Briton dies after falling on ‘difficult’ hiking path in French Alps

A British hiker died near Mont Blanc on Sunday (July 9), the Chamonix mountain police have confirmed.

The unnamed man, in his fifties, fell whilst attempting a ‘difficult’ hiking path along the Bionnassay glacier, on the French side of the mountain.

Despite the best efforts of emergency services, he was pronounced dead soon after the fall.

Steep upward climb

The Briton died on Sunday when hiking close to Mont Blanc.

He was following a difficult passage from the Bionnassay glacier to a mountain retreat hosting a gite called the Nid d’Aigle (Eagle’s Nest), facing a steep upward climb.

The hike includes a sequence known as the Échelles du Nid d'Aigle (Eagle’s Nest ladders), marked as a ‘difficult’ hiking passage on a number of websites.

When climbing along this segment, he fell around 50 metres. Mountain rescue services were called but were unable to prevent his death.

Sunday also saw the death of an Italian hiker in the Savoie department.

He was walking along the mountain passage of the Col du Lou, close to the Lac du Mont Cenis, at an altitude of around 3,000 metres.

Hiking towards the Signal du Grand Mont-Cenis from the lake, he fell around 200 metres, and despite a medical helicopter flying to his location, he was pronounced dead on the scene.

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