On the morning of Saturday 2 August 2013, two French climbers, a High Mountain Guide, François Deffert (53 years) and his companion, Xavier Chambet (34 years) both from the Haute-Savoie, departed from the Refuge Monzino (2590m) on the Italian side of the Mont Blanc.
Their plan is to climb to the summit of the Mont Blanc by way of the Brouillard Arete. Their descent, on the french side of the mountain, shall treverse the "3 Monts" to the Aiguille du Midi, with a final ride down to Chamonix in the telepherique.
On Monday, as the two men had not arrived in Chamonix, an alert was issued. Immediately, the PGHM Chamonix initiated a search on both the French and Italian sides of the Mountain, but without success.
The search resumes today, weather permitting.
Appeal for Witnesses: please call the PGHM Chamonix +33 (0)4 50 53 16 89 if you have any valuable information