For weeks, under a bright sun, he stared at mountaineers at the height of his 4810 m without anyone being able to climb it because of coronavirus. And at a time when the first mountain races are finally re-authorized, Mont-Blanc decided this Saturday afternoon to play spoilsports by confining itself behind an impenetrable bar of clouds. Soon, however, the first ropes will once again attack the roof of Europe. For elected officials in the valley, this is the perfect time to reflect on what they no longer want to see at the top.
While a Briton distinguished himself last year by abandoning a rower behind him, the Swiss landed there by plane and tourists basked in a jacuzzi, the Prefect of Haute-Savoie and the mayors de Saint-Gervais, Chamonix and Les Houches decided to whistle for the end of recess.
This Monday, they will be meeting alongside environmental protection associations to study a draft decree aimed at better regulating access and activities at the heart of this exceptional site. This 19-page document, which we have been able to consult, aims to create within a few months a protection zone where everything will no longer be allowed.
Concert and promotion campaign
It will henceforth be “forbidden to land except for refueling refuges and carrying out authorized work”, to transport material “other than that strictly necessary for alpine progression”, to “deploy banners”, to “put down flags "or" to organize sporting or festive events ".
Commercial operations such as this mini-concert filmed in which the singer Zaz had participated or this table set up by a restaurant owner in the valley to promote him are therefore finished. "Today, Mont-Blanc is certainly a classified site where it is forbidden to build anything but you can walk there naked if you want, go up with your dog or have your photo taken with your cello “Fulminates the mayor of Saint-Gervais, Jean-Marc Peillex.
It was he who, in September, had written down the President of the Republic to demand a law sanctioning "the delusions of the unconscious". In February, Emmanuel Macron came to meet local elected officials and promised that new rules would be enacted to protect Mont-Blanc. A site that attracts more than 20,000 mountaineers and up to 500 summit candidates every day!
State and elected officials want sanctions
The decree concocted by the prefect and the elected officials deplores this "overcrowding". Noting "numerous acts of incivility" and "abandoning rubbish" in places supposed to be immaculate, the state and elected officials want to now provide sanctions for those who do not comply with the environmental code .
Newsletter - The essentials of the news
Every morning, the news seen by Le ParisienI'm registering
Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to allow you to receive our news and commercial offers. Find out more
"Since 2003, I have been trying to make the list of things to prohibit but the simplest is to remember what we have the right to do and that we have practiced for generations: namely mountaineering, paragliding and skiing, underlines Jean-Marc Peillex. So there is no question of mounting a piano or putting down your plane. In consultation for six months from Monday, this order should be effective for next season. In the meantime in mid-2021 a second reflection on the "outrageous" overflights of the massif by helicopter.
