Inquest opens after death of Knaresborough man who died after avalanche hit French ski resort
The inquest has opened in North Yorkshire of a 27-year-old Knaresborough man who tragically died after being hit by an avalanche in the French Alps.
Joshua Byers was near the roadside in Val Thorens in the Savoie region of south-west France when he was swept up and carried 50ft by snow on April 17, 2025.
He was taken to hospital in Grenoble in the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region but died later that evening.
An inquest into Mr Byers' death, which opened at Northallerton Coroner's Court on Monday, was told the provisional cause of death was asphyxia.
Heavy snow had hit the Alps in the days prior to Mr Byers' death, with the weather impacting local power supplies and road and rail travel in what is one of the largest linked ski areas in the world.
Coroner Jon Heath adjourned the inquest to a future date at the same venue.