The death couloir - Petzl Foundation
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ส.ค. 2024
- Let’s not resigns ourselves to fatality. Solutions exist. Together we can do more to decrease risks on the normal route to Mont-Blanc.
The Mont-Blanc rising to 4 809 meters is the highest peak in the Alps. It is also one of the deadliest summits in the world. To conquer the summit, the mountaineers must go to the “Grand couloir du Goûter” unavoidable on the normal route. I was dubbed, not without cause, the death couloir. Particularly dangerous because of the frequent rockfalls the death couloir and the Goûter edge were the scene of 102 mortal incidents between 1990 and 2017, nearly 4 deaths yearly.
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I am not a moutaineer.
But I love that the solution is to understand and forecast the mountain, rather than trying to control it.
Nature always wins! :)
If nature always wins, why do I eat sharks instead of the other way around? : |
@@MrCmon113 You don't usually find many sharks up in the mountains.
OTOH, if you need to ask questions like this, maybe nature has some acid reflux from time to time... ;)
@@MrCmon113 Because if you're in the water, naked, with a shark, you're most likely to be pooped by him a few hours later.
Freedom is priceless, if someone wants to climb it and they know the risk, then let them climb. I don’t care if you want to manage risk; but, don’t shut it down. Life isn’t safe, it was meant to be lived.
They aren't a group of 12 researchers, geologists and climbers trying to shut it down, they're trying to find a solution; they aren't even discussing shutting it down.
Lemme guess: did you watch the video before you commented? lol WhatstheProblem
problem is not that but the cost of recovery. Family members/insurers should be on standby
Such egotistic decisions put at risk the rescuers and other parties when something goes wrong. If you want to have your priceless freedom then make sure you do not jeopardize the life of others while doing so, which is not the case here.
Couloir with high rockfall: "exists"
This guy: "this is not acceptable"
Ehm well :), no one is forcing you to climb the mountain.
get out of here
By your reasoning, technology shouldn't be used at all to make a climb safer. I suppose climbers shouldn't use ropes or helmets at all either, eh? If you believe that rock-slide prediction takes away from the challenge, you don't have to pay attention to the rock-fall forecasts, if you want the extra challenge. It would be akin to those climbers who, for the extra challenge, choose not to use ropes.
Facts😂 theres people that even climb with NO GEAR😵💫😵💫completely ridiculous but aye they feel special if they survive them summits im guessing
No kidding! What is this entitlement??????? "Not acceptable." DUH! DON'T CLIMB THE STUPID MOUNTAIN THEN. Go climb the rockwall at REI.
“Human life is priceless” says who? Give them a brochure before they hike telling them how dangerous it is and if they still want to go let them.
Sadly there is a financial incentive for mountain climbing companies to not tell their customers how risky it is (or to trivialize the risk) because it would be bad for their business if less dared to do this climb.
I was going to type out a long reply talking about how a phrase like "human life is priceless" is such an abstraction as to be semantically meaningless, and therefore only useful as an ideological justification for whatever you're doing, but then I thought about how this is the youtube comments section on a petzl video, and now I feel pretty stupid for having spent who-knows-how-long to type this all out.
@@timdolinger1352 It would have been good typing practice and a way to pass time.
@@timdolinger1352 speech to text bro speech to text🤣😂🤣
My take on this video isn't from the perspective of Mountaineering nor Geology, but from a perspective of Social Psychology instead. As an American, I've seen Raw Capitalist Competition "trickle down" to the common people in many nonproductive ways. In Capitalist America, everyone must feel like a Winner, even if they're aren't. And American Capitalism has many phony ways to make you feel like a Winner if you can come up with the Cash.
Climbing the Highest Mountain is one such aberrant manifestation of Capitalist Competition among everyday people. Many of the 1000's who climb up this mountain or Mt Everest probably feel somehow like Losers in their everyday lives, but they sadly think that being able to say that they climbed the highest peak in the Alps will somehow magically make them feel like a Winner after all.
Mountain Climbing is certainly a Fine and Noble Pursuit, but it is also an Extreme Pursuit for which only a few are truly suited. Instead of trying to make this mountain safer to climb, the time and effort could be better spent in teaching people that you don't literally need to climb the Highest Mountain to somehow feel like a Winner in this Dog Eat Dog Capitalist World.
