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An Italian mayor has lashed out at foolhardy tourists who treat the ascent of western Europe’s highest peak as no more taxing than a beach holiday.
Jean-Marc Peillex said unprepared hikers are attempting to reach the top of 4,807-metre Mont Blanc because of misguided marketing by firms that sell it as a “tourist excursion” accessible to anyone in reasonable health. Up to 100 people die each year in climbing mishaps on Mont Blanc, and five hikers have perished on its slopes this month alone, bringing the number of fatalities so far this summer to 12.
Peillex, mayor of the nearby town of Saint-Gervais, said the peak remains highly dangerous despite advances in equipment and training. “People think Mont Blanc is technically easy but in reality it’s a challenging climb that requires extensive mountaineering experience,” he said. A survey of accidents along one of the mountain’s most treacherous routes — dubbed the “corridor of death” — found that 80 per cent of victims were hiking without the aid of a professional guide.
“People come here as if they were going for a week’s skiing or a holiday in the Maldives,” Peillex said. “We’ve recovered people who put their crampons on the wrong way round because they’d never worn them before.
“Tour companies who have pretty young women selling Mont Blanc as if it were no more dangerous than the London or Paris marathon are responsible for deaths.”
Peillex is now calling for stricter rules to curb unprepared hikers from tackling the climb, especially in poor weather. Until the first successful expedition to the summit in 1786, climbing Mont Blanc was deemed certain death, The Times noted.