Climbing Can Kill–Patrick Berhault: Regular TWC readers are familiar with Patrick Berhault and Philippe Magnin, the two French climbers who were well into a supreme challenge: climbing all 82 4,000 meter peaks in the Alps in 82 days. Unfortunately, the supreme challenge exacted a supreme price. Here’s the preliminary report. On Wednesday, as Magnin and Berhault were headed up the Taschorn (4491 meters), their 66th peak, a cornice collapsed at 4400 meters and knocked Berhault off the mountain (Explorer’s Web has the accident happening on the Dom). Magnin and Berhault were not roped together at the time, and Berhault fell about 600 meters. In severe weather, Magnin lost sight of Berhault and was later helicoptered off the mountain. A search was launched first thing Thursday, and Berhault’s body was found at 3800 meters. So no jokes, no funny pictures. Just a silent salute to a good climber, who died doing what he loved to do, and was close to knocking off one of the most creative and demanding Alpine climbing challenges ever devised. Should Magnin continue in Berhault’s honor? TWC says “yes”…



Patrick Berhault, 47 years: “Go for it, Philippe. Finish what we set out to do….”