Press
A mountaineer from Italy lost his life in a serious accident on Mont Blanc. He had set out on a very special mountaineering tour.
Aosta – Climbing the summit of Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps at around 4,800 metres, from the Mediterranean: that was the goal of 50-year-old mountaineer Michele Raule from the Italian municipality of San Lazarro near Bologna.
Meanwhile, rescue workers have issued a warning for a Mont Blanc route. Raule died on his mountaineering tour. This is reported by several Italian media outlets.
Mountaineer slips and falls into crevasse on Mont Blanc
The tragic accident occurred late on Sunday afternoon (July 14). Raule was at an altitude of around 3,000 metres with his brother and two other climbers when he slipped on a snowfield while crossing a ravine, according to the Italian daily Future writes. The engineer fell into a crevasse near the Gonella refuge.
The Aosta Valley mountain rescue team was only able to recover Raule’s body from this particularly difficult-to-reach spot the following day. According to media reports, the victim leaves behind a wife, two daughters and a son. Almost exactly a year ago, the rescue of a mountaineer from Bavaria on Mont Blanc was delayed.
From the Mediterranean to Mont Blanc: by bike, on foot and without sleep
On 23 June, Raule announced his mountaineering tour on Facebook and also seemed a little awed: “On July 12th I will attempt a feat that is extreme for me: from the sea to the summit of Mont Blanc, without sleeping, using only my legs. But it is not certain that I will succeed.”
He set off on the day in question at five in the morning from Genoa on his planned 300-kilometer journey to Mont Blanc. He was aiming for 30 hours. He then left the bike at the foot of the mountain in the Italian Aosta Valley and planned to complete the last of the total of around 7,000 meters of altitude on foot. That would have been another 15 kilometers to the summit.
Five countries, four summits: Mont Blanc mountaineer used tours to raise funds
In 2022, the experienced mountaineer Raule decided to climb the highest mountains in Italy, Slovenia, Austria, France and Switzerland. But with his project “Four Peaks for Five Countries” he not only wanted to pursue his passion for hiking and climbing, but also use the media reach of the venture to raise funds for children with cancer. The final was planned for 2025, as Future reported.
The association for the help of children and young people with cancer in Bologna, Ageop, which Raule’s 2024 appeal for donations was aimed at, showed up at its Home dismayed: “We are shocked and saddened by the tragic death of Michele Raule. He was a courageous and generous person who won us over with his passion for the mountains, for heights, for the challenges of cycling and hiking.”
Great horror in Bologna: People mourn the fallen Mont Blanc climber
People in his hometown are also mourning. Future quotes a community member as saying: “He achieved the fullness of life by doing what he loved most. A great mountain lover and expert, he pushed himself to the limit, always keeping an eye on the environment and one on the weakest.”
A prayer hour for Raule was held in the parish church of San Lazzaro on Tuesday (16 July). He will be buried on Friday (19 July), as The Republic writes. The mountain massif repeatedly claims victims. In the recent past, masses of glacial ice hit a German couple on Mont Blanc. (pls)
#Mountaineer #falls #death #Mont #Blanc #wanted #raise #money #children #cancer