French authorities are calling for police to enforce fines against climbers who attempt to scale Mont Blanc without proper clothing and equipment.

The move follows a series of deaths and accidents on Europe’s highest mountain. Earlier this month, a Hungarian woman and her nine-year-old twins were helicoptered off the peak by mountain rescuers. Jean-Marc Peillex, mayor of Saint-Gervais, from where many Mont Blanc climbers set off, issued a local decree taking “immediate effect” last week warning that hikers would face fines if they were not adequately equipped to tackle the 4,810m (15,774ft) peak. Now, he is asking the French government to send more gendarmes up into the mountains to enforce the rules. His list of required equipment for those taking a local route known as the “royal path” up Mont Blanc include a hat, sunglasses, ski mask, climbing shoes and warm wind-proof jacket. Peillex said the decree, which will be posted on mountain paths in French, English, German and Russian, was a “rap over the knuckles” for the “hotheads, who refuse to listen to advice”.(theguardian)…[+]