Wtf...if you don't want to climb through a dangerous couloir, climb another route. I have an issue with people suggesting we re-engineer a mountain to make it safer. Where does that stop?
IKR?
I don't think anyone suggested re-engineering the mountain(at least in the video). Forecasting rockfall, just like weather, is crucial though.
Dangerous couloir are Darwin's bowling alleys.
@@trog.lodyte hahah true
The other routes are harder/more dangerous.
You safety isn't a human right. In fact the right to risk your life is a human right . Feel free to risk it . But it's unrealistic for you to expect the rest of us to eliminate risk every where
exactly! I fear it's the Everestation (to make up my own word) of all the high peaks of the world. so they may be safely consumed and paid for by the masses. where is the spirit of the mountains/ climb when we take a ski lift to the top
👏
Following your reasoning, I expect you are not assuming that you should have the right to be rescued in case of an accident. You are free to risk or own life, but not when that decision risks others as well.
@@ampac ok , that is a dangerous line of thinking also.
Mountian climbing - to dangerous we won't risk our lives to save yours
White water rafting - to dangerous we won't risk our lives to save you
Mountian biking-
Back country hiking-
Jogging in traffic
Smoking - not going to save your life if you are to dumb to quit.
You eat unhealthy - not going to save you for that either...
It's a slippery slope.....when you think you get to pick who's worth saving!
@@robertmoulton2656 This is all about a balance of risk, expectations, and responsibilities. Years and years of accidents due to a "It is my life therefore I do whatever I want" mentality led to the definition of quotas limiting the number of mountaineers summiting the Mont Blanc. This measure was actually suggested by local guides and rescue teams. The latest set of proposed measures is a mandatory rescue deposit before climbing. Why? Because a majority of mountaineers do not bother getting insurance and fail to pay for the rescue operations, which end up being paid by the local communities. So, the problem here is the burden you might end up placing on others because of your carefree approach to risk management.
Let's make it real safe, with maybe a tunnel that goes all the way to the top, and maybe a little train in it so mom & grandma will be comfortable, maybe a tea house at the summit.
so well said !
A tea house would be cool
And a shanti little bazaar for the souveniers
@@bemondo gotta have a gift shop
My thoughts exactly Dale…. what a poor film. Surprising for such a great company like Petzl, whose gear I trust to keep me safe in the mountains.
Darn mountain being a mountain when humans want to put a sidewalk in place....
"Climbers know beforehand how dangerous it is to cross the feature. How can we make it less dangerous?"
Ummm...stop climbing that mountain, maybe? Just a thought.
They don’t t even have to stop climbing it, they just need to take one of the other routes. smh
"What you say ! "
you say bullshits, maybe you should stop open your mouth ? just a thought...
@@MrTassadit What? I don't understand your gobbledygook.
@@scout3058 je me doute que tu ne comprends pas grand chose
I've passed through the death couloir a fair bit, always running to get my ass out of there as quickly as possible.
Yes. As long as you realize and accept the risk.
I've been through it a few times myself. Never considered it particularly dangerous, considering some other places in the range. I'm sure the high casualty count is more a reflection of the amount of traffic (now higher than those times I was there, because I'm familiar with the old hut, which held fewer people). It's a couloir, it's dangerous when it gets too warm, pass across quickly. This is standard practice crossing any couloir, esp. when the sun is on it (when you really shouldn't be crossing it).
@@dgronzega8073 or else what ?
@@davegrenier1160 yo guys, i don't wanna ruin it but there is a freaking ladder and ropes on the ridge of the matterhorn, and on the dent du geant, not for safety but just to make it easier, and the problem here is some pieces of metal in 20 meters just to not kill people ? Do you even climb ?
And oh my god, the barriers for the avalanches on the mountains, i think we should get rid of those, the cableways that brings your fat asses up there, those are ok i suppose. geez the audacity, enjoy your sky trip on the glaciers cleaned by the bobcat and secured.
