A group of 32 mountaineers have been told to pay for their own helicopter rescue after becoming stranded on Mont Blanc. The mayor of Saint-Gervais, a village at the foot of the mountain, has accused the group of being 'dangerous' and demanded they foot the £2,592 bill.
Warnings and closures
There have been warnings over rockfalls that have emerged following droughts and heatwaves and made the Goûter route up Mont Blanc dangerous. Two refuges were closed on August 11 by Saint-Gervais leader Jean-Marc Peillex, due to the conditions available for climbers.
A shelter warden called the day following that decision to indicate that a large group of climbers had started their ascent before the order was widely known. They are said to have discovered their fate at 3,835 meters after asking state rescue teams to helicopter them to safety.
Rescue costs and reactions
Mountain rescue operations are typically free in France, but Peillex instructed private firm, Chamonix Mont Blanc Hélicoptères to bring them down at the cost of €95 (£81) per person. Some are said to have recoiled at the price and completed the 600-metre descent on foot without injury, according to Peillex.
"They deliberately refused to listen to the messages, recommending that people refrain from making the ascent or take into account the reality of the rockfalls, images of which were published on social media," Peillex said.
"It was therefore with full awareness that they climbed the Aiguille du Goûter, knowing that they would have to come back down. Everyone needs to understand that when the state pays for rescue operations, it is a blessed gift to insurance companies. It is time for this to end."
Defense and broader policy
Charles Van der Elst, chairman of the French Federation of Alpine and Mountain Clubs, defended the group and said Peillex was being misleading. The French mayor rejected Van der Elst's claims.
"The pointless controversy from [Van der Elst], completely out of touch and above all disconnected from the reality of the mountains," he said on X.
"Apparently, the climbers who got helicoptered back down look so proud of their stunt that they're bragging about it on Instagram," he added. "I did the right thing by charging them for the ride."
Peillex, who has long held such a stance, took his position after France's public spending watchdog recommended that foreign nationals should foot the bill for their own mountain rescues. Cour des Comptes recommended that this should be the case even when climbers have taken reasonable precautions.
The Saint-Gervais mayor revealed in February that he agreed with such an approach and suggested that the number of foreign nationals requiring rescue on Mont Blanc accounted for about 60% of all cases.
"They don't pay taxes in France so why shouldn't they contribute to the cost?" he asked. "Free rescues give people the impression that they can do whatever they please with impunity."
"If emergency operations are needed because of a lack of preparation or proper equipment, they should be paid for by those who are rescued, not by the state or the local authority. Most people are insured but the state bears the cost instead of the insurance companies."
