The ski mountaineer who died in an avalanche in the Aosta Valley around noon is Roberto Agnusdei, 49 years old, from Turin.
Based on what was reconstructed by the rescuers, an accumulation of windy snow betrayed him just below the summit of Punta Chaligne.
The detachment took place at an altitude of 2,400 meters, while he was proceeding uphill together with a friend a few years younger, who was only touched by the avalanche.
Agnusdei was buried under more than a meter of snow.
His hiking partner raised the alarm by phoning another person and then started searching for him with the Transceiver device.
In the meantime, rescuers by helicopter arrived at the scene, identified the body and extracted it.
The doctor tried to revive him but there was nothing they could do.
The Aosta Valley Alpine Rescue and the Alpine Rescue of the Guardia di Finanza of Entrèves intervened on the spot, which are entrusted with the investigations.
Agnusdei's body is in the Aosta cemetery, for medico-legal and recognition operations.
The friend will be heard by the financiers.
At the moment, no third party responsibilities have emerged for the accident.
The avalanche danger in the area today is 3-considerable above 2,500 meters of altitude and 2-moderate below.
The avalanche bulletin noted that "partially thick snowdrift accumulations have formed in many places" which "can already be released by the passage of an individual winter sports enthusiast".