Recently, more than 100 people (men, women and children) were trapped, suspended 12,000 feet high, in an Alpine cable car incident.
A few were able to be rescued from the ground; about 30 souls spent a cold night until the lift was repaired the next day. However, about 60 people were rescued, while hanging in mid-air, by helicopter. This all occurred in view of the majestic Mont Blanc, the highest alpine summit in Europe at nearly 15,000 feet.
Always fascinated by the dramatic prospect of being rescued, I was curious as to how people trapped in mid-air could be safely transferred from a gondola into o hovering whirlybird. As usual, the internet provided the answer, and I spent a few hours watching a documentaries on YouTube.
Briefly, regarding the helicopter rescue, the cabs have a hatch in the ceiling. A rescuer can be lowered down onto the roof of the cab, helping to harness the passengers so they can be wrenched up into the helicopter, one-by-one.
Although 60 of the passengers were not able to be rescued the first day due to fog, the rescuers were able to provide emergency supplies so they could survive the night safely.
The Alpine rescue service is located in Chamonix, France, and is led by medical doctors who are expert mountaineers. I was surprised to learn that they perform, on average, 1,500 rescues a year, some of them body recovery operations. In the peak of the summer season, they may respond to 10 calls in one day, usually by helicopter, with a response time of less than fifteen minutes. Not to downplay the danger involved, rescuers have lost their lives.
The cable car lift offers a spectacular view of the iconic Mont Blanc — the highest peak in Western Europe — and makes the peak account accessible to more people. The cable line does not ascend the mountain, but rather is suspended between two nearby peaks, putting the summit of Mont Blanc in full, panoramic view. The result is virtually anyone can now have the vista of this storied peak; that is to say, the elderly, children, the disabled, are summoned to add this attraction to their “bucket list.”
Furthermore, Mont Blanc has the reputation of being a fairly easy climb. This may be true for experienced alpinists, or someone who is extremely fit and has the proper equipment. Instead, you’ll find young, inexperienced hikers in their T-shirts, shorts and tennis shoes attempting to scale a killer mountain, where the weather can change in an instant from sunny, to a raging storm. Travel brochures commercialize the site with terms such as “magical” and an “easy summer walk;” instead, it might be useful to picture one of the bodies encased in ice and disgorged decades later at the foot of the famous glacier.
One instance was related where a group of hikers asked to be rescued because they we’re “tired.” The rescue team told them they would have to walk down — being tired was part of mountain climbing. Tycoon Sir Richard Branson was also refused rescue, so he hired his own helicopter. At one point, the mayor of the town at the foot of Mont Blanc, Chamonix, declared that tourists were acting as though it were an “amusement park.” Certainly, this response was an exception, but some rescues may not be completely necessary, as with parties lacking any experience or proper gear and requesting rescue. This being said, the number of brutal deaths on Mont Blanc would be shocking.
Mountains represent an attractive danger to mountain climbers, experienced to novice, from all over the world. Mount Everest climber, Sir Edmund Hillary, famously answered the question about what compelled him to even attempt to scale the world’s highest mountain, with “Because it’s there.”
Rescuers seem to suffer from a similar compulsion — relationship between rescuers and those they rescue is fascinating and complex. Life is dangerous, and that people will intentionally or foolishly put themselves at risk is one thing, but what about the rescuers? Do they have a choice? Rescuers take it as a given, they will go to the rescue whenever possible. Why? Because.
This account of the Alpine rescue team relates the story of rescuers worldwide. Mt. Rainer and Mt. Washington in the U.S. have similar histories. Recently, our National Park Service, after changes were made to accommodate more visitors, has now increased the number of areas that are restricted.
In the face of what a rescue must cost, the days of searching sometimes with helicopters and airplanes, it should be a practice to have visitors at least undergo a registration process which includes inspection of the equipment and supplies they have with them before they venture into an area. This and other procedures could protect both the visitors and the rescuers. Additionally, new thought should be given to making wilderness and dangerous areas increased access.
