War of words over free access to Mont Blanc summit

An angry war of words has broken out over free access to the summit of Mont Blanc after the death of eight climbers in an ice and rock avalanche on the Franco-Italian mountain.

Jean-Mark Pelleix, the mayor of Saint-Gervais, a small town on the French slopes of Mont Blanc, has renewed calls for a licensing system to reduce the number of climbers tackling western Europe’s highest peak. His comments have generated a furious reaction in the busy town of Chamonix, at the foot of the mountain, which has been accused by M. Pelleix of turning Mont Blanc into a “new Disneyland”.

The mayor of Saint Gervais already caused worldwide controversy three years ago when he alleged that parts of Mont Blanc – or the “White Mountain” – had been turned into a “yellow mountain” by the indiscriminate urination of crowds of climbers and walkers. Since then steps have been taken to provide high altitude toilets and systematic collections of litter.

The calamity last month, in which eight climbers were killed and another eight injured by an ice and rock fall, has persuaded M. Pelleix to revive his calls for a licensing system to restrict access to the mountain.