The mayor of Saint-Gervais has refused a publicly funded helicopter evacuation for 32 climbers stranded at 3,800 metres on Mont Blanc's French normal route, demanding they cover the €15,000 cost of a private rescue instead.
Jean-Marc Peillex said the group ignored warnings issued by local guide companies in Saint-Gervais, Chamonix and Courmayeur despite the Goûter Couloir having returned to calm conditions. He described the climbers' decision to proceed as "Russian roulette", citing one group of five Romanian visitors who attempted the ascent in shorts, trainers and straw hats. The climbers ultimately descended at their own expense by private helicopter, with only a few returning on foot.
The municipality released footage of a rockfall that struck the Goûter Couloir on 11 August, a passage that has claimed roughly 80 lives in recent decades.