A mountaineer who disappeared on March 10 in a series of avalanches near the Cirque de Gavarnie, in the Hautes-Pyrénées, was found dead on Sunday, we learned Monday from the high mountain gendarmerie platoon (PGHM).
The gendarmes took advantage of a favorable weather window on Sunday to continue the search and find the body of this 31-year-old ski instructor.
This Landais, originally from Saint-Geours-de-Maremne, had disappeared during an avalanche, while he was climbing an icefall, specifies France Bleu.
Two other avalanches followed, disrupting the work of rescuers who arrived on site.
The risk of avalanche
"He was found in the axis of the avalanche but far enough from the rock wall, he was really swept away," said PGHM commander Jean-Marc Bougy, who coordinated the search with the mountain section of the CRS of Lannemezan (Hautes-Pyrénées).
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The search was complicated by unfavorable weather conditions, including heavy snowfall in the high mountains.
"The major risk was the over-avalanche, we had to work with the forecasters and limit the time of presence to the best hours of the day", explains Jean-Marc Bougy.
Two gendarmes from the PGHM had been buried by snow during the search, but had been able to get out.
The ice climber's rope companion had escaped before being recovered by the rescuers.
