Reportage. After the summer heat wave, a team of surveyors and engineers was commissioned to measure the summit of Mont Blanc. Alternation of factual images of the mission and interviews of Jean-Luc CHERON and Alain CHAPPAZ, expert surveyors.
Mont-Blanc measures 4810 meters 90. It has gained 2 meters 15 in two years. A growth that expert surveyors in Haute-Savoie explain by climate change. More frequent westerly winds would bring rain that turns into sticky snow above 4000 meters
The expedition conducted this weekend by the expert surveyors of Haute Savoie aims to verify whether the height of Mont Blanc is still 4810m and especially to study the topography of the ice cap at the summit.
Mont-Blanc measures 4,810 m, according to a new measurement made by a team of scientists. The Mont-Blanc, which was believed to rise to 4,807 meters, actually measures 4,810 meters and 40 cm, said Wednesday the president of the chamber of surveyors experts of Haute-Savoie, Pierre BIBOLLET.
Scientists measured the height of Mont Blanc on September 6, 2003. It peaked at 4808 meters and 45 centimeters. Two years ago the same scientists had estimated the height. Mont-Blanc has lost 1.95 meters since this measure. The main cause is due to the very strong winds that sweep the highest peak in Europe. This is confirmed by glaciologist Robert VIVIAN.
For several days, rescue operations followed one another in Chamonix to help the two climbers Jean Vincendon and François Henry stuck on the slopes of Mont Blanc. The helicopters gradually brought back the rescuers injured during the search, a first helicopter having crashed in the mountain. The two guides Chappaz and Munster returned to the valley after sheltering two injured rescuers, who were sorry to have abandoned the two climbers dying in the cabin of the accident helicopter. The accident pilot was released from the hospital while his companion, who was seriously injured, remained between life and death. A final aerial reconnaissance shows the wreckage of the helicopter buried under the snow. The rescue of Vincendon and Henry having failed, their bodies will remain for several months in the mountain.
On December 27, two climbers, Jean Vincendon and François Henry, were reported at risk on the slopes of Mont Blanc. Spotted alive in the twin four days later, two helicopters left to search for them. However, in attempting to land one of the helicopters crashed next to the climbers, injuring the four rescuers on board. The guides Chappaz, Munster and two other monitors resume the rescue operation to recover the 6 men in the mountain. Once there, the rescuers installed the two climbers, whose hands and legs were frozen in the cabin of the accident aircraft, and brought Major Santini and Warrant Officer Blanc to the "Vallot" refuge. In Chamonix, the families of mountaineers wait in anguish. In the night, Lionel Terray, left by land, returns after having been blocked by a storm. Commander Le Gall organizes the repatriation of the men put in shelter in the refuge.
The ultra trail of Mont Blanc brings together 2,300 extreme riders every year. They will face the 160 km of the Mont Blanc tour and the 9,000 meters of positive altitude difference without a stage... But what is their motivation? In addition to self-surpassing and physical pain, milkers evoke the beauty of the landscape.
The GR (hiking trail) of the Tour du Mont-Blanc is one of the most famous in the world. Its 170 km meander through the Alps between France, Italy and Switzerland. At its beginnings, this circuit was aimed at knowledgeable hikers. The aerial images of the path are followed by those of a group of walkers equipped in the fashion of the 60s.