Macron pledges to save Mont Blanc.

[cajal]

Looming municipal elections  can prompt 'grandstanding'.  Smoke and mirrors to deflect from the pension reforms disaster?  Cynical, moi?

On the other hand the world is full of idiots.

"l’atterrissage d’un avion de tourisme non loin du sommet pour que deux

alpinistes suisses n’aient plus qu’à gravir les derniers mètres, un

Britannique qui avait monté un rameur sans réussir à le redescendre, des

Lettons qui avaient tenté de monter un mât de 10 mètres pour y faire

flotter leur drapeau… Les autorités ont également décidé de rendre

obligatoire la réservation en refuge, pour lutter contre les bivouacs

sauvages."

I do admit to a certain bias towards the lump of granite (Mont Blanc not Macron) as our original home was located on the other side of the valley looking directly onto the Mont.

Full article Here

[mint]

Cajal, I couldn't access your article about Mt Blanc.  I agree about the "idiots", including the one, Griveaux, that appears on your link!

Mt Blanc is a difficult subject to be dogmatic about.  It is indeed beautiful but it is a victim of its own success like many other distinctive and beautiful places in the world.  When I did the tour de MB (over 10 years ago), the path was very eroded in many places.  And now with the generation of selfie takers, it is under greater threat than ever.

If you manage to find that article again, I wouldn't mind having a read of it, thanks.

[idun]

There always were idiots who went up Mont Blanc when we lived there and simply into the mountains in general.

Nothing changes.

We could see Mont Blanc from our village, and our friends bought us a spectacular big framed photo of it, which is now in my kitchen.

https://www.thenational.scot/news/18230374.mountain-rescue-team-grateful-support-ben-nevis-rescue/

Should these people just be in the Darwin Awards, although I suppose that some poor soul would have to get their bodies down at some point.......

The thing that angers me most is that the rescuers risk their lives unnecessarily. Anyone even well equipped can have an accident, that would be understandable.

edit, I couldn't open the link either, I took it they needed rescuing?

[cajal]

Le Monde article

It worked when I checked it.

[idun]

Cajal posted: 

l’atterrissage d’un avion de tourisme non loin du sommet pour que deux

alpinistes suisses n’aient plus qu’à gravir les derniers mètres, un

Britannique qui avait monté un rameur sans réussir à le redescendre, des

Lettons qui avaient tenté de monter un mât de 10 mètres pour y faire

flotter leur drapeau… Les autorités ont également décidé de rendre

obligatoire la réservation en refuge, pour lutter contre les bivouacs

sauvages."

confused Cajal as I can open the last link, but it doesn't seem to be about the above.

I remember the first time I drove to Chamonix in summer and passed the glacier next to the main road and wonder what on earth would happen if that avalanched, suddenly fell down or whatever the term would be if millions of tons of ice gave way.

The vallee de Mont Blanc is one of the worst places to live in France for pollution. And it is so beautiful there, when there is no smog.

[alittlebitfrench]

Bit late Mr Macron...it has pretty much melted.

Chamonix (where he stayed) is very much owned by the Brits and Russians anyway.

Is it worth saving ?