The Couloir Whymper on the Aiguille Verte in the Mont Blanc Massif has been the scene of a drama this morning. At around 8am a snowboarder lost control in the first few turns in the couloir at around 4100 meters altitude.
Horrified witnesses from the nearby Couvercle refuge came to the young man’s assistance at the base of the couloir. He was heliported to hospital by the PGHM in a coma and suffering from serious injuries. The Whymper was first skied in 1968 by Sylvain Saudan. The entrances flirts with gradients of around 50degrees. The first descent by snowboard was by Alain Moroni in Juin 1987.