clear what caused the avalanche, Mr Bonnevie said.

Last month, a British man was among six skiers killed in avalanches in the French Alps.

The Englishman, believed to be in his 50s, was skiing off-piste at the La Plagne resort in the south-east of France.

Rescue teams received an avalanche alert at 1.57pm on January 11 and immediately went to the site.

A team of more than 50 people, including medics, ski school instructors and a helicopter-deployed piste dog, were called in.

The man was located after 50 minutes, buried under eight feet of snow, but could not be revived.

He was with a group when the avalanche struck, but was not equipped with an avalanche transceiver and was not with a professional instructor.

By ISABEL BALDWIN, US ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Published: 18:25 EST, 11 February 2026 | Updated: 22:58 EST, 11 February 2026

NBC was forced to issue an apology after accidentally referring to Swedish athlete Elis Lundholm with the wrong pronouns during its coverage of the Winter Olympics. 

The 23-year-old skier, who was born as a woman but identifies as male, was competing in the moguls even in the women’s freestyle division in Milan-Cortina.

During Lundholm’s run, the Olympic international feed, which was broadcast on NBC’s streaming platform Peacock, referred to the athlete as ‘she’ multiple times. 

‘Getting off course here though…oh she just skids out of that gate,’ the commentary of Lundholm’s run said. ‘She’s going to hop up and go around to make sure she does not DNF as she continues down the line here.’ 

NBC quickly removed the footage from the platforms and its social media channels, apologizing for the error. 

‘NBC Sports takes this matter seriously,’ NBC said, via Outsports. ‘Today we streamed an international feed with non-NBCUniversal commentators who misgendered Olympian Elis Lundholm. We apologize to Elis and our viewers, and we have removed the replay of that feed.’

NBC was forced to issue an apology after misgendering Swedish athlete Elis Lundholm

The skier, who was born as a woman but identifies as male, was competing in the moguls

Lundholm’s participation is allowed under the current International Olympic Committee (IOC) guidelines, making him the only openly trans athlete competing at this year’s Games.

But after making a mistake on the snowy slopes of Livigno, Lundholm finished 29th with a score of just 12.05 on Tuesday.

However, the trans Swede still had the chance to qualify for the final round again on Wednesday morning due to the nuances of the qualification moguls.

While the top 10 scored athletes on Tuesday receive an automatic bye, the remaining skiers will take part in a second round the following morning. Those who made the top 10 will then join the existing finalists, with the chance of winning a medal on Wednesday afternoon. 

But it wasn’t to be for Lundholm, who finished 25th overall following the second qualification round and missed out on the chance of competing for a medal.

Lundholm has previously spoken out about his comfort at competing in female-only divisions.

‘I’ve always been treated well,’ he told Swedish TV channel SVT previously.

‘I came out and identified as a man. But I compete against women because they have the same qualifications as me. And that’s okay with everyone.’ 

The Swede, a transgender man, is the first trans competitor at the Winter Olympics

His participation for the women’s team is in line with the IOC’s 2021 ‘Framework on Fairness, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sex Variations’.

Those guidelines allow trans athletes to compete in the Olympics after being cleared by their own national sports federations.

Before he took to the slopes, Lundholm also addressed criticism surrounding his participation.

‘Of course it’s something I thought about,’ he said. ‘You can hear the voices out there. But then I do my thing, and I don’t give a damn.’

Donald Trump is sending 35 criminal illegal aliens back to the UK amid his immigration crackdown that triggered shockwaves across America and the world.

The Britons feature on a list of shame dubbed the ‘worst of the worst’ drawn up and published by Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.

It means more ‘worst of the worst’ criminals are being deported back to the UK from America than to Afghanistan or Iraq. There are 19 Afghans on the list, and 31 Iraqis.

A Daily Mail analysis of the countries of origin of the ‘worst of the worst’ illegal migrants also shows more are being sent back to the UK than France, Germany and Italy combined.

France is receiving nine, Germany eight, and Italy 10.

Offenses committed by the Britons include homicide, drug trafficking, sexual exploitation of minors, fraud, and making bomb threats.

Those on the list include three British women.

Mugshots of British criminals who feature on Donald Trump’s ‘worst of the worst’ list of illegal aliens being deported from America. Their pictures have been published online by the US Department of Homeland Security 

President Donald Trump has removed more than 700,000 illegal immigrants from the United States

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with ICE agents during an operation in Arizona

Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said more than half of the 35 British criminals – 22 of them – had already been deported.

She told the Daily Mail: ‘If you break the law, you will face the consequences. Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the US.

‘The 35 criminal illegal aliens from the UK listed on the Worst of the Worst website [have] criminal histories including multiple counts of homicide, enticement of a minor, lewd or lascivious acts with a minor, robbery, assault, aggravated assault, weapons offenses, and drug trafficking.

’22 of these criminal illegal aliens have already been removed from the US.

‘Under President Trump’s and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s leadership, DHS has already removed more than 700,000 illegal aliens.’

(L) Rosalie McCann, an illegal immigrant from the UK, had a conviction for identity theft, and was arrested in Pennsylvania, according to the US Department of Homeland Security; (R) Mohamed Bah, an illegal immigrant from the UK, had gun and assault convictions, and was arrested in Hagerstown, Maryland, according to the US Department of Homeland Security

(L) Harry Stacey, an illegal immigrant from the UK, had a conviction for drug trafficking and was arrested in Bentonville, Arkansas, according to the US Department of Homeland Security; (R) Raechal Wood, an illegal immigrant from the UK, had a conviction for drug possession, and was arrested in Ocala, Florida, according to the US Department of Homeland Security

It comes as Trump, Noem and ICE are embroiled in turmoil in the wake of the recent fatal shootings of protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti by immigration agents in Minneapolis.

The ‘worst of the worst’ list – which is expected to grow – reflects the approach of Trump’s border czar Tom Homan, who has been at odds with Noem over how best to enforce the president’s immigration policies.

Noem pursued a strategy of high-profile raids to round up as many illegal immigrants as possible, sometimes joining operations herself in tactical gear and taking TV cameras along.

Homan has argued for a more targeted approach to capture and deport the ‘worst of the worst’ illegal alien criminals – like the ones featured on the list of shame.

In the wake of the fatal ICE shootings Trump sent Homan to Minneapolis to ‘fix’ the problem there.

Homan subsequently confirmed that future immigration operations would be ‘targeted’ against specific individuals.

President Trump’s ICE is returning 35 ‘worst of the worst’ illegal immigrants to Keir Starmer’s UK

(L) Winston Percival Lee, an illegal immigrant from the UK, had a conviction for homicide and was arrested in New York, according to the US Department of Homeland Security; (R) Richard Castle, an illegal immigrant from the UK, had had convictions including sexual exploitation of a minor, and was arrested in Missouri, according to the US Department of Homeland Security

The list of shame so far also features 25 criminals from Russia and 34 from Ukraine.

There are 137 from China, 347 from Venezuela, and 62 from Somalia, according to an analysis by the Daily Mail.

In total, the number of illegal aliens so far featured on the ‘worst of the worst’ list was 20,249 as of January 28.

The country with by far the most citizens on it is Mexico with 9,739.

The 35 UK-origin criminals represent only a portion of the total removals to the UK under Trump’s widespread immigration crackdown.

Tom Homan, Trump’s Border Czar, wants to target the ‘worst of the worst’ illegal immigrants

An anti-ICE protester in Minneapolis in the wake of the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by immigration agents

Federal agents clash with rioters on the streets of Minneapolis

A protest against ICE in downtown Minneapolis

According to the Department of Homeland Security, the three women on the ‘worst of the worst’ list include Raechal Wood, who it said had a conviction for drug possession and was detained by ICE in Florida.

Jessica Bell Tulloch had convictions for offenses including robbery and was arrested in New Jersey, according to the DHS.

Rosalie McCann was convicted of identity theft and held in Pennsylvania, the list showed.

Also on the ‘worst of the worst’ list was Sean Bourne, who was shown as convicted of homicide and assaulting a police officer, and detained in Orlando, Florida.

