On September 18, shortly before midnight, a car accident on the Route des Cretes in the Gorges du Verdon in the French Alps claimed the lives of accomplished French mountaineers Benjamin Guigonnet, 37, and Quentin Lombard, 34, according to France Bleu and Le Dauphine Libere.
Their vehicle veered off the narrow, winding, unlit road and plunged approximately 700m into a ravine, killing both instantly. The cause of the accident is still under investigation.
Benjamin Guigonnet at Les Gorges Du Loup. Photo: Instagram
Benjamin Guigonnet received a 2018 Piolet d’Or with Helias Millerioux and Frederic Degoulet for their 2017 first ascent of the south face of 7,742m Nuptse Nup II in Nepal. Born in 1988, Guigonnet became a high-mountain guide in 2011 and was a trainer at the Ecole Nationale de Ski et d’Alpinisme (ENSA) in Chamonix.
His notable achievements include climbing the Cassin route on the Grandes Jorasses and mastering rock climbing routes up to 9a difficulty. Guigonnet was also a father of two and a technical advisor for Simond. For more on Guigonnet, the 2023 documentary Nuptse: L’Inaccessible Absolu chronicles his Himalayan expedition.
Quentin Lombard. Photo: Instagram
Quentin Lombard has been a high-mountain guide since 2017 and a national alpine ski instructor since 2014. He also worked at ENSA, focusing on mentoring aspiring mountaineers.
