Jean Daniel Pession, a 28-year-old World Cup skier, and his girlfriend, Elisa Arlian, tragically died in a skiing accident. The couple fell over 2,300 feet off a mountain in Italy.

The Italian Winter Sports Federation confirmed the heartbreaking news, stating, “A terrible tragedy happens in the world of winter sports, especially speed skiing.” Pession, a native of the Aosta Valley, had his best career year in 2021, finishing fifteenth in the final World Cup rankings and twenty-second at the 2022 World Championships in Vars. The Federation’s President, Flavio Roda, and the entire organization expressed their condolences to the Pession family.

Pession and Arlian, 27, were on a romantic hike on Mount Zerbion in the Alps when the accident occurred. Their families raised the alarm when they didn’t return home, prompting a rescue mission involving three helicopters with mountain rescue, police, and firefighters. The couple was found deceased, still holding hands, after their fall.

Elisa Arlian was known for teaching children how to cross-country ski and teaching first grade. Tributes have poured in on their social media posts, with one person saying, “What a tragedy… Rest in peace, guys,” and another expressing disbelief, “This is unbelievable, I can’t believe it. Rest in peace.”