Two Spanish climbers died yesterday on the Gervasutti Couloir of 4,248m Mont Blanc du Tacul, when their rope came loose as they were rappeling.
The accident occurred after a section of the East Face collapsed, causing the anchor to come out. The climbers fell about a hundred meters, according to Chamonix police. A third member of the team escaped with lesser injuries. In shock and without a cell phone with him, he somehow managed to downclimb to another group of climbers. They then raised the alarm.
The deceased climbers were Mikel Etxezarraga and Markel Galdos from the Spanish Basque Country. They were 26 and 27 years old, Naiz.eus reported. Their bodies were recovered and airlifted from the base of the mountain yesterday evening.
Location of the Gervasutti Couloir (marked in blue at the bottom of the map) compared to the normal route to Mont Blanc du Tacul from the Cosmiques Refuge, in yellow. Map: CamptoCamp.org
Unusual route choice
The Grand Couloir Gervasutti, named after Italian alpinist Giusto Gervasutti, is a winter/spring goal for expert skiers. Years ago, it was also a classical alpinists’ route but it is rarely used in summer today because of exposure to falling rocks and seracs. Instead, climbers usually use the neighboring Jager Couloir, according to Camp to Camp.
“I first climbed it in August 1995,” Chamonix-based guide Stuart Macdonald told ExplorersWeb. “Back then, it was normal to do it in high summer because conditions were very different. Nowadays, it doesn’t get many ascents. If it does get climbed, people usually avoid doing it in July or August as it gets icy, and the bergschrund [at its base] can be very difficult to cross.”
A bad season on Tacul
This is the second major accident on Mont Blanc du Tacul this summer. At the beginning of August, a piece of serac fell right on the normal route, leaving one climber dead and four others injured. Mont Blanc du Tacul is part of the Mont Blanc Massif, lying halfway between the Aiguille du Midi and Mont Blanc.
