It is all a matter of choice. There are many options available for Easter weekend outside of confinement. You can choose to indulge in the "gluttony," of chocolates straight up. You can do enough exercise with a sofa and a bowl of salad. You can also go egg hunting. Minimal sports exercise, agree. If you don't, you might be too sporty. You like the Alps and the Easter weekend is a great time to ski tour!
The following story is set in April 1954. Ski touring is more popular than chocolate indigestion. It will be a mountain story.
This brings us back to April 20, 1954. There are many people in Pralognan (Savoie). It is well-known for its spring skiing. At the Felix Faure refuge at the Vanoise glacier's foot, it's always a busy weekend. At least 80 skiers throng the building on Sunday night. We get tighter and, even though the weather isn't great, we still look forward to a good day of hiking on Monday.
Monday morning is cloudy. It's not too bad. We put on our skis and our skins and we all head towards the Dome de Chasseforet.
Many hikers preferred having a guide. Paul Pittier is our guide. We continue on our way until we meet another guide and his client at 1 p.m. in the opposite direction. They were losing time and decided to give up. After a few minutes of discussion, Paul Pittier decided to follow the advice from his colleague and return to the refuge. We meet a young man from Montpellier on our way back. He prefers to persevere and continues on the glacier. He's not the only one.
The first concern arises at the end of the afternoon when we are counting ourselves at the refuge. Seven people have gone missing... Seven people are missing while the weather suddenly turns stormy outside.
Prevent Pralognan Since a few months, the phone at the shelter has been off-line. Pralognan is therefore witness to two men arriving in Pralognan at night. They share their bad news, that we still have no news on seven skiers. We know four Grenoble residents and one young Montpellier resident.
Louis Bessiere was one of them. He recounted what he had experienced at the Col du Dard that day. "The wind started to blow in a thunderstorm, and I didn't know where I was." He and his companions were able to use a compass. They were able to return to the shelter. They heard some people calling from nearby, but couldn't see anyone. We hung a lantern at the shelter's door and began calling each other. But it was in vain. The night was a complete failure. The men also spent four hours in snow and fog before they reached Pralognan on Tuesday morning.
Relief is already being planned as soon as the story ends. A caravan is already being prepared and Grenoble has also arrived to help. In the meantime, another group from the refuge arrives with good news. The couple is safe.
Marie-Jeanne Castagniet, her brother Gaston, spent the night in a tent outside. They were both doctors and, above all, both experienced mountaineers. "The storm awaited us at the Col du Dard. The fog enveloped us. We decided to leave our compass at the Col du Dard unattended and to bivouac there, as we had all the equipment." They naturally said on their return to Pralognan. It was almost surprising that they were so concerned about us.
There are still plenty of reasons to be concerned. They are often so inhospitable at the top that they first miss the refuge. He still misses the young Montpellier, the four Grenoble...
We learned in Pralognan, Tuesday evening, that the refuge had reestablished telephone contact. The emergency services were empty handed when they returned. They were pinned to the ground by the storm and could not move towards Chasseforet. Therefore, we are preparing for a major operation. To make the connection, a plane is at Challes-les-Eaux. A second team arrives from Albertville. A caravan from Mauritius leaves from Termignon. We believe we can maximize our chances of finding the missing with the help of the people from both valleys and those who meet on the summits.
"Where did your sleep?" An igloo of course ..."
On Wednesday, everyone is expecting the worst. The good news is that the weather cleared up during the night. The moonlight was a sign of good fortune at 3:30 AM, when the caravans started to move. A rescue team saw three silhouettes in the distance at 7.30 am. This was a miracle. The three mountaineers, who appeared to be in good shape, arrive at the rescue team and tell them that everything is fine. What about the two other? They are a little behind, but they are still fine.
They are then asked where they slept. They get the following answer: "In an Igloo obviously ..."
After the two last climbers had been found, the more tired one was placed on a sled and everyone was brought back to the refuge. The Easter weekend was almost over with a little fatigue and a few harmless frostbite.
The Mauritian rescuers had one more concern. After hours of bad weather, they finally arrive at the Felix Faure refuge, where everyone is safe and sound. It suffices to say that there was a large audience interested in hearing the stories of the five survivors.
They also got lost towards the Dome de Chasseforet which is 11 km long and 3km wide. "We wandered for four hours, and then we realized that we were getting more lost, so we decided to make an igloo. They fought each other last night and tried to leave on Tuesday. They returned to their igloo for a second night after the storm. Until 3 am. They set off to find help when they saw the moonlight.
Pralognan must be warned. It's a matter of reassuring the families of those who disappeared as soon as possible, as most of them arrived there the day before. Yves Tremollet from Montpellier is then put in touch with his uncle, who prefers to have a good time and laugh at the whole thing: "Hello, Yves. Here is your uncle Andre. If you are a smoker, you can choose another exercise to get your photo on the frontpage of the Midi Libre. It's safer. Maybe. Yves was still featured on the Dauphine Libere cover. And Bam!
The contents of the file
Germaine Coty is stronger than Kate Middleton!
Sunday's story: Flights over the Alps
It is as important to be able to build an igloo in Vanoise and on the ice floe.
Sunday history: De Gaulle and isotopes, shutters closed, memories
