After dangerous rock falls, two shelters popular with mountaineers on the way to the Mont Blanc summit have been closed in the French Alps.
The mayor's office of Saint-Gervais, at the foot of Mont Blanc, said climbers were "in mortal danger" from rocks and splinters falling from heights due to the dry weather.
"Throughout the day we still see climbers on the mountain range as if this were Disneyland or Parc Astérix," said Mayor Jean-Marc Peillex, referring to two popular theme parks near Paris. Hikers have been advised since last month to stay away because of the danger, but "they don't give a damn," he told AFP.
The closure of the Goûter hut with 120 places to stay and the Tête Rousse refuge with 74 places and a base camp for up to 50 guests should “clearly show that there is no accommodation,” explained Peillex.
In a year marked by heat waves, falling permafrost from falling rocks has made access to the summit of Western Europe's highest mountain even more difficult. The mountain guide associations of Chamonix and Saint-Gervais at the foot of Mont Blanc had already announced in mid-July that they were initially stopping the ascent via the "normal" route from Le Goûter.
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