Mountaineers who want to reach the summit of the massive Mont Blanc Alps in France must pay a deposit of 15,000 euros, in order to cover the cost of the eventual rescue expenses – and perhaps even worse – the funeral ceremony, writes The Guardian .
Jean-Marc Peillex, mayor of the French town of Sean Zherve le Blanc, from which the journey to this peak begins – has taken this decision in response to a number of climbers who are ignoring warnings and playing “Russian roulette”, Telegraph reports.
More specifically, 10,000 euros are needed for rescue and another 5,000 for the funeral ceremony. Local e cicerones have stopped working since July due to the large number of drones, and local authorities have warned climbers to avoid Guta, the route that can be used by everyone – from beginners to the very experienced.
The heat wave has made the journey to this peak even more difficult. The route to Guta is located in the northern part of Mont Blanc, known as the Crystal Route, and is considered the easiest route to the top of Mont Blanc.
Peillex said that dozens of “psudo-alpinists” have ignored the warnings, and even pointed out that in one case five Romanians wanted to climb Mont Blanc in shorts and sneakers, which the police had to react by stopping them.
“People want to go up carrying death in their bag. Then let’s calculate the rescue and burial costs, as it is unacceptable for French taxpayers to pay those bills”, added the mayor of the French city. / Weather.al /
