Italian Winter Sports Federation Confirms Tragic Deaths of Professional Skier Jean Daniel Pession and Girlfriend Elisa Arlian
The skiing community is in mourning after the tragic deaths of professional skier Jean Daniel Pession and his girlfriend, Elisa Arlian, in a mountain accident on June 1. The Italian Winter Sports Federation confirmed that Pession, 28, and Arlian, 27, fell nearly 2,300 feet while hiking Mount Zerbion in Italy’s Aosta Valley region.
Pession was an accomplished skier, placing 15th in the 2021 World Cup finals and 22nd at the 2022 World Championships. Federation President Flavio Roda expressed his condolences, describing the tragedy as a devastating loss for the winter sports community. The Italian Winter Sports Federation extended their sympathies to the families and the skiing community grieving this heartbreaking event.
The couple’s bodies were discovered buried in the snow hours after their families reported them missing when they did not return from their hike. Search and rescue teams faced a difficult search, with no visible signs on the rock to indicate where they had fallen. Ultimately, the rescuers were able to locate the couple by tracing their cell phone signal. They were found tied together, as if in a final embrace, just a step away from the summit.
As one rescue worker poignantly expressed, “the couple was ‘betrayed by the mountain they loved so much.’” The loss of Pession and Arlian has left a profound impact on the skiing world, and they will be remembered for their passion and talent in the sport.
