"We had rain at high altitude last week so there is a danger (of another avalanche)," said police spokesman Raymond Collin.

Signs by ski lifts at the popular resort in the southwest of Switzerland alert snow fans to the potential danger of triggering an avalanche by skiing or boarding off-piste.

"But many believe it is something that happens to other people (and not to them)," Collin said.

Two avalanches rolled down the mountain at Col des Mines, near to Verbier, on Saturday afternoon.

The first swept away a young woman who had been out with her husband, the police said. The woman managed to escape unharmed.

A few moments later, a second, larger, snowslide carried two young men down the mountain. One was quickly recovered by rescue services only slightly injured, but the other was found in a critical condition under about 1.8 metres (5.9 ft) of snow, according to the local police.

The Swiss man was taken to a nearby hospital where he later died.

The police had initially said four or five people had been caught in the avalanche, which started at an altitude of 2,300 metres and fell to about 1,850 metres. But rescue services were unable to find evidence of any other victims.

TERRA.WIRE