No, Human self responsibility and freedom is priceless. Keep your baby sitting “unacceptability” to yourself
So it's full of loose rocks, dosent take a crew of 'scientists' to figure that out
I think that what they want to understand is why is a repeating process, rather than an unusual happening.
Just take the Italian route, which has also a nicer sightseeing, and avoid the dangerous Couloir du Gouter
Much harder and langer ascent from the hut 1800hm.
@@vincentkrause7097 It's not supposed to be easy.
It's exposed by seracs and avalanche. 9 people died on that route when I did it 11 years ago.
@@vfifty9182 Yes but Gouter Route through the death Coliour not italian side
@@jg2213 you are a hero
I’ve climbed the Mont Blanc in 2017 and reached the summit after 2 days. It is indeed a dangerous area. Be safe and Don’t let the summit fever catch you.
Dutch climber ❤️
The best solution would be to tear down the Gouter Hut to decrease the number of wannabe mountaineers on the mountain. This would also have the side effect of reducing traffic in the couloir
Wouldn't that be too harsh? With current regulations ~200-250 people can climb via the normal route / day (not counting those who do it in 1 day but thats minority). I haven't done it yet but this number sounds like a reasonable amount of poeple per day for this route.
@@zatharigo7815 Most accidents happen cause unexsperienced naive ignorants are trying to hunt for the best picture on the most popular montain possible.
They annoy other climbers, don't respect the nature and if something bad happens it's allways the falt of the mountain.
I actually had to save someones life, cause he tried to walk past me on a 0,5m "track" with on the left 50m and on the right 500m of free fall without beeing secured to a rope.
Right as he stood next to me he realised the danger and paniced. I grabed him and hooked him into my gear.
At the same time two of the group tried to look over the edge down the 500m wall and walked closer and closer to the overhanging snow. The guide of this groop was screaming like crazy at them.
Two or 3 more steps and at least on of them would have been dead and the guide would have lost his job.
I have seen many more situations where people had no clue that they are playing with death.
Why not just tear down the mountain i mean its for safety. How many missiles do you think it will take?
0:38 "and that is not acceptable" .. right, lets sue that damn couloir
Fax lol
One DOES NOT CONQUER A MOUNTAIN....one simply climbs it......Alright????????
Max Tickner Who are you to tell people which words to use? Ridiculous!
Isn’t the danger part of the experience? Honestly….why reduce it to a carnival ride? Why not ban climbing during bad weather windows? Or forecast days themselves?
Yes and no.
It's a great feeling to overcome danger with skill, strength band stamina. These are all things that are in your control.
Avalanche, weather and rockfall are pot luck (to a point) and an unfortunate symptom of being in the mountains.
Russian roulette is not what draws me to the mountains.
Simply go another way. If it’s not feasible, just don’t do it unless you are exploring science. Mountain must not be for everyone, it’s not a mart.
So obnoxiously screaming is a rockfall deterrent?
if you scream loud enough it might just break some rocks :D
I have been there. I don't think they need to do anything more than what they do. You want to climb Mont Blanc? You want to climb the Gouter route? Then you had better be prepared that you will need to cross this. Nobody is forcing anyone to make the crossing, or the climb. I thought it was exciting and you know you are in an area that can kill you, but the entire climb could kill you above as well. I don't want climbing to become a thing that the weak minded think they should undertake because they feel safe.
It is Nature !! LEAVE IT ALONE !!!!!!!!! If people want to risk their lives then so be it.
What's the problem? Mountain climbing is inherently dangerous almost by definition, nobody has to climb Mont Blanc, and those that choose to don't have to take that route. If some prople think summiting Mont Blanc is worth a couple of sessions of Russian Roulette, one on the way up, another on the way back down, so be it.
I am with you on that one.
When in danger, when in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout.
Lol
It's not decreasing risk, it's being more aware of it and it's patterns. that's the best a mountaineer can hope for when discussing natural phenomena, weather, etc. The only decreases in risk can come from gear, expertise, and fitness, all personal things.
People have the right to put themselves at risk if they want to. If you don't agree with it, don't go.
Human life is priceless🤣🤣🤣🤣
I wish people would stop saying this
Seriously
It would lose traffic if it was less deadly
Why don't we dynamite the top ?
