The Haut Giffre ultra-trail, launched Friday night from Samoëns (Haute-Savoie), turned into a nightmare for the participants. The terrain had been made impassable due to the downpours that fell in the area, and a 52-year-old man ended up dying after a fall. Three others were injured, including two seriously “but without a life-threatening condition,” Bonneville public prosecutor Karline Bouisset said on Saturday.
On Sunday, one of the participants gave a chilling testimony in the columns of Parisian. David Varlez, a very experienced 46-year-old trail runner, had never experienced such hell. “I have already done several ultra-trails in the mountains where the conditions were terrible. We know that nature can be harsh with rain, wind and cold. But this Saturday, it was beyond belief, the paths had transformed into torrents,” he says.
Clicking on” I accept “you accept the deposit of cookies by external services and will thus have access to the content of our partners.
More information on the Cookie management policy page
I accept
David was in the front row when the fatal accident occurred, around 4 a.m., on a very steep descent. “I saw the victims fall before my eyes and disappear into the darkness of the void. It was pitch black. It was the first time in my life that I was afraid of dying,” he says. He describes a descent which had transformed into an “ice rink”, with the addition of terrain degraded by the passage of competitors from another race, a little earlier. The rope installed to help runners pass was not enough to ensure safety.
“Everyone was slipping, skidding, ending up on their butts. Chaos. People were screaming. I really thought I was going to pass there. » Shortly after, the race was stopped. “I was starting to feel very cold. We had to continue to descend, losing altitude to find a sheltered and safe place,” continues David. Many people were treated for hypothermia, according to the prefecture, which mentioned the difficult conditions of care by the PGHM (High Mountain gendarmerie platoon) and the Sdis (departmental fire and rescue service) due to the sector, located at altitude, and difficult weather conditions.
Open investigation
The investigation, opened for “search for the causes of death” and “endangering the lives of others” was entrusted to the Bonneville Research Brigade with the support of the PGHM of Chamonix. It must “shed light on the precise circumstances of these accidents and establish or rule out possible criminal liability”.
“The mandatory equipment requested by the organizers was not sufficient to face this extreme weather,” said the witness. But I don’t want to blame them too much, they didn’t expect rain of this intensity on this passage. » He says he is “shocked” by what he saw and experienced, but will not stop him from “doing trail races again”, he assures.
