Avalanche in Italian Alps claims life of solicitor

James Ryan was skiing off-piste in Val di Rhemes with a group of friends and a guide when he was caught by tonnes of falling snow on Sunday.

The 36-year-old from Huddersfield was pulled alive from the snow but later died on the way to hospital, a mountain rescue spokesman said.

One of his companions, who was also caught up in the avalanche, survived.

Mr Ryan, who was married and leaves two young children, had himself saved a number of people after arriving at the scene of an avalanche in Nepal in 1996.

His devastated family said on that occasion he had managed to locate a radio and called in help before he and a friend pulled a number of survivors out of the snow.

Mr Ryan's sister Clare, 39, said last night: "I think that was fate, because I remember James telling me that although it had snowed a lot they had decided to stay where they were and leave the next day.

"Then they came across this avalanche and James just did what came naturally to him." The dead man's father, Mel Ryan, who played county cricket for Yorkshire alongside Fred Trueman and amassed 400 wickets during a distinguished sporting career, said: "He didn't even like to speak about it.

"He wasn't a show-off in any way at all, he was such a modest man, very humble despite everything he had achieved." The avalanche in the Italian Alps took place at about 5pm local time when the group, all believed to be from the Huddersfield area, was skiing near the Punta Paletta run on Mount Rosso.

A mountain rescue spokesman said the avalanche was thought to be nearly 440 yards wide.

The weather in the region had been warm and heavy snow in the last few days had resulted in the avalanche danger increasing.

The tragedy happened at an altitude of 9,200ft as the group was making its way down the run.