Shame we waste our resources on saving 100 people a decade and not dealing with issues like starvation in NK, Yemen, Africa
I bet if that team went to any small African nation and provided them with the same quality data for their fields, they would save a lot more life.
It is not dangerous because of the falling rocks, it is dangerous because of the absurd amount of people that pass through the place
Because people in the couloir die or get hurt by other people falling on them..? Makes sense.
@@vananderman6429 the average is 1 in 5000 , 4 a year. I bagged more than 70 major peaks in high Sierra in early 90s, most will never have 5000 total climbers on them, ever much less in a year 4x that. And that's just one route
@@sixfigureskibum
I really can't see what your point is. But if I have to guess my response would be, yes, the sheer number of people on the Goûter-route would definately increase the changes of accidents in the couloir but still it is (mainly) the rockfall that causes these accidents. My sarcasm was for the remark that the couloir is not dangerous because of the falling rocks. Absolute ludicrous!
@@vananderman6429 I set off avalanches and ski them backwards on purpose. Its the tourists not the mountain . The mountain is not dangerous. Its the lack of prudance in mountain tourists that think they are mountaineers that is the true danger. Old mountaineers are prudent mountaineers. . I free solo everything I climb . Statistics say I'm dead 30 years ago. Except that I learned about prudance when I was 21 and have now survived my immortality. I've climbed other zones of rockfall myself .. it's only dangerous if you fail to mitigate the danger. Shear numbers means more bad judgment calls instead of prudance , interesting the average mortality being one in 5000 is almost the same as riding in a car at one in 8000 . Have a nice day!
@@sixfigureskibum the rocks are coming from above though. How are tourists setting these rocks falls off when they are crossing it from below.
No you must not to do anything against the rockfall and noone can predict it anyway. You either take the risk - which increases the warmer and wetter the conditions are - or you dont, that is mountaineering in a nutshell. Whoever climbs a mountain because of its hight does probably not belong there anyways.
Does screaming help? I know you hate hearing this but... human life IS NOT priceless... it is actually EXPENSIVE. Stay off the mountain if you can't suffer the mountain.
If you’re afraid of falling rocks, you should climb your kitchen counter? WTF
There are lots of mountains to climb without that risk. If someone wants to climb it, let them go. Or, figure out another route.
So much effort into coddling sentient adults. They choose to go up a mountain disregarding their own safety. Problem is the cost of saving the nonstop stream of clown shoes who dont belong up there.
How pompous and superior you are.
I did it in 1977, obviously I had good luck. When climbing upwards to Gouter hut it started snowing, and the couloir itself was plenty of snow and ice, no rocks were visible (climate change?) When descending to Tete Rousse at 11 in the morning there was lot of snow, about 30 cm deep. Of course I was using the wire rope, and in the middle of the couloir I triggered an avalanche. So I was hanging in the rope, the feet were hanging in the air, without contact. This lastet a few endless seconds, then I got a firm hold. Thanks the good rope I survived it. - It is beyond of my understanding, why many people are not using this safety installation.
Or go the long way: refuge des cosmiques, mt blanc du tacul, ridge, etc. And back.
That route looks terrifying! Steep snow under seracs, wind slabs and over crevasses. There's been a few deadly avalanches there and sending 20000 people a year over it hardly seems like a good solution.
Even at 5am without daylight and while temperatures are below 0 you can hear small stuff falling, I can only imagine how ugly it can get when the sun has hit this gully for a few hours. Got a lot of dirty looks when I sat down right smack in the middle for a snickers though haha
I know the solution. Don't F'ING go up there!!!! Kinda like how you don't go into the deepest part of the ocean.
Human life is not priceless, by any means.
I ve been reading a lot about it.. it seems only acceptable, feasible, not invasive solution is to trace a route on the ridge just on the left of the couloir. Of course it would be easy to do if the left some money after building the 7 million € refuge du gouter
There are 22,000 people on it and multiple buildings on the mountain so Im not sure invasiveness should be a concern. Put up a robust and ugly barrier and let people cross safely or use a tunnel
@@ChrisG1392 why not just stay off the mountain? Or, why not let people take the risk and leave their bodies as a tourist attraction?
