Vallée Blanche fortuitous crevasse rescue

The Vallée Blanche is one of the most sought-after off-piste ski routes in the entire Mont Blanc massif, better still, it’s one of the greatest off piste descents in the entire world. With its 2500m vertical descent spread out for 20 km down the Mer de Glace glacier, it passes below huge granite peaks and within an environment of incomparable beauty. Although this landscape is truly unique, it masks hidden dangers that cannot be underestimated, first and foremost the countless crevasses often insidiously covered below a thin layer of snow.

This interesting video documents and extremely fortuitous rescue operation that took place about 4 years ago; two skiers fell into a crevasse on the Mer de Glace and were rescued by French alpinist and member of the Chamonix-based PGHM (Peloton de Gendarmerie de Haute Montagne) Jeff Mercier and his team.

The details provided by Mercier paint an unbelievable picture: the first skier fell about 20m down into the crevasse, his friend then took his skis off to help him but also fell into the void. Obviously there’s no phone reception down there and it was actually the hotel that raised the alarm late in the afternoon when the skiers failed to return. The French mountain rescue were immediately alerted but had no indication whatsoever about where to search. As luck had it, during the reconnaissance flight the rescuers spotted one of the abandoned skis next to the gaping crevasse...

The rescue operation proved drawn out and complex but fortunately the two skiers - recognised as being good skiers but inexperienced on this type of high mountain terrain - came away with nothing more that a broken leg. It goes without saying that it’s highly recommended to only venture into this sort of terrain with a qualified mountain guide.