In a press release of Wednesday 3 August 2022, Jean-Marc Peillex, Mayor of St Gervais-les-Bains, made a proposal: to receive a deposit of 15.000 euros for each mountaineer who would like to free himself from the recommendations of caution before letting him begin his ascent of Mont Blanc.
Since mid-July, the ascent of Mont Blanc by the normal route is strongly discouraged for mountaineers.
The prefecture and the Town Hall of Saint-Gervais jointly strongly advised mountain practitioners to avoid this sector and the Couloir du Goûter subject to rockfall, also nicknamed the "death couloir".
Despite these firm recommendations, some ‘pseudo-mountaineers’ ignored the warnings "They're playing the Russian roulette game," said Jean-Marc Peillex.
And what better than to touch the portfolio of these candidates for the Mont Blanc, to make them doubt their summit enterprise. "They want to do the climb with the "death in the backpack", okay! So let's anticipate the cost of their rescue and funeral. ” added the Mayor.
The ascent of Mont Blanc by the normal route is under the jurisdiction of Saint-Gervais-Les-Bains. The Mayor Jean-Marc Peillex has the legal right to impose these financial conditions.
#saintgervais #montblanc pic.twitter.com/dBOTZcdNG1
— Jean-Marc PEILLEX (@PEILLEX) August 3, 2022
A call for more adaptation to the shift in the seasons
"It's unacceptable that is the French taxpayer who bears these costs", considers the elected official who also wishes that the delegates of refuges and ski lifts of Mont-Blanc massif adapt to the shift in the seasons which are observed in high Mountain.
Vigorously criticizing the management of these delegations, which he considers motivated by profit, Jean-Marc Peillex asks for an early opening of the ski lifts and refuges to better coincide with the mountaineering season. "Guides and all relevant professionals must tell us when to close or open certain routes, just as we already do in ski areas," he said.
One more stone thrown into the chocard pond, just a few days before the Saint-Gervais and Chamonix Guide's festivals, where the project to occasionally ban access to high mountains is likely to cause a stir.
Source: @Le Dauphiné Libéré
