Friday 3rd August 2018 in the morning, the director of the Simond company, Olivier Bonnet was the victim of a falling stone while climbing in the Mont-Blanc massif.
According to Le Dauphine, the director of Simond company, Olivier Bonnet, died at the Dent du Géant (4,013 meters).
He was a professional mountaineer, very well equipped and accompanied by a mountain guide.
The tragedy happened as they they descended an ice slope of a hundred meters against the Dent du Géant. When he climbed onto a block, this rock came off the wall. The mountaineer was carried away with this block of a pyramidal shape and about one cubic meter.
The guide escaped unharmed but for Olivier the fall was fatal. He was hit in the head and probably died in the first few meters of fall.
The PGHM were called but they could only notify the death.
According to them, the cause of death was only bad luck considering that he had everything to ensure his safety.
Mountains are weakening
Because of global warming and the high temperatures of recent years, the mountain is drying up and is weakening. This is the reason why rocks begin to break.
Olivier Bonnet was appreciated by his employees and he managed a successful business, which allowed him to live his passion for the mountains.
According to France 3, the Simond company is a well-known mountaineering and climbing equipment company in the Chamonix Valley founded in the 19th century in Les Houches. Since 2008, Simond was part of the group Oxylane, owner of Decathlon stores. As such, it shares its head office in Passy (Haute-Savoie) with Quechua and Wed'zé.
Olivier Bonnet had three children. He leaves a mourning family and employees in shock.
