Mont Blanc is also bearing the brunt of the drought.
Two refuges on the way to the ascent have been closed in the face of the potential danger of falling rocks, the mayor of Saint-Gervais (Haute-Savoie) announced on Friday.
"Today, we see mountaineers all day who go to the massif, permanently, as if we were at Disneyland or Parc Astérix", indignant Jean-Marc Peillex, mayor of Saint-Gervais, commune of the summit of Mont Blanc.
While the ascent has been discouraged since mid-July, "many" Alpines ignore the recommendations and go anyway to the highest peak in Western Europe.
"They don't care, they don't care about us, the gendarmes, and that's why we decided to close the Goûter (120 places) and the Tête rousse (74 places) refuges as well as the camp base which authorizes between 40 and 50 camps, ”explains the mayor, confirming information from the Dauphiné Libéré.
A particularly dangerous climb
This decision was taken because of the danger posed by the ascent of Mont-Blanc for several weeks given the drought, the heat wave period and the heavy rockfalls that this causes, according to the village councilor.
“We are heading towards a disaster”, warns the mayor of this town of 5,700 inhabitants, and “the passage of the Goûter corridor represents a real danger of death”, he insists.
In agreement with the guardians of the refuges, the president of the guides of Saint-Gervais and the prefecture, this measure will be in force until "the conditions return to normal".
“But with today's weather forecast, we know that it won't be before the beginning of September,” concludes Mayor Saint-Gervolain.
On Wednesday, Jean-Marc Peillex announced his intention to demand a deposit of 15,000 euros from mountaineers who go against the recommendations, based on the average cost of a mountain rescue operation and the prices charged by the undertakers, although he has no way of legally requesting it.