Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Mountaineer dies on Mont Blanc during severe storm

Rescuers who received his call for help on Thursday set out to rescue the man but, despite being able to find him, poor weather conditions prevented the helicopters to get close enough

Ella Glover
Sunday 01 August 2021 15:51 BST
Comments
Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe
Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe (AFP via Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A man in his forties died while climbing Mont Blanc early Friday morning despite a rescue effort.

The man, who had been climbing western Europe’s tallest mountain alone, got suck at around 4,800 metres after losing his way due to the poor weather conditions.

Rescuers who received his call for help on Thursday set out to rescue the man but, despite being able to find him, poor weather conditions prevented the helicopters to get close enough, André-Vianney Espinasse, commander of the safety and rescue service PGHM Chamonix Mont-Blanc, told the news agency AFP.

In an attempt to reach the mountaineer, one helicopter dropped a platoon of rescuers off at 3,200 metres. They proceeded to attempt to climb up to the man despite the poor weather. They found him two hours later.

Unfortunately, at around 5.30am, the climber suffered cardiac arrest and died, Mr Espinasse said.

After another helicopter tried and failed to retrieve the body due to high winds, the rescuers made the decision to leave the body and get out of “this extremely dangerous area”.

The man’s body was eventually retrieved by an Italian helicopter.

Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe, rising 4,808.7 metres above sea level.

It is the eleventh most prominent mountain summit in the world.

Mr Espinasse warned against climbing solo.

“Going solo on high mountains should really be avoided due to all the dangers involved,” he said.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in