What if you were skiing with some friends out in the Chamonix backcountry? What if you saw 40 tracks leading into a ski-route you knew was there but perhaps hadn’t skied before? Would you ski it? What if the weather is now starting to deteriorate? What if the route suddenly becomes obscured by avalanche debris and to carry on down means unknown territory.

What if it’s starting to get slightly late in the day? What if you carry on and the terrain goes against you. What if you start having to abseil down some cliffs and it’s starting to feel sketchy? Both weather and darkness are closing in now and suddenly you’re stuck on a tiny ledge above a cliff that’s far too high for your rope.

Who are you gonna call? The PGHM (Peloton de Gendarmerie de Haute Montagne) of course

+33450536351

put the number in your phone now.

If this sounds like a situation that could just happen, that’s because it did. Although there are a few factual errors in this article from the Haute Savoie Dauphine, it was a very real emergency situation to a group of Chamonix skiers this week.

A Chamonix based musician close to one of the skiers sums up everyone’s heartfealt thanks to the PGHM in this song …..

“With heartfelt thanks to the PGHM for saving my friends.
Apologies to Gary Bigham, John McGrath, Andy Martin and Emmanuel Duffeal.”
TimSki