A snow avalanche on the west face of Pico Tablato, near the Panticosa balneario in Huesca, killed three experienced mountaineers on Monday around 1:00 p.m. The victims are pediatrician and divulgador Jorge García-Dihinx, 55; his partner, Natalia Román; and Eneko Arrastua, 48. One woman was injured with hypothermia, and two escaped unharmed from the group of six.
The accident occurred at an altitude of between 2,600 and 2,700 meters, triggered by the rupture of a snow slab that swept the ski mountaineers down the slope. The avalanche covered an area of about 300 meters wide and 600 to 700 meters long, with snow accumulations up to 15 meters thick; one body was recovered from four meters deep. The group, with a high level of experience, was skiing in a popular area for its up to 1,000-meter drops, though not particularly prone to avalanches according to Lieutenant Baín Gutiérrez, head of the GREIM in Jaca. The State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) had set an avalanche risk level of 2 out of 5 in the area.
Jorge García-Dihinx, from Zaragoza and a pediatrician at Hospital San Jorge in Huesca, was a prominent figure in mountaineering and meteorology. Founder of the blog La Meteo que viene, awarded in 2013 as Spain's best mountain blog with over 34 million visits since 2010, he shared analyses on avalanches, skiing, and health on social media, where he had more than 300,000 followers. His last warning, on December 25, alerted to dangerous wind slabs above 2,400 meters. He described himself as a 'Pyreneist, skier, doctor, and traveling pediatrician.' Natalia Román, a Zaragozan resident in Switzerland, was a standout ultra-trail runner, winner in several editions of the Gran Trail Pequeñaman Aneto-Posets, and author of the blog Permanent Movement, covering skiing, mountains, and type 1 diabetes. Eneko Arrastua, from Irún, was an enthusiast of skiing and running, a member of the Kbrnzs group.
The rescue involved the Guardia Civil's GREIM, with helicopters and specialist dogs. Survivors and witnesses provided initial aid, locating two bodies before official arrival. Aragon's president, Jorge Azcón, canceled his agenda and stated: 'They were very dear people and experts [...] it was a stroke of bad luck. An avalanche has taken the lives of three lovers of the Pyrenees.' PSOE candidate Pilar Alegría also attended, thanking the Guardia Civil. Delegate Fernando Beltrán reminded: 'Go well prepared to the mountain and check all active risks, because zero risk does not exist.' The Aragonese mountains are in mourning for this tragedy.
