He could hardly believe it himself
A mountain climber that climbed Mont Blanc in 2013 discovered a surprise on the mountain. Most mountain climbers are satisfied with just the view that they’re rewarded with for their enormous effort, but they wouldn’t have passed up this discovery either. Imagine you decide to take on the enormous challenge of climbing Mont Blanc.
The mountain in the Alps is the second tallest in Europe, so you have to be prepared for an extensive physical effort. If you succeed, you can bask in the glory of being one of the select few climbers who have made it to the peak of this mountain.
This mountain climber, who wishes to remain anonymous, went home with more than just a good story and special memory. What he discovered on the mountain was something that nobody had ever seen. And according to experts, it had been hidden under the snow for years. This mountain climber’s story would be heard around the world…
Mont Blanc
The Mont Blanc, at 4807 meters high, is the second tallest mountain in Europe. Only Mount Elbrus, in the Caucasus, a mountain range in Russia, reaches higher than the most famous mountain of the Alps. The mountain’s name means “white mountain”: a logical name seeing as the top of the mountain is permanently covered in a layer of snow.
The peak of Mont Blanc was first reached on August 8th, 1786 by Jacques Balmat and Michel Paccard. Since then, numerous mountain climbers have followed the two to the top. Every year around 30,000 people take a shot at reaching the peak. The mountain is known for being extremely dangerous.
Not every attempt ends well…
The mountain climber
While 30,000 people per year may try to the reach the peak of Mont Blanc, not everyone has a happy ending. As far as we know, around 1400 mountain climbers have died on their way to the top. When climbing the mountain, you run the risk of being taken over by an avalanche. There are also often heavy storms in the higher regions of the Alps.
In the summer of 2008 alone, 100 mountain climbers lost their lives while trying to reach the top. It’s especially dangerous in the summer because of how busy it is. Around 200 people per day reach the peak in the summer months.
But none of them discovered what this anonymous mountain climber did…
Eight years of waiting
It makes sense that the person who made this special discovery wants to remain anonymous. If his (or her) identity was made known, it may bring unwanted attention. Not everyone was happy about this mountain climber’s discovery. Some people say that he should have left it alone. Due to the sensitive nature of this find, it took French authorities 8 years to release it.
The mountain climber who made the surprise discovery had to wait from 2013 until December of 2021 for the ever-so-slow bureaucratic system to come to a decision. But once the decision was made, the mountain climber must have been overjoyed! Curious to know what the discovery was?
The mountain climber discovered something in 2013 that made headlines everywhere. During his arduous journey to the top, while fighting the cold winds, something caught his eye that he never expected to see this high up. No, what he discovered was not meant to be on a mountain.
When the man examined the find more closely, his initial hunch was confirmed. This belonged in a museum, not covered in snow on Mont Blanc. How had nobody noticed this? Had some mountaineer dropped this here? Or maybe even hidden it? The mountain climber must have had many questions, because his find was very special.