Thrill Seekers and Death on Mont Blanc

It happens every season, winter or summer on Mont Blanc to such an extent , it’s always predictable that several unfortunate  persons will meet their death on the pristine slopes on the tallest mountain in Europe.  This past week was especially tragic in that 10 skiers, climbers and even a mountain patroller died.

From afar Mont Blanc looks extremely peaceful, always with the ever-present snow cap prominently visible, as seen in a summer time photo.  However inviting it seems, it is one the most dangerous places to climb or ski off piste, which seems to be what increasing numbers of  thrill seekers love to do.

It is not just weekend vacationers or tourists who succumb on the mountain, but a fair mount of experienced Alpinists.  The majority die in avalanches, which are very prevalent in the Alps, or in falls.

Everyday in every sector of the mountain,  ratings are posted indicating the risk of avalanches, yet that rarely seems to deter those who are hell-bent on either skiing off piste or climbing.

Even on days where the avalanche warning is extremely high, deaths occur as in last week.  I really have a hard time understanding why anyone would want to take such enormous risks with their life on days when avalanches seem a predictable certainty.

Even skiing within well monitored and swept ski resort slopes  is risky enough due to the steepness of descent, but it is skiing off these regulated slopes that brings the most risk of avalanche.

Apparently in the world of ski, skiing off piste, or backcountry is notoriously de rigueur for those who consider themselves up and above “ordinary” skiers.  Almost like a rite of passage to enter amongst the elite skiers.

Virgin wooded slopes covered with thick powdered snow, that you don’t have to share with others is said to be the ultimate experience in Alpine skiing.  Yet it is just that very unkept and wild area where avalanches occur the most and are often triggered by the skiers themselves.

The Alps are in constant renewal of new snowfalls depending on precipitation, which is generally high.   Therefore they are full of these much sought after areas, where any vibration  might set off falling rocks or trigger avalanches.

There are web sites devoted to finding these areas in the Alps and even guides to accompany these dare devils.  The vast majority of those who die in avalanches are nevertheless well equipped these days.

Carrying shovels, airbags to create space, and radio receivers to help pinpoint location might be helpful in surviving an avalanche, more in theory than reality.  Getting out of an avalanche by yourself is said to be extremely difficult to practically impossible.

Best bet for survival is to be found quickly by mountain rescuers, but in rugged backcountry terrain with difficult access and at best only 15 minutes lee way till oxygen rides out, you are pretty much doomed.

Even if only covered with 1.5 meters of snow, the weight is tremendous, making every effort to even creating an air space too difficult to survive.   Mountaineers say the best way to survive an avalanche is to not get caught in one period!

Mountain climbers, wanting to reach the top of the Mont Blanc summit, are very numerous year round.  So much so , that they say it is difficult to find a reservation at anytime during the year in one of the intermittent mountain huts that are there along the various routes to the top.

Deaths of  mountain climbers  are mostly due to avalanches and falls or getting caught in storms and sub-zero temperatures for days, where rescue becomes impossible due to inclement weather.  Unpredictable storms  and rapid changing weather patterns are well known in the Alps.

Last year an experienced guide froze to death with his client due to unforeseen storms, while awaiting rescue.  Rescue in the Alps is often hampered by extremely poor visibility, making helicopter landings impossible or very dangerous,

Last week 3 climbers fell to their death on the glaciers that abound towards the summit.  Although “they” say getting to the summit of Mont Blanc is “just a really long walk” taking several days of ascent, it is nevertheless one of the most dangerous climbs in the world, even though it is not the tallest mountain.

At 4,810 meters or 15,781feet, at the summit of Mont Blanc, one encounters altitude sickness even before the ascent.  Scientific American published research in 2008, showing that even at “moderate”levels of altitude sickness such as found in the Alps they found brain damage in some climbers, consisting of cerebral atrophy  that one usually only sees in the elderly.

Yet despite this risk, mountain climbers continue to pursue the ultimate peak as if addicted to the inherent thrill of reaching the peak.    Adrenaline junkies aren’t any different, be it extreme sportsmen,  gamblers or traders, they are all indeed addicted to the uncertainty, anxiety and fear that produces their adrenalin fix of the day.

High states of fear produce not only adrenaline but a lot of dopamine that keeps them coming back for the next high in the same vein that cocaine, crack, and speed addicts will do risking death, arrests, and jail.

Mountains climbers and off piste skiers who recklessly court death by ignoring avalanche warnings or inclement weather, and when caught in perilous conditions, always put their rescuers at risk of death too.   Whether the rescuers get to them in time to save them or to fish out their bodies, these courageous mountain patrol and rescue persons put their lives in danger to accomplish any rescue mission in the Alps.

This in my mind is just plain narcissistic, as many adrenalin junkies do have a narcissistic edge, where image and admiration is needed to constantly float their self-esteem.  Most climbers desperately seek the special recognition of climbing this peak or another, as if it were some pathway towards elitism, where they can feel that needed superiority they are addicted to.

22 have died so far in 2013 in the French Alps.  9 in Italy.  In Switzerland is has been 14 and in the Austrian Alps 27, and the year is still young.

Rescuers complain that they are seeing more and more inexperienced climbers and off piste skiers than before.   Some blame the guides, who may oversell their services to climbers who are do not have the experience or physical endurance needed for such a climb, or who aren’t willing to cancel an expedition due to bad weather.

Same for the off piste guides who might cave in under pressure to provide backcountry trails  to vacationers who have limited time to ski in the Alps, despite avalanche warnings.  The majority of guides are locals who know the terrain like the back of their hand and therefore may have some complacently due to their own familiarity with the mountains.

Others cite the false security given to skiers who carry all the latest equipment, making them feel impervious to the dangers of avalanches, despite the reality that once caught in a an avalanche the equipment only buys a few minutes of survival time, rather than a sure way to extradite oneself.

Some experts feel that global warming has made the snow cover in the Alps more unstable as well as the glacial beds near the summit.  With the increasing numbers of thrill seekers in an area that depends on mountain tourism year round, this overcrowding adds to the ever-present  ground disturbance that may increase instability of rocks, and snow cover.

All sports carry some degree of risks, but to openly defy  dangerous weather  and avalanche warnings is just plain stupid in the Alps.  Arrogance and thrill seeking in these conditions can be  deadly, because the mountains are not there to reward your defiance and in the end will win.

As I write this post, the snow is  blowing wildly in Paris again as I hope a last reminder of a very cold winter.  No views of Mont Blanc as I had when I briefly lived on the edge of  the Alps, just sugar dusted rooftops that look as adorable as ever.

This Louisiana girl loves to admire Mont Blanc from afar, or from a balcony near Chamonix.   Just the sound and sight of a skier swishing down at 60 miles an hour is fearful enough for me, who would prefer getting around on snowshoes on rather benign outlined trails.  I love communing with nature and snow in a more meditative nature, thank you!

You might want to read my latest post on Alpine thrill seekers; ://www.cherrychapman.com/2014/03/03/skiing-drunk-in-the-alps