World Cup Skier Jean Daniel Pession, along with girlfriend Elisa Arlian, tragically died after the couple fell 2,300 feet off of a mountain in Italy.
The Italian Winter Sports Federation confirmed the awful incident happened June 1 on Mount Zerbion, a popular peak for skiers in Aosta Valley ... where the couple went for a hike.
When Pession, 28, and Arlian, 27, did not return, their families panicked and contacted authorities who sent three helicopters to search for them.
Unfortunately, their bodies were reportedly found together buried in the snow hours later. It is believed they fell over 2,000 feet.
Pession was an up-and-coming Italian skier who placed 15th in the 2021 World Cup finals and 22nd in the 2022 World Championship in France. Arlian was a ski instructor and teacher.
"This is a terrible tragedy for the world of winter sports, especially speed skiing," Flavio Roda, the President of the Italian Winter Sports Federation, said.
"On behalf of the entire Federation, I extend our deepest condolences to the Pession family during this unimaginable time of grief."
RIP