Mum was looking out for me…Alison Hargreaves’ girl in dramatic avalanche escape

By DAN BARKER

Published: 21:16 BST, 13 May 2025 | Updated: 21:16 BST, 13 May 2025

The daughter of mountain climber Alison Hargreaves has narrowly escaped an avalanche just months before the 30th anniversary of her mother’s death.

Kate Ballard shared terrifying first-person footage of the rapid fall of snow in Charmonix, France, and as it rumbles towards her she says to herself: ‘You need to get out of here right now. Ohh my gosh.’

Hurriedly turning around on her skis, the video then shows her begin to ski down the hill and then turn around and see the snow getting closer.

Mercifully she had been with her speed wing, a paragliding-like device which is attached to the user with a harness, a decision which potentially helped save her life because it meant she could fly away to safety.

Sharing the shocking footage online, she said: ‘No doubt in my mind that my mum and brother were looking out for me.’

Both her mother Alison Hargreaves and brother Tom Ballard died while climbing.

Ms Hargreaves, who had been based in Spean Bridge, lost her life less than a year after she became the first woman to reach the summit of Everest without the aid of Sherpas or bottled oxygen.

Alison Hargreaves with Kate and Tom at base camp on the south side of Everest

Kate Ballard, the daughter of mountaineer Alison Hargreaves

When she summited on May 13, 1995, she immediately radioed her based camp and told them to send a fax to her two children at home in Scotland which read: ‘I am on the highest point of the world, and I love you dearly.’

Three months after her successful climb of Everest, which made her internationally famous, the then 33-year-old died while descending K2, which sits on the border between Pakistan and China.

Her son Tom  lost his life while climbing 24 years later. In March 2019 his body was found with fellow climber Daniele Nardi on Nanga Parbat in Pakistan. Mr Ballard was aged 30.

Ms Ballard continues to spend time in the mountains.

On the incident last month, she said: ‘I felt something deep inside that it was not the day to sit around and take my time.

‘I had just finished getting ready. I heard a loud boom and roar.

‘I looked up to see the avalanche heading straight down towards me. Instinct kicked in and I flew away to safety.’

:
Mum was looking out for me…Alison Hargreaves’ girl in dramatic avalanche escape

***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk