On Sunday, Peter Saunders, 48 and his 12 year old son, Charlie were found dead in the Chamonix valley in the French Alps. They were walking a route up to La Jonction when they got into difficulties on Saturday afternoon. The path they were attempting to trek is one which is extremely popular with hikers in the summer months but is said to only be able to be attempted by hikers with climbing gear in the winter. Crampons are recommended when attempting this route and sadly the two Britons were only wearing standard hiking boots. The area around Mont Blanc massif claims the lives of approximately 100 people each year, due to dangerous and unpredictable conditions.
The accident is thought to have happened after Charlie slipped in the ice and snow conditions on the treacherous route and fell down a gully. Following Charlie’s fall his father called the emergency services and attempted to rescue him. However, it is reported that he too fell as he was attempting to give a location to the rescue teams. Attempts were made to trace the phone signal to give a location of the pair but these failed and helicopter rescue was launched. Their location was ascertained after emergency services managed to contact Peter’s wife in the UK who gave them details of the plans the pair had. She also forwarded a picture message which had been sent to her from Peter’s mobile phone which was used to decipher their approximate location at the time of the accident. They had recovered his wife’s number after consulting with every French telephone companies which resulted in them being able to compile a list of numbers Peter had dialled in the previous 24 hours.
Father and son were found together on the following day, just over 100 feet apart on a glacier. Statements have been released by Charlie’s school and their family saying the pair will be “sorely missed” by both friends and family. The trip Peter and Charlie were taking was intended a long weekend of walking and skiing – some quality father son time. It is incredibly devastating that their holiday ended in tragedy. There will be investigations conducted into the incident but it is currently accepted that their deaths are the result of a tragic accident. The British Foreign Office have been providing support for the family following the accident.