Mountaineers to pay deposit for rescue and burial

As reported by The Guardian:

Climbers attempting to reach the summit of Mont Blanc from a popular path in France will have to pay a €15,000 (£12,640) deposit to cover costs in case they need to be rescued, or worse, die.

Jean-Marc Peillex, the mayor of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, from where climbers can make it to the top of the highest peak in Europe via the Goûter Route, imposed the measure in response to dozens defying warnings and engaging in what he described as “a game of Russian roulette”.

The finer detail specifies that €10,000 would cover the cost of a rescue and €5,000 a funeral.

In a statement posted on Twitter, Peillex said dozens of “pseudo-mountaineers” had ignored the warnings. He described how five Romanian visitors had attempted the ascent “wearing shorts, trainers and straw hats” and had to be turned back by mountain police.

“People want to climb with death in their backpacks,” he added. “So let’s anticipate the cost of having to rescue them, and for their burial, because it’s unacceptable that French taxpayers should foot the bill.”