Thursday morning 24 February 2022, a 38-year-old Dutch man was found in the Envers des Aiguille des Rouges by the PGHM who had been looking for him since the day before.
On Wednesday 23 February at around 7:00 p.m., the Chamonix unit had to deploy significant resources to search for a ski tourer lost behind the Aiguilles Rouges.
According to Le Dauphine, alerted by a friend of the hiker, the rescuers unsuccessfully tried to call the Dutchman who had indicated in an SMS that he was near the Arlevé torrent.
A very imprecise location, especially since countless traces of skis and snowshoes already crisscrossed the area. The civil security helicopter flew over the area several times without success. Men were dispatched in a large triangle one kilometer high starting from Brévent and descending to an altitude of 1,500 meters. At the same time, the gendarmes carried out digital investigations.
The hiker had the idea to draw in the snow "HELP"
Despite a last night flight with the use of nocturnal binoculars, the gendarmes decided to suspend the search at around 10:30 p.m.
The next day on Thursday 24 February the PGHM made a final aerial reconnaissance with the Dragon 74 helicopter which made it possible to find the unfortunate almost unscathed, despite his night at altitude.
Having heard the helicopter the day before, the ski tourer had the idea of drawing in the snow, next to his crossed skis, the English word "HELP" so that it would be more easily spotted.
Source: @Le Dauphiné Libéré
