Two climbers killed in Chamonix - one was youngest Briton to climb Everest
***UPDATE 7PM***
The Foreign Office has since named the second climber killed in yesterdays tragic accident on the Gervasutti couloir to be James Atkinson, also 21 years old and from Sussex.
Tributes for the pair have been flooding in to a page set up on the social networking website Facebook. One member, Anne L Galante, said: "How sad this morning to learn of Rob's and his friend James' deaths. This young man and his friends seemed to live more in one year that most of us do our entire lives. What a story of inspiration in the way they set out and achieved their most amazing goals.”
An investigation is currently underway as to the cause of the accident but a spokesman for the mountain police in Chamonix, the Peloton de Gendarmerie de Haute Montagne, said: "The two deceased climbers were two-thirds of the way into their ascent (up the 800m Gervasutti couloir) when the accident happened, probably at about 6.30am to 7am on Saturday". At this time, the PGHM are still unsure as to the cause of the accident but they have reiterated that there was no trace of an avalanche, the weather was good for climbing and the men were well-equipped.
Mr Gauntlett became an inspriation for many yourng climbers when he conquered Everest in 2006 at just 19 years of age. When asked what advice he would give to others who wished to follow a dream, Mr Gauntlett said: ‘Follow it up relentlessly. Don't let anyone tell you you're being ridiculous by having a dream or a goal. Never give up.'
The investigation into the cause of the accident continues.
*** UPDATED BREAKING NEWS ***
21 year old Rob Gauntlett, and a second unnamed man, has been confirmed as having been found dead yesterday morning after a fall in the Gervasutti couloir below the Mont Blanc du Tacul, a notorious avalanche blackspot. Rob entered the record books as the youngest Briton to climb Everest in May 2006.
A natural adventurer, Rob is reported to have travelled from the North to South Pole last year. In total he has sailed, trekked & skiied 22,000 miles over 3 continents, including Greenland, the United States, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Chile and Argentina – as well as the wastelands of the Arctic and Antarctic.
His mother has commented: 'We are devastated. He's far too young to die. We had spoken about something like this happening only recently.
‘We can only take consolation that he died doing something he loved. At the moment we don't know exactly what happened, but there was obviously a big fall and they both died'.
She said they arrived in the region on January 2 and were due back in the UK on Wednesday.
Mrs Gauntlett added that she and her husband David would be travelling to France later.
The pair were in the Gervasutti couloir when they fell 500m. The emergency call was made by other climbers. A spokesman for the mountain rescue in Chamonix said: ‘The weather was bright and clear. They were well equipped and it is a mystery how they were killed. A helicopter from Chamonix recovered the bodies.'
'There is a serac at the top, so it is dangerous. An investigation has been launched.' Since then is has been reported that one of the pair fell and being roped together, probably took his climbing partner with him. In places the Gervasutti couloir is a 50 degree slope.
Seracs are ice formations which occur where glaciers end or there is a significant change in gradient. They are prone to breaking off and are a danger in themselves and/or will trigger avalanches as they impact on snow below them.
Photo credit : rob gauntlett.com
