British hiker falls 160ft to his death on Mont Blanc

A British man in his 50s died in a fall Sunday while hiking near the foot of France’s tallest mountain Mont Blanc, police in the Chamonix region said Monday.

The hiker was taking a difficult track near the Bionnassay glacier, the smallest on the French side of the Mont-Blanc massif, at a spot known as Nid d’Aigle (Eagle’s Nest).

He fell around 160 feet (50 metres) and was killed instantly, emergency responders said.

His identity has not yet been revealed. 

Mont Blanc is western Europe’s highest mountain at 4,800 metres and attracts 20,000 hikers and skiers every year.

But the mountain’s popularity poses a growing security and environmental challenge, local officials have warned.

Melting snow is believed to trigger avalanches and warmer temperatures in recent years have melted the ground ice and made the most popular routes more vulnerable to rock falls.

Last August, authorities closed down two popular mountain shelters used by Mont Blanc climbers because of potentially deadly drought-related rockfalls.

Jean-Marc Peillex, a local mayor, said at the time that conditions were so dangerous that climbers should pay a £12,640 deposit to cover rescue costs.