• About and Privacy Policy

Mountaingear blog

Mountaineering gear news, reviews and tests

  • Reviews
  • Mountain Safety
  • Tips
  • About and Privacy Policy
You are here: Home / Mountain Safety / Avalanche Kills 9 Climbers in Chamonix – Updated

Avalanche Kills 9 Climbers in Chamonix – Updated

July 12, 2012 by Jonathan Rosenthal Leave a Comment

UPDATED

Reports are just emerging of what looks to be the worst climbing accident in years at Chamonix, where an avalanche early on the morning of July 12 has killed nine people and injured as many as 20 more.

Among those who were killed was Roger Payne, a well-known British climber and guide. He was highly experienced. According to the British Mountaineering Council, Mr Payne had been climbing every year in the Alps since 1977.

He took part in more than 20 expeditions to high and difficult peaks across the Karakoram and Himalaya – from K2 to little-known mountains on the borders of Sikkim, and Sichuan in China – as well as North and South America.

He was a former president of the British Mountain Guides, an avalanche instructor and held coaching badges in a range of other outdoor sports. He also had a strong interest in the mountain environment, working on projects with the United Nations on climate change, and was involved in raising awareness about the conflict on the Siachen Glacier.

In its report on the incident, the BMC said that:

The avalanche came down around 5:30 from the Mont Maudit slope. It was triggered by a serac fall, but windslab snow accumulated in the last two days by prevailing south winds may have contributed.

According to Daniele Ollier of the SAV,  the avalanche was huge (150m wide) and the exact mechanism was in two steps: the initial serac fall hit the climbers who were higher on the Maudit face, then the windslab avalanche took out the climbers below, sweeping them for 200 metres.

According to the BBC (you can find the full story here):

The local authorities described the avalanche as “the most deadly” in recent years, according to the AFP news agency.

Mont Maudit – meaning the cursed mountain – is the third-highest peak in the Mont Blanc massif range, rising to 4,465m (14,650 ft).

This area has been known to suffer fairly large avalanches in the past. In 1999 the Village of Montroc was hit by a massive snow slide that killed 12 people in their homes. You can read more about that here.

Filed Under: Mountain Safety Tagged With: avalanche safety

About Jonathan Rosenthal

Hi
I'm an enthusiastic outdoor type of guy who unfortunately spends far too much time sitting in front of a computer and not enough time out in the hills.
This site is really about my personal passion for hiking and climbing and has nothing to do with my day job. All views expressed here are my own. If you'd like to know more about me please go to my Google page or if you would like to know more about my work visit my LinkedIn profile

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search this site

South Africa’s Otter Trail in the Tsitsikamma National Park in widely regarded as the country’s best hiking trail. And it is with good reason: the spectacular trail winds along the edge of the coast, offering plenty of opportunities for swimming. Each of its huts has spectacular views of the ocean.

Recent Posts

  • Hiking the South African Otter Trail
  • The Nepal insurance scam
  • ‘The bivvy bag probably saved their lives’: couple lost in Cairngorms found safe | UK news | The Guardian
  • At least two (and possibly four) killed on Scottish mountains
  • Five skiers die in Austrian avalanche

Recent Comments

  • Jonathan Rosenthal on The Alpkit Tetri
  • The Alpkit Tetri | Mountaingear blog on Terra Nova Laser Competition 1 Tent Review
  • The Alpkit Tetri | Mountaingear blog on Lightwave Wildtrek 60 Pack Review
  • Bollocky Bill on The Alpkit Tetri
  • Liam on Mountain Hardwear Trango 2 Tent

Copyright © 2023 · Metro Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in