I would hardly call 7,000,000,000 human lives “priceless”. More like with such a massive number human life becomes meh.
You don’t re-engineer a mountain to make it “safe”. It’s a mountain. It is what it is. Leave it alone.
You educate individuals on the risk and then let them decide if that’s a mountain they want to climb. Some things are not meant to be tamed.
Interesting how science can improve recreative dangerous sports nowadays.
Recreational?
next, they'll want to install an escalator....
This couloir is deadly because there is a continuous stream of alpine tourists in it. Rock falls have higher probability of hitting someone than in seldomly repeated areas. There are a lot of other routes to this summit, but the vast majority of people wanting to go the the summit of Mont Blanc are really just casual mountaineers, aka tourists, with too much vanity. They want the summit to take a selfie and tell everyone they "conquered" the Mont Blanc, but they want it really easy, through the normal route. This is tourism, not mountainering, and any "project" or "solution" targeting to ease even more this access is doomed to push even further the merchandisation and the mass consumption of this mountain.
Those who want to reach the Mont Blanc without getting exposed to the couloir du goûter know what to do : just take one of the dozen routes that don't cross this couloir.
Which one is the most recommended? I read the Italian one has degraded over time.
Keep climbing it and see what happens. Numbers don't lie.
I will not climb that mountain. I just reduced the chance of dieing on that mountain to zero. Looking forward to the videos of thrill seekers who like to climb these things as long as they pack out their trash.
The couloir is Darwin's bowling alley.
Lol
Give me a break!. I 100% flat out reject the entire notion of "researching" this natural phenomenon with the aim of eliminating Human injury. Please. No one forced anyone up this peak, least of all across this particular, natural feature of said peak. This is one of the dumbest things I have ever, ever heard of/watched. The sheer audacity of people... it stuns me.
As children my brother and I played on those rock slide mountain faces. We knew the risk and it was always scary but fun.
This is not your average rock slide mountain face tho, this is on another level of dangerous.
Sure you did
Have anyone here played Jenga game, if not then it's a game in which you have to remove blocks from the tower that is made out of these blocks that one has to remove and do it in the way so tower still stands. If you compere this crossing to this game then everything is clear, every time someone is crossing this passage some stones/rocks are removed by simple fact that they have to step or grab onto some rocks hence loosening them up and even misplacing them altogether and if you loosen or misplace enough small rocks then bigger ones follow their footsteps, it's like a domino effect but like in the Jenga game not every block removed means that tower will fall but every other one just might and the more stones are misplaced the more chances are there to accident happen, lets imagine 20 thousands people crossing the same path, how many rocks will their feet or hands remove per any given year and weaken the whole structure? Just a thought.
Crossing that couloir is like playing Russian roulette, but with better odds.
If you want to dig into the subject you can visit the Petzl's Foundation website. Many studies and research have been conducted with interesting results => www.petzl.com/fondation/s/accidents-couloir-gouter?language=en_US
Beyond the data for critical times this is goofy. As a climber i seek out summit like MB because of the fear factors.
you can never eleminate the stupiity of others
i agree. watching you all believing the corona virus
You actually can but it involves eliminating all others.
Yep, stupid is as stupid does…
Without risk there's no reward.
What about a tunnel? It's not a very long pass. The Italians made plenty of tunnels in the alp during WW2
So let me guess, they’ll be for dehorning the bulls in Spain for the running!
They should build a shield, or dig a tunnel.
right next to the escalator. There are inherent risks associated with certsin activities.
Yes, it is a disgrace that nothing concrete is done and for do long by authorities
The screaming is ridiculous
There was a nice waterfall here just before the couloir starts when I went,if I was brave enough I would have filled up here instead of getting ripped off in the huts.
I totally agree in that this couloir needs to be made 100% safe for human beings. One casualty is one too many. Matterhorn is equally dangerous and should also be made 100% safe - no matter how much it costs. Reaching the summits of Mont Blanc and Matterhorn should be a democratic and human right for everybody!
