The day-trippers who risk death on Mont Blanc

Captain Stéphane Bozon was very clear yesterday about what caused the deaths this week of four people, including one Briton, on Mont Blanc. He said: "I'm afraid it was just stupidity. They had nothing with them. The sort of clothing you might put on for a summer rain storm. We see this every year."

The officer in the Gendarmerie de Haute Montagne, based in the French Alpine resort of Chamonix, speaks with authority about the perils of Europe's highest mountain, which claims about a dozen lives every year.

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Every summer, rescue teams on the French and Italian sides of Mont Blanc deal with up to 800 calls a day as thousands of climbers swarm over the 4,808-metre (15,774ft) mountain. A decade ago there were 25 emergency calls a day.

Mountaineering organisations insist that most climbers are well prepared and accompanied by guides where required. But according to rescue workers across Europe, increasing numbers of mountaineering "day-trippers" are leading to more deaths and injuries on the peaks.

In Britain, the number of deaths on mountains has increased by almost half in the past five years, while the number of incidents attended by mountain rescue teams has risen by more than 20 per cent. Colleagues of the Briton Mark Emerson, 30, who was described as a "brilliant" engineer and lecturer, would not recognise the description of him as a reckless risk-taker. He was an enthusiastic and experienced amateur climber who, friends said, did not like to take unnecessary chances.

But as temperatures plunged to minus 15C and icy winds blew at 75mph on Mont Blanc's Aiguille de Bionnassay on Monday night, the fatal errors that he and three others, including his New Zealand girlfriend Jane Jerram, had committed must have been horribly clear. As the group sat stranded in a blizzard at an altitude of 4,052 metres, rescue teams beneath them could only listen in vain to their desperate mobile phone calls pleading for help.

The climbers, who also included a French woman and a Chilean woman, had no tent or even a spade with which to dig a snow hole for shelter and had ignored a weather forecast which warned of severe weather two days before they started their expedition at 3am on Monday.

As the weather closed in, the group progressed less than 600 metres in seven hours from the mountain refuge where they had spent three days acclimatising.

Their bodies were eventually retrieved on Tuesday afternoon after conditions improved enough for rescue parties to reach their last known location.

Capt Bozon said: "They were focused on this mythical climb and did not take into consideration the weather reports. Their responsibility is total. They were not dressed appropriately for this altitude. They died from a combination of lack of experience, cold, exhaustion and the altitude."

The deaths brought the number of mountaineering deaths to seven in the last four days. Two more climbers died elsewhere in the Alps and a British mountaineer was killed in Greenland on Wednesday. Chris Polden, 30, from Greater Manchester, died when he was caught in an avalanche while taking part in a charity climb.

Experts said the growth in popularity of outdoor pursuits, in which enthusiasts often spend large sums on a holiday to reach a peak, had led people to believe that they could complete a difficult climb without the necessary experience.

Survival tips

* Always go well equipped. Walking boots are essential along with warm and windproof clothing and waterproofs that can withstand extreme conditions. Bring a tent or "bivvy bag" and, where necessary, a spade to dig through snow.

* Climbing enthusiasts should join a local mountaineering club and inexperienced climbers are advised to use a guide on difficult peaks. Take a navigation course.

* Bring extra food and warm drinks.

* Plan the route before departure and leave a copy with friends or family. Phone base regularly and give an immediate alert when delayed. Each member of the party should have a map and compass.

* Always check the weather forecast prior to departure and time the route. Allow one hour for every 2.5 miles plus another hour for every 450 metres of ascent.

* Carry a mobile phone and spare battery. In an emergency, dial 999 and ask for police or mountain rescue.