A French skier who went missing more than 60 years ago has finally been identified after details of a probe into his disappearance were posted on social media, Italian police said on Sunday.

Human remains and ski equipment were found in 2005 more than 10,000 feet up the Cime Bianche in the Valtournenche valley of the Aosta region near the Swiss border in northern Italy.

The man appeared to be well off given his top-line wooden skis, said Marinella Laporta of the forensic police unit in Turin.

Investigators estimated the man to have been about five foot nine inches tall and aged about 30, with his death likely occurring in the spring.

They also found glasses, a watch and pieces of his shirt with embroidered initials.