Didn't get the point of the video. I mean... "Together we can do more to decrease the risk of the normal route to Mont Blanc. What does it mean? How can we avoid the danger? Apart from (as the video suggests) taking it between 9am-10am and avoiding taking it when snow melts and after the rain?
The answer is: If you don't want to take the risk don't go there. We don't need to make it easy for every random idiot to get on top of every mountain.
If you go there and you don't know the risks then it's your falt if you die or get injured.
Exspecially at mpuntains like Monte Rosa I've seen so many idiots without propper equipment or even ropes walking on the ice and sometimes even stepping on the hidden rifts without them even knowing the danger.
It even happend to me that I met a group of people walking without rope right between lotw of rifts.
They where hidden under fresh snow but you could see the dents on the surface.
When I asked them if they are aware of the rifts they asked me "which rifts?"
🙈
I climbed it back in the 90s .. Only one mountain was as pulverized as Mt. Blanc .. The old ancient mountains of Greenland (even with a lower altitude they are dangerous).
Here's a crazy idea: Just don't walk there.
Screaming lady bringing down more rocks…great.
Easy fix, personal responsibility and no rescues. Eventually Darwin will win. And yes, I've done it.
It’s wilderness. It’s not supposed to be a cake walk
In my opinion, the only form of mountaineering that should be allowed is the completely alpine style, leaving no footprint behind. Otherwise, we are destroying mountains all over the world. Those who cannot do it, should stay away from climbing. I have seen first-hand how quickly expeditions are destroying the Himalayas, and I have heard similar accounts from friends and acquaintances from other regions of the world.
Wow .... whole mountains have been destroyed? What mountains have gone? May they rest in peace.
@@3vimages471 Nice attempt at sarcasm. Pat on your head for that.
@@RB-fp8hn Hopefully my comment will expose to you just how moronic your first post is. Mass tourism is a problem in many places but to say expeditions are destroying mountains is just patently stupid.
Try harder little man. And yes, I do have experience ..... a chalet in the Alps and I have flown into Lukla airport and been trapped in my tent at Gorak Shep.
@@3vimages471 I speak from my experience of over two decades. From your language, I can tell you're from the western world, with the ego that is typical of that hemisphere ... which is great for me. I pray that we remain at least half a world apart forever. Some ecologies are way more fragile than others. If you want to treat mass tourism in different places the same way, that's up to you. I will continue working to keep people away from the places I want to protect. Peace.
@@RB-fp8hn And good luck to you and may those destroyed mountains rest in peace.
I would really not have such a screaming witch during such an event.
Been there, seen it, done it.
this video makes this climb sound like a climb for the everyday family. Life is full of danger and I just laugh when I see people trying to bring safety into the equation. Getting out of bed can be highly dangerous, when are the safety police going to force everyone to stay in bed?
If you think safety is a laughable subject then go play in traffic.
"if we can do something we have to" How about just simply NOT go up there?
Been there, done that
I'm just glad when I clicked on this clickbait, that I didn't get rock rolled.
Not sure human life is priceless, there's a glut of 'look-at-me' types who deserve an early exit
Problem is the amount of morons passing the couloir. I've seen videos of people crossing the couloir who clearly weren't able to move technically safe in this terrain. Consequence is a longer exposure to the danger and on the ling run more accidents.
Damn...this is just the most intense thing I have ever seen...I could not have done it in my prime..so I salute you
yes you could, its not a massive challenge.
"The idea is: if we can do something about it, we must do it."
Easy answer then. Stop climbing the mountain by that route. Somehow I don't think that's what the narration means. However it is "something" "we can do" "about it" and it would reduce fatalities there to zero. That shows just how facile and ridiculous statements like that made in the narration of this video are.
Highest accident _rate_ or highest _number_ of accidents? Because if we’re talking about rate, 100 fatalities for 20,000 climbers a year is a 0.005% fatality rate, which seems pretty low.
I’m not convinced that the fact it has the highest accident rate says anything about how inherently dangerous it is; I suspect that has more to do with the fact that it is such a major tourist attraction which provides extremely easy access to a treacherous trail and has high number of people going there - and so so many of them absolutely clueless about mountaineering.
