IFMGA Guide Russell Braddock Killed In Avalanche On Mont Blanc du Tacul Near Chamonix While Freeskiing| Avalanche Triggered By Two Members Of PGHM Chamonix
Mont Blanc du Tacul, France – At approximately 11:30 AM on Monday, June 20, 2016 IFMGA mountain guide Russell Braddock from New Zealand was killed in an avalanche on Mont Blanc du Tacul in the French Alps near Chamonix in the Haute-Savoie region of France.
The avalanche was triggered by two gendarmes from the PGHM Chamonix (High Mountain Gendarmerie Platoon). The soldiers, who are both mountain guides, were climbing Mont Blanc du Tacul (4248 meters) as part of a regular training exercise when they triggered the slab avalanche at approximately 3,900 meters.
The avalanche ran approximately 600 meters. It caught both of the gendarmes and also caught Braddock, a solo ski tourer from New Zealand who was ascending below them. Mountain rescue responded, but they were unable to revive Braddock who was found in cardiac arrest. He was pronounced dead on the scene. The two soldiers were taken to the hospital in Sallanches. They were rattled and shocked, but uninjured.
An investigation will examine the cause of this avalanche fatality. If the two gendarmes who triggered the avalanche are found guilty of manslaughter, they could face up to 3 years in prison and a 45000 euro fine.
According to FranceBleu.fr, the avalanche victim is a well-known New Zealand mountain guide based in Chamonix, France. NZHerald.co.nz confirms that the avalanche victim is IFMGA mountain guide Russell Braddock, age 60. Find a list of Braddock’s mountain accomplishments at AdventureConsultants.com.
This is the first avalanche fatality in the French Alps of the 2016 summer season. It is the same spot were nine people died in an avalanche on Mont Blanc du Tacul in 2012.
We will try to update this post as more information becomes available.
There is a video of the avalanche on Mont Blanc du Tacul on NZHerald.co.nz and on YouTube.
Read more about the avalanche on Mont Blanc du Tacul that killed IFMGA guide Russell Braddock from these sources:
- 20Minutes.fr
- NZHerald.co.nz
- LaDepeche.fr
- France3Alps
- FranceBleu.fr
- RTL.fr
- ANENA.org
- TheLocal.fr
- NZHerald.co.nz
