August 06, Mayor of Saint-Gervais, a village at the foot of Mont Blanc in France is planning to charge climbers a deposit of €15,000 to each the summit of Mont Blanc via Goûter Route. Climbers have to pay a €15,000 (£12,640) deposit to cover costs in case they need to be rescued, or worse, die.
According to BBC “Mayor Peillex said the average cost of a rescue on the mountain was €10,000 and funeral costs were €5,000. “It is unacceptable for the French taxpayer to cover those costs,” he said in a press release. “Climbing Mont Blanc has been made riskier by large rockfalls and a period of drought and heat waves, he added.
The heatwave has increased rockfalls.
A lack of winter snow and this summer’s extraordinary heat have destabilised rocks and made crossing crevasses more difficult.
Local guides suspended their operations along the route, which is accessible to climbers of any skill level, in mid-July due to heavy rockfall, with the local administration strongly advising people to avoid it.
