Investigation After Two More Skiers Die on Mont Blanc
20th April 2023
Last modified on April 22nd, 2023
They were ski touring when a bloc of ice collapsed above them. The authorities say there were 40 people on the route so it could have been much worse. UPDATED
The accident happened on Wednesday between 4am and 5am on the classic Grands Mulets ski route, the French publication Montagnes reported.
It was the result of a serac collapse.
Serac’s are large blocks of ice that beak away and are extremely difficult to forecast.
As temperatures rise the ice become more unstable.
“The balance sheet is two people dead, 1 lightly injured and 4 uninjured”, said the prefecture.
Les opérations de secours dans le Massif du Mont-Blanc sont désormais terminées. Le bilan est de deux personnes décédées, 1 blessé léger et 4 personnes indemnes. La préfecture remercie l’ensemble des services mobilisés sur cette intervention particulièrement périlleuse.
— Préfet de la Haute-Savoie (@Prefet74) April 19, 2023
According to the press release issued by La Chamoniarde, “the results could have been heavier with around forty people on the route.”
“We remind climbers that the itinerary of the plateaus is highly exposed to the falls of seracs,” the Chamoniarde added.
“The only way to protect yourself from it is not to expose yourself to it.”
Mont Blanc, France. Image © PlanetSKI
It is the latest in a series of fatal incidents in the Mont Blanc Massif in recent weeks.
Six people died in a huge avalanche above Les Contamines-St Gervais.
PlanetSKI was in the area at the time and reported first hand.
On April 13th three Italian climbers died:
The identities of the people who died in the latest accident have not been released and an investigation is underway.
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