Tributes paid to British mountaineers who perished in Alps avalancheReported by Metro.co.uk on Friday, 13 July 2012 (on July 13, 2012)
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*Foreign secretary William Hague has led tributes to the climbers who died in the Mont Blanc avalanche near Chamonix yesterday, including top British mountaineers Roger Payne, John Taylor and Steve Barber.
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Mountaineer Ed Douglas said Roger Payne was 'one of the safest climbers I knew' (Picture: www.rogerpayne.info)
The avalanche that swept the three Britons to their deaths in the French Alps may have been triggered by a climber dislodging a piece of ice.
Nine people, including Mr Payne, former general secretary of the British Mountaineering Council were killed by the ‘catastrophic’ avalanche yesterday morning.
Mr Payne, originally from west London, had made first-ascents in four continents and more than 20 expeditions to high and difficult peaks in Asia and North and South America, according to his website.
Gendarmes use blankets to hide victims of an avalanche at Chamonix rescue base (Picture: AP)
He had been working as a consultant and mountain guide since 2005.
The current chief executive of the British Mountaineering Council, Dave Turnbull, said mountaineers worldwide were 'shocked and saddened' to learn of Mr Payne's death.
'Roger was one of the UK's most enthusiastic and respected climbers with a track record of Alpine and Himalayan mountaineering stretching back to the 1980s,' he said.
'Our thoughts are with Roger's friends and family - in particular his wife, Julie-Ann.'
Brits John Taylor and Steve Barber were also among the dead, while a further 11 people were injured in the avalanche, near the popular ski resort of Chamonix.
An avalanche in the French Alps swept six European climbers to their deaths on a slope leading to Mont Blanc (Picture: AP)
Mr Hague offered his deepest condolence to the family and friends of the Britons, saying: 'We will offer whatever support and assistance we can. I would also like to thank the French rescue services for their efforts in these difficult circumstances.
The Britons were among 28 climbers roped together on Mont Maudit when a sheet of snow and ice crashed down at speeds of up to 65kph (40mph).
The climbers were already 4,000m (13,120ft) up Mont Maudit – which translates as ‘cursed mountain’ – when a block of ice 40cm (15in) thick broke off, creating a deadly mass of snow 2m deep and 50m long.
Emergency services were alerted at about 5.25am after an injured climber raised the alarm on his mobile phone.
Dozens of police officers worked to pull the dead and injured from the snow, helped by two helicopters.
French rescue workers arrive at a helicopter landing area after the avalanche (Picture: AP)
Three Germans, two Spaniards and a Swiss were among the other fatalities.
As the authorities said they would continue searching for bodies today, French interior minister Manuel Valls visited the site, described by adventurers as ‘a popular but perilous route to the top of Mont Blanc’.
British mountaineer Jason Smith yesterday said he felt ‘lucky to be alive’ after abandoning a charity climb at the end of last week.
The 42-year-old, who was in a party of five, said: ‘We saw the conditions and decided to leave it for another day. Thank God we did.’
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