What happens if mont blanc died

That complacency, and even the risks caused by a production line mentality of guided climbing expeditions, can and do happen everywhere. But American guides -- even those who certify other guides to work in Europe -- say that those risks are markedly higher in Europe than in the United States, because Europeans have a distinctly approach different to guiding, and to climbing and risk itself, than their American counterparts. Europeans are far less risk-averse. Chamonix the French town at the base of Mont Blanc is where extreme skiing was born.

The fatality rate there just wouldn't be tolerated by land managers here. But it's not just that higher risks are more tolerated in Europe. Europeans, Crothers says, have a different approach to climbing itself -- a result, he believes, of the long history of guided climbing in Alpine climbing culture. In Europe, climbers are much more objective-oriented, and less interested in learning the skills. They're more willing to rely on the expertise of the guide, and the focus is more on speed.

Loehr agrees. In Europe, the guides are more likely to teach just enough for you to follow them, not enough for you to really develop a skill or understanding of the risks and how to manage them. It's the approach to guiding there that's the problem. It's a combination of the sheer numbers of people on the mountain, the low level of experience of the people climbing the mountain, and the approach of the guides, that's causing the fatality rates on that mountain.

Loehr is quick to note that his view reflects only his own opinion and experiences. But the critique offered by both Loehr and Crothers correlates with my own experience on Mont Blanc, four years ago. In , I was recruited to be part of a guided climbing team attempting to summit Mont Blanc. Only about five of our 22 team members had any climbing experience, and I was not one of them. But I, too, was assured by the guiding company that no previous climbing experience was required.

It was really just a long walk, they said, and as long as I was in good physical condition, it would be no problem. For four months before the climb, I ran four to five mile a day, worked out at the gym three or four times a week, and hiked seven to 20 miles each weekend, so I was in pretty good physical condition. I also had hiked up an 18,foot mountain in the Himalayan mountains 10 years earlier, so I had some familiarity with high-altitude hiking and knew I could handle the altitude.

But I also knew that the three days the guides had allocated to climb a 16, foot mountain wouldn't give us enough time to acclimate to the altitude. When two climbing friends and I climbed up that peak in the Himalayas, we took nine days to go up and down -- and that was starting at 7, feet. But when I voiced my concern to the Mont Blanc guides ahead of time, however, I was told not to worry about it.

I was also concerned, because I'd never used crampons or an ice axe before. Again, I was told not to worry. As a result, I learned to use crampons on the incline pictured below. It's a narrow spine that leads down from Aiguille du Midi, with a drop of almost 9, feet on one side. We took the teleferique up to the peak and then put on crampons for the first time to climb down, and then back up,this spine -- which was crowded with climbers going both ways at the same time, despite its narrow width.

The next day, we started our summit attempt. We took the teleferique back down to Chamonix, then took another up the back side of the mountain and hiked up to the Tete Rousse hut.

The next leg of the climb, which we would attempt at one in the morning, was a breathtakingly steep ascent of a rock face that stretched a couple of thousand feet above the refuge. When I looked at the rock face, and then through a friend's telephoto lens and saw how precarious some of the trail along its face was see below , I decided that someone who had just put her first pair of crampons on 24 hours earlier, and had never even practiced using the ice axe in her pack, did not belong on that rock face -- and certainly not with impatient French guides who tended to yell at anyone who did not keep up with their pace.

I made the decision to stop my climb there, at 10, feet. I have never been to the Alps and didn't know how easy it was to get access to Mount Blanc. That's interesting! You practically have to jump through more hoops over here to climb an itty bitty hillside in comparison lol. The Alps certainly are legendary, even people who don't climb have heard of many of the beautys there.

If only I owned a plane Maybe Canadian currency will take a jump! Well I am a poor climber myself hehehe Man it took me six months just to pay for the plane ticket ahahahaha Good luck on the jar, if I could, I d pitch in hehehe.

That's 1 in There's your problem. In order for this article to be more relevant you have to compare the attempts-to-deaths ratio to other mountains. I think this would be the most relevant statistic. Here is a supposed list of the 10 most dangerous mountains.

But I question this article as it lists the Matterhorn ahead of Everest. If the Matterhorn had that ratio it would be closed down to climbing. I don't see why someone with experience could not climb it safely, especially with the advances in modern avalanche forecast prediction. Not so. Unless more successful climbs happened this year, the ratio for Gongga Shan is That Gearjunkie article is pretty bogus.

Good points made on your post though. Mountains such as Mt Blanc, Aconcagua, Elbrus etc, do attract a lot of inexperienced climbers which drives up the number of deaths higher than it would otherwise be. I think it is also important not to fool yourself with a catch built into that logic.

Even if you are yourself very skilled, you can still be killed by the inexperience of others on the popular mountains. Unfortunately, personal skill may not protect you from the lack of others Also the numerator is not easy, to improve the information on this article I asked the PGHM in Chamonix for the number of accidents in recent years on M. Blanc and they refused to release the data. The information on this article comes form a www article, if you google "mont blanc statistics", you will find the source.

Blanc is not deadly, there are just a huge number of people attempting it every year, times a "small" probability can be a large number of deaths.

Very well done and very interesting subject. You asked a question and answered it thoroughly. Regarding the "deadliest mountain", one can define that however they like, but, to me, if it kills the most people it is the deadliest mountain.

But only one person has died there. Years ago I started a thread asking what was the most deadly mountain on Earth and the answer was clear: Mount Blanc. Thanks for explaining why! Thanks for this post man, I loved reading it. People like AS are just sad bitter losers trying to make themselves feel goo ;. Parents refers to a larger category under which an object falls. For example, theAconcagua mountain page has the 'Aconcagua Group' and the 'Seven Summits' asparents and is a parent itself to many routes, photos, and Trip Reports.

Toggle navigation. Mont Blanc: Why so many deaths? Save Add photos See all photos. Log in to vote. Images 7 Comments Bosses Ridge - The start. Bosses Ridge - Almost there. View Mont Blanc: Why so many deaths? Comments Post a Comment. Viewing: of 42 1 2 3. Thanks Ranger! Well, it s a good envy isn't t? Buckaroo - Sep 6, pm - Hasn't voted Statistics 30 deaths per 20, climbers. Glad you like it. I'll read the article later today!

Cecilrhodes - Sep 17, am - Hasn't voted 'Brigadao! The Planpincieux glacier has been closely monitored since in an attempt to establish the frequency with which ice is melting. But authorities warn that there is no "alert system" in place. In one weather-related incident in August , an elderly couple were killed near Planpincieux in Courmayeur when their car was swept from a road and into a valley during a landslide.

Hundreds of people were evacuated, some of them by helicopter. Rising global temperatures are causing the melting of mountain glaciers and the retreat of polar ice sheets.

Earlier this month, dozens of people took part in a "funeral march" to mark the disappearance of the Pizol glacier in north-east Switzerland. The glacier, in the Glarus Alps, has shrunk to a tiny fraction of its original size. Last month, a ceremony took place in Iceland to commemorate a glacier that was officially declared dead five years ago.

High-altitude funeral for lost Swiss glacier.