Skiing Couple Who Died in Tragic Mountain Accident Were Found Tied Together

A skiing couple died in a "tragic mountain accident" and were found still tied together, according to a statement from the Italian Winter Sports Federation on June 1.

Professional skier Jean Daniel Pession, 28, and his girlfriend Elisa Arlian, 27, were hiking Mount Zerbion in Aosta Valley, Italy, per E! News.

The two suffered an almost 2,300-foot fall and were discovered buried in snow by a search and rescue team.

Their families reported the pair missing after they didn't return from their hike and their bodies were found just hours later.

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"It took hours and hours of flying over to locate them: there were no traces on the rock to suggest where they had fallen. Perhaps, while they continued along the ridge that divides the north and east faces, they slipped on the snow or the ground gave way," Italian outlet RAI wrote, per E! News.

Apparently, officials were able to locate a cell phone signal which helped them narrow down the couple's location.

"They were almost at the summit, just a step away, when suddenly they were betrayed by the mountain they loved so much," RAI reported.

Heartbreakingly, the couple were found literally tied together "in a final embrace."

"When they were found, they were still tied together, like in a final embrace," the outlet said.

"A terrible tragedy strikes the world of winter sports and speed skiing in particular. President Flavio Roda and the entire Federation express their condolences to the Pession family for this tragic misfortune," the Italian Winter Sports Federation's statement said.

In Dec. 2023, Pession shared a photo of himself and Arlian dressed to ski on Instagram.

"Finally we managed to take a picture in uniform," he wrote, along with a heart eyes emoji, via Instagram translation.

Arlian's Instagram page revealed that she was also a teacher and ski instructor.