Shawn Winston Percival Lee was listed as convicted of homicide, and detained in New York, according to the DHS.

Harry Stacey was convicted of drug trafficking in Bentonville, Arkansas, the department said.

Richard Castle was convicted of offenses including ‘sexual exploitation of minor’ and arrested in Springfield, Missouri, according to the ‘worst of the worst’ list.

The DHS says the list was produced to ‘highlight the worst of worst criminal aliens arrested by ICE’.

(L) Phillip Harkins, an illegal immigrant from the UK, had convictions including homicide and robbery, and was arrested in Tallahassee, Florida, according to the US Department of Homeland Security; (R) Sean Bourne, an illegal immigrant from the UK, had convictions including homicide, and was arrested in Orlando, Florida, according to the US Department of Homeland Security

(L) Jessica Bell Tulloch, an illegal immigrant from the UK, had convictions including robbery, and was arrested in New Jersey, according to the US Department of Homeland Security; (R) Leslie Service, an illegal immigrant from the UK, had convictions including ‘threat to bomb,’ and was arrested in Virginia, according to the US Department of Homeland Security

‘Under Secretary Kristi Noem’s leadership, the hardworking men and women of DHS and ICE are fulfilling President Trump’s promise and carrying out mass deportations – starting with the worst of the worst – including the illegal aliens you see here,’ it says.

Noem is currently under heavy pressure over her handling of the Good and Pretti shootings.

She called Good, an unarmed mother, a ‘domestic terrorist,’ and suggested Pretti was ‘brandishing’ a gun, which videos from the scene showed he was not.

On Monday, Trump held a two-hour meeting with her in the Oval Office before sending Homan to Minneapolis, but the president has said she will stay in her job.

By PADRAIC FLANAGAN

Published: 19:20 EST, 7 February 2026 | Updated: 21:15 EST, 7 February 2026

Her quest for Olympic glory has seen Kirsty Muir hit new heights on the frozen slopes of the Italian Alps.

But it is the depths to which she plunged in preparation for the Winter Games that Britain’s newest ski ace credits for her performances.

The 21-year-old from Aberdeen’s aerial skills ensured she qualified in third place for Monday’s final in the women’s ski slopestyle competition at Livigno Snow Park.

She was able to stay cool on the slopes in Italy after surviving a test of nerve while training at Delphy Pool near Bodmin in Cornwall last year, when she dived to a depth of 56ft and held her breath until her lips turned blue in the freezing darkness.

‘It was to put ourselves in a high-pressure situation and see how we reacted, how we managed ourselves and told our minds to chill out in this high-stress situation,’ the ski star revealed a few weeks before the Olympics began.

‘We started off just breathing on the ground, then we moved into a static tub and that’s where I held my breath for three minutes in the end,’ Muir said. 

‘Then we moved into a quarry, went down a rope and ended up 17 metres down. It’s pitch black, you can’t see anything, and you start overthinking – that’s when you’ve really got to centre yourself and calm down.

‘It’s helped a lot with my skiing because I realise now that I perform a lot better when I am calmer.’

Kirsty Muir trained for the Winter Olympics by diving to a depth of 56ft and holding her breath until her lips turned blue

Pictured: Skier Kirsty Muir, one of the British stars of this year’s Winter Olympics after hitting the top three in each of her qualifying runs on Saturday to reach the final

Muir hit the top three in each of her qualifying runs on Saturday to reach the final behind Switzerland’s defending champion Mathilde Gremaud and Chinese superstar Eileen Gu. 

‘I feel like my heart was maybe racing just a little bit more than usual,’ Muir said after the qualifiers. 

‘After I put my first run down, I felt a bit of a relief and felt like I could just be a bit smoother in myself. 

‘Just knowing I can do it when I’m feeling a little bit nervous, when I’m feeling a little bit of pressure, knowing that I can trust myself and put it down.’

Muir, who is competing at her second Olympics, will be hoping to celebrate after the final with her BMX rider boyfriend Matt Harris, 26, from Cambridgeshire – who starred in the first series of The Traitors.