Two British skiers who died in an avalanche in the French Alps have been named as Stuart Leslie and Shaun Overy.<\/p>\n
The pair were part of a group of five people, accompanied by an instructor, skiing off-piste in Val d\u2019Is\u00e8re in south-east France<\/a> on Friday when they were swept away by falling snow.<\/p>\n A French national who was skiing alone was also killed, while another British skier survived.<\/p>\n France\u2019s national weather service had issued a red alert for avalanche risk on Thursday \u2013 only the third time such a warning has been given in the 25 years since the system was introduced, according to Le Monde.<\/p>\n Leslie, 46, who regularly posted on social media about his skiing adventures, is believed to have been friends with Overy, 51, who ran a plumbing company in Wimbledon.<\/p>\n Paying tribute to Leslie on social media, friend Craig Hunter said: \u201cWe have lost a true legend \u2013 our beautiful Stuart.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe lived life to the absolute maximum \u2013 he packed 10 men\u2019s lives into one. He squeezed everything out of every moment.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we skied together, he was at his happiest. He always said there was no better feeling in life, skiing fresh powder was pure freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n Beno\u00eet Bachelet, the Albertville prosecutor, said a manslaughter investigation had been launched. The ski instructor, who was uninjured, tested negative for drugs.<\/p>\n This incident follows the death of another British skier<\/a> in his 50s in an avalanche at the nearby La Plagne resort in January.<\/p>\n Thirteen backcountry skiers, climbers and hikers died in the Italian mountains in the first week of February amid unstable snow conditions.<\/p>\n