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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jan 19, 2009 - 11:18am PT
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From PRESS TV
Four Italian climbers fell 3,280 feet to their deaths while climbing the Aiguille du Midi, one of the highest peaks on the Mont-Blanc range of the French Alps at the weekend.
Four Italian climbers have been killed while climbing the Aiguille du Midi, one of the highest peaks on the Mont-Blanc range in France.
The French police has not revealed the identity of the victims who fell some 1,000 meters to their deaths, AFP reported.
According to Colonel Olivier Kim of the gendarmerie of the Haute Savoie region, the victims were from Turin and were between 35 to 40 years of age.
The accident, the most serious so far this winter, happened on Saturday night, but the bodies were found on Sunday and taken to the nearby village of Chamonix.
Some 58 people died and a dozen went missing in the French Alps last year.
May they rest in peace.
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BASE104
climber
An Oil Field
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Jan 19, 2009 - 01:25pm PT
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I've done three routes on that thing, and they seemed no big deal. About the same time, a buddy of mine was climbing one of the really easy routes, and near the top there was this easy chimney that you could just walk up. The loose stuff choking it just came loose, buried, and killed his partner.
Climbing in the mountains is light years more dangerous than rock climbs. When I was in Cham there was about one fatality per DAY.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
Monrovia, CA
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Jan 19, 2009 - 01:45pm PT
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I'm certainly sorry this happened but having seen how those Euros climb it is no wonder 60-70 die/year. Cavalier would be a generous description often. I was inches from being done in by two swissies above us on E Buttress of Middle. They were diligently attempting to rid the exit chimneys of anything not securely fastened.
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Jan 19, 2009 - 01:50pm PT
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Yup, guys dying over there so often, people don't even bat an eye.
Since when is the Aiguille du Midi one of the highest?! For those of you unfortunate enough to have never visited this amazing place, there is a telepherique station right on it, and you walk through a tunnel to this exposed knife-edge ridge. I was there in the late summer time by myself, and had to walk along the ridge unroped in order to access the climbs below, and the main route up Mt. Blanc. There was no fresh snow when I was there, and there were deep footprints you could step into. But to the Chamonix side, if you blew it - and it would only take one slip - you would fall a thousand metres before you hit anything.
My guess is that the four guys were finishing up their climb, and were on this easy ground looking forward to a nice "warm" bivi in the tunnel, as the telepherique station would have been closed at night. They had been roped together while crossing the glacier below [Vallee Blanche, isn't it?] and continued up the knife-edge ridge still roped up, but not taking the time to properly belay each other. One guy blew it, and .....
RIP lads. Condolences to their families.
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Ottawa Doug
Social climber
Ottawa, Canada
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Jan 20, 2009 - 03:40pm PT
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Never nice to hear about death in the mountains, but it happens with great regularity in the alps. They were probably on the finish of the Frendo Spur.
RIP.
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Michael D
Big Wall climber
Napoli, Italy
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Jan 20, 2009 - 08:27pm PT
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Pete, don't forget the routes on the Cham side...that's why some climbers get off at the first station. Although they're moderate in grade, the upper terrain is always 'heads-up', and it's common to zig-zag your way up instead of a directissima which the Italians are fond of. Le mie piu sentite condoglianze.
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Scared Silly
Trad climber
UT
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Jan 20, 2009 - 09:33pm PT
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I hope they did not get done in by shiit bombs coming from the station. That was the one thing I found so funny - they whined about the scum bags camping in the Valley Blanche and ruining the view but they did not seem to mind the turds rolling down the side of the hill that was blown to build the station.
As for the deaths - there are far more people who climb in the Alps than in the USA. Sure more people get killed on an absolute basis but per capita I bet the numbers are similar.
Either way bummer to hear of any deah.
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