http://www.ledauphine.com/haute-savoie/2012/01/08/ils-disparaissent-dans-le-mont-blanc
Did they really attempt the impossible? Or as novices were they simply unaware of the importance of the weather in the mountains?
Tatiana Zakharova and Mikhail Zakharov, a young Russian couple, came to the Chamonix valley on Christmas Eve with just an ice axe and a topo for le Mont Blanc. They vanished on the 30th December climbing to the “roof of Europe”.
That day it was blowing full hooligan on the mountain, 30cm fell at 1000 meters, one can only imagine what it was like at 4810…
The young couple wanted to “taste the mountain” according to their hotelier in Servoz. They took the Bellevue cable car at les Houches on the 29th December to attack the “voie royale” route which starts at the end of the Mont Blanc Tramway. No-one in the valley knew the details of their project.
Next day, the day they dissapearance, they assured their family that they’d made it back to the refuge but were going to attempt the summit despite the conditions. The couple had left without a guide and had not told the hotel owner of their plans. A serious negligence.
It was for this reason that the rescue services were only informed on the 6th of January when Tatiana’s brother didn’t see her sister get off the plane in Moscow. The plane ticket was found this weekend in their hotel room.
Yesterday the rescue services flew multiple missions over Mont Blanc. Nothing could be seen due to poor weather and the search will restart tomorrow morning. The chances of survival for the young couple who had bought champagne to celebrate their exploit and the New Year are pretty much zero.
If you met the couple in Chamonix or on their route to Mont Blanc contact the PGHM, tél. 04 50 53 16 89.
