French Alps resorts snowfall traps 15,000

Paris: Skiers trying to make their way to and from French Alps resorts were plunged into chaos on Saturday as 15,000 cars were trapped on the roads and emergency overnight centres were set up to shelter trapped tourists, The Telegraph reported.

Across the Savoie region, thousands of people were trapped in their cars, snowed in their chalets or stranded at airports as long-awaited snow finally dumped on the Alps, several feet, in some places.

A man, 27, was killed on the road near Chambéry, as his car skidded off the road at midday en route to the small resort of Collet d'Allevard, and fell 200 metres. Two buses were reported to have crashed on the road to La Plagne, causing six-mile tailbacks, ski company Adventures in the Alps said.

Even at the Chambéry airport, 2,063 people were unable to leave the site the majority of them British as heavy snow eclipsed the region. Half of those were expected to be transferred to an emergency shelter in Aix-les-Bains, while the others would be accommodated in the sports hall in Marlioz.

Those in the ski resorts posted photos on social media showing up to a foot of snow, and gleefully reported being snowed in, with photos of chalet hosts shovelling snow that settled on their doorsteps.

On Saturday morning, the road along the Tarentaise Valley, between Albertville and Moutiers – a key artery into the popular resorts of the Three Valleys and Val d'Isere – was blocked, due to waiting for cars to put on snow chains.