Long Day in Chamonix

The "Vincendon and Henry tragedy"

In December 1956, together with his client Silvano Gheser, Bonatti attempted a winter ascent of the Pear Route on the Brenva side of Monte Blanc. During the approach they met two climbers, the French Jean Vincendon and the Belgian François Henry, en route to the nearby Brenva Spur, a climb of medium difficulty . Both parties started their respective climbs at 4am on Christmas Day in clear sunny conditions. After a few hours, ice conditions on Bonatti's climb deteriorated dangerously and he and Gheser were forced to seek a safe exit up the Brenva Spur where Jean Vincendon and François Henry were climbing. The two parties continued the climb on different, but parallel, lines. Close to the end of the climb at 4pm, Bonatti's party was around 100 metres (330 ft) higher. In the meantime with the approach of darkness a strong storm began. The two parties were forced to make an unplanned bivouac at 4,100 metres (13,500 ft), but could not keep up a vocal and visual link.

Bonatti, managed to pass the night unharmed but his companion Gheser started to suffer from frostbite to one foot. On the 26 December Bonatti and Gheser descended 100 metres (330 ft) lower to join the other party. The four climbers continued the climb together and arrived on the Brenva Col. From there two options were possible: descend directly to Chamonix crossing a section of unstable and avalanche prone snow or summit Mont Blanc and descend the normal route in order to find shelter in the Vallot Hut. Bonatti decided to take the second option, the safest but also the longest and more painful because it required the four men to gain 500 metres (1,600 ft) of elevation in a winter storm. Bonatti pushed the men to climb as fast as possible because he realised time was limited because Gheser's feet and hands were suffering from severe frostbite (later in the valley he would have some fingers amputated). They arrived at the Vallot Hut when night had already fallen.

In the meantime Vincendon's party decided, 200 metres (660 ft) from the summit of Mont Blanc, to turn back and head directly to Chamonix, but the arrival of darkness forced them to spend the night in a crevasse at 4,600 metres (15,100 ft). Bonatti and Gheser left the Vallot Hut on the 27 December, descended the Italian side of Mont Blanc and arrived to the Gonella Hut where on the 30 December a team of alpine guides arrived to rescue them.

Vincendon and Henry, in the meantime were totally exhausted and frostbitten and waited in the crevasse to be rescued but the bad weather prevented a successful operation. Multiple attempts to save the climbers were made (including an helicopter sent to rescue the party but crashing on the glacier) but they all proved useless. Both climbers died of cold after 10 days exposure. The bodies were recovered only in March 1957. The events that marked this tragedy triggered changes in mountain rescue techniques and procedures in France.

"In the house of pain, we were chained together searching for our truth, beyond good and evil". This quote from Nietzsche inspired Andy Parkin and Mark Twight, the openers of this mixed climbing route on l'Aiguille des Pèlerins, that became a benchmark. True "mixed" climbing, without enough ice for even one screw on the first successful attempt. Listed extremely difficult, North oriented, this route was appealing for François Damilano and François Marsigny, the repeaters of the route.
Last winter, it was time for the up-and-coming generation, represented by Marion Poitevin and Sébastien Ratel to meet the challenge. Three duos, three experiences, three encounters… echoing the Trilogy alpine series