Figuring out how to forecast rock slides is a great idea, but let’s not preface it with ridiculous notion that any death is unacceptable and things have to be perfectly safe. All that is required is to make people properly aware about the dangers - if you want to go further, make sure that people going into the most dangerous areas have the knowledge and experience in order to do so in the safest possible way.
A lot of wasted money and motherhood statements, no REAL solutions provided. Wasted 4mins of my life.
Where's the reward with no risk?
Leave this mountain alone.
Just a thought - but wouldn't it make sense to stretch a few massive nets across where people tend to pass - Sure it might not stop everything but will be able to slow some down. Alternatively we could dig a trench where the rocks would basically just fly over the people's heads while on the trench. Hard to describe I guess without a picture..
So sad to see Petzl, the maker of excellent mountaneering equipment, getting involved in such nonsense. Folks, leave the mountains alone. Outdoors should ALWAYS have a degree of risk. Going for 0 risk is preposterous, we go into the mountains because of that degree of risk. Otherwise build a cable car all the way to the top. Stupid☝️
Headline: dangerous sport is dangerous
If human life is so precious that death is not acceptable, then stop climbing the death couloir. If people know the risks and are willing to take it, that is on them and them alone. Stop trying to change nature to fit what you want it to be.
Why not just find a new route on the left of the couloir not crossing it until the Goûter ridge?
Ah! take an helicopter to deposit you
The first of all the danger is coming from fast melting of permafrost, good idea to find another route to across the culoir
If you want to be helpful, please share the full time series on when rock falls are most likely to occur. 9-10am is not always attainable due to route planning as you may know. Is there a window where it peaks? Does it vary over the summer months?
Peak hour is indicated in the video
Rock fall has been well known to be caused by freeze thaw cycles. The problem comes from volume of people more than anything else. 4 out of 20,000 a year. 1 in 5k , most of the extream peaks I bagged 25 years ago will never see 5k souls sign the register
@@sixfigureskibum well I survived it, so I won't worry any more about this couloir:)
Most rock falls occur in the day time when the sun strikes the peaks - as is common everywhere. This is compounded as water in the cracks expands when frozen and when this melts quickly after sunrise the rock falls begin. Many climbs begin in the dark, and in New Zealand an ascent of Aoraki/Mt Cook may begin at midnight. The other peril in this common Linda Glacier route is sloppy snow in the afternoon descent when you are tired. That will be universal.
@@benegesserit9836 are you sure you survived? Have you checked your reflection?
Vibration...if all that rock is on the vibrational verge of giving way to gravity...and you go in there hollering and yelling....you need to be at vibrational MINIMUM...to reduce vibrational disturbances...
Human life priceless? - LOL There are almost 9 BILLION of us now, and we are ALL going to die.
Quite simple solution is to drop a cat down there and create a tunnel. Reinforce it with rebar and concrete and a few French drains. Problem solved. Another option would be to create an open “fly off” ramp to propel rock and serac debri up and over a hallowed out passage. Would only take a few afternoons; slightly unsporting perhaps, but safe.
A funny joke that.
*Mountain Climbers* = *Safety Seekers*
At least, there is something dangerous and unpredictable in this Mont Blanc trek.
This is part of the mountairing excitement, so leave it like that. Honesty, this trek is not a great deal but more like a motorway...
I am glad to read thos comments as this video is pure stupidity... surprising, coming from petzl.
We are facing problems of excess of trafic on mountains and at the same trying to find "solutions" (climning the couloir from 6 to 8 oc) to reduce the risks and difficulty of alpinism... Mountains are dangerous and will always be (I hope), that's what makes it beautiful and interesting. Leave the mountains as it is and let people die !
Thank you for your comment. Let's all find the appropriate solutions to mitigate the risk.
@@PetzlSportVideos You’re missing the point here! Leave the mountain alone, don’t turn this into a carnival, don’t mess with God’s creation!
4809 meters? I drove vehicle in Pakistan at elevation of 4909 meters 🤣🤣🤣
I know you're looking for jobs to do there and all, but really, I can't stand these people who moralise over what is and isn't acceptable for everyone.
Yeah, you guys get the alps under control eh
my film !! :)