Overnight snow has made the search site very dangerous. A helicopter has overflown the scene this morning. The rope, presumably still attached to the guide, is visible at the edge of the rimaye. The condition of the woman, rescued yesterday, is said to be improving.
Re:Climbers killed by avalanche on Mont-Blanc
Dear Sir/Madam,
Is there any new news on the guide that was still buried when the article was written - and on the woman in hospital ?
Regards
Jaime
The woman is out of danger, which is good news after 90 minutes under snow. We can only assume the worst for the guide, the conditions were too bad yesterday for the rescue helicopter to land anyone. With a return to more stable conditions the search should resume today but the guide’s body could be under a considerable depth of snow so the recovery operation may be long and complicated.
To the mountain rescue team,
I would thankyou very much for the way you dealt with the incident on Mont-Blanc du Tacul on Sunday 17th June 2007. I was in a group of two climbing on the mountain approx 150m below the avalanche when it happened. The speed and professional response in which you dealt with the incident was amazing. I would like to thankyou for checking that we were o.k, You have a very difficult job to do, and you do it in very bad conditions under difficult circumstances, and remain calm and professional at all times. The bravery that you show is to be commended. Once again thank you very much for checking we were ok, and for doing the best you could for those above us who were less fortunate.
All the best for the future guys, my thoughts are with you.
Matt Venables
(uk)
Hi Matt, I forwarded your email to the PGHM in Chamonix. The guide didn’t survive the slide.
There was another avalanche incident yesterday afternoon on the Italian side of Mont-Blanc. A group of five Polish climbers were hit by the slide as they were climbing on the Toula glacier. Two of the group managed to descend and raise the alarm. Three others, including a woman, were killed by the slide. As you can see from our trip report in the Pic des Trois Eveches there has been considerable fresh snow this week accompanied by strong winds at altitude.