The Aragonese Pyrenees once again experienced a mountain-related tragedy on Monday. A snow avalanche recorded in the municipality of Panticosa (Huesca), at an altitude of between 2,600 and 2,700 meters, caused the death of three skiers and left another injured. The event took place on the west face of the Tablato peak, in the vicinity of the Panticosa Spa, an area known and frequented by ski mountaineers.
The fatalities were Jorge García-Dihinx, his partner Natalia Román and Eneko Arrastua, members of a group of six mountaineers. Two other members of the group were unharmed, while a 29-year-old woman from Ordizia (Guipúzcoa) was rescued with symptoms of hypothermia and taken by helicopter to the San Jorge University Hospital in Huesca, where she was discharged on Tuesday.
All members of the group had extensive experience in mountain sports, a fact that underlines the unpredictability of this type of natural phenomena even for those who know the terrain well.
How the avalanche occurred in Panticosa
According to the information available, the landslide was caused by the rupture of a snow plate, a particularly dangerous type of avalanche due to its capacity to drag large masses of snow in blocks. The avalanche surprised the group during the ski mountaineering activity and dragged several members of the group down the slope, without them being able to react in time.
The alert mobilized the emergency services, who deployed an extensive rescue operation in a difficult access area. Despite the rapid intervention, nothing could be done to save the lives of three of the mountaineers, whose bodies were found under the snow.
Jorge García-Dihinx, a reference in the mountains and in the popularization of science.
Among the deceased was Jorge García-Dihinx, a 55-year-old Zaragozan from Chimillas, in the Hoya de Huesca region. García-Dihinx worked as a pediatrician at the San Jorge Hospital in Huesca and was a well-known figure in the field of ski mountaineering and mountain meteorology in the Aragonese Pyrenees.
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In addition to his medical work, he stood out as a scientific disseminator and as one of the most recognized voices among mountaineers and ski enthusiasts for his meteorological analysis. He was the founder of the portal La Meteo que viene, a reference page for those who plan mountain activities and seek detailed information on weather conditions, avalanche risk and safety.
García-Dihinx also promoted the guidebook collection Ski routes. Aragonese Pyrenees published by the publishing house Prames, considered a common reference work among ski mountaineers in Aragon. In social networks, especially on Instagram, he shared content related to nutrition, health and responsible practice of outdoor sports, always linked to his passion for the mountains.
Natalia Román, high-performance ultratrail athlete
His partner, Natalia Román, a 36-year-old resident of Zaragoza, Switzerland, lost her life along with him. Román was a high-level athlete, known for her performance in long-distance mountain races and for her career in the world of ultratrail.
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Since her beginnings in competition, she achieved important successes, standing out especially in the Gran Trail Trangoworld Aneto-Posets (GTTAP), one of the most demanding ultratrail races of the Pyrenees. This race, with a distance of 105 kilometers and nearly 6,700 meters of positive vertical drop, saw her win in several editions, crossing the finish line in Benasque in first position in the women’s category.
Román was also the author of the blog Permanent Movement, where she recounted experiences linked to skiing, the mountains and an active lifestyle. In her texts she openly addressed living with type 1 diabetes, a condition that both she and Jorge García-Dihinx shared and made visible in their stories, combining sport, health and self-improvement.
Eneko Arrastua, skiing and mountaineering enthusiast
The third victim was Eneko Arrastua, 48 years old and a resident of Irún. Arrastua was a great fan of skiing and mountain running, disciplines that he practiced on a regular basis. He belonged to the Kbrnzs group, formerly known as the Mugalaris of Irun, a very popular group in the Gipuzkoan town due to its links with sports and activities in the natural environment.
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After learning of the incident, the lehendakari, Imanol Pradales, posted a message on social networks in which, on behalf of the Basque Government, he conveyedhis “deepest condolences to the family and relatives of the Basque mountaineer who died in the tragic accident that occurred today in the Pyrenees”.
In the same statement, Pradales added that “the Government as a whole is at your entire disposal for whatever you may need in these difficult times. May they rest in peace”.
For her part, the mayor of Irun, Cristina Laborda, expressed to EFE her “deep consternation” for the events and expressed her “condolences and closeness” to the relatives of the victims.
In addition, Laborda contacted the Government delegate in Aragón, Fernando Beltrán, whom he asked to convey to the family of the Irun resident “the total willingness of the City Council to collaborate in everything they may need”.
The councilwoman also conveyed the “institutional support” of the consistory to the family of the deceased and expressed “the solidarity of the city in the face of this tragedy”.
