Climbing
Chamonix’s climbing community is mourning the loss of Christophe Jacquemoud, a veteran mountain guide and teacher at France’s prestigious National Ski and Mountaineering School (ENSA), who died Friday, September 12, in the afternoon during a safety operation on one of the world’s most iconic peaks.
The accident occurred around 5 p.m. on September 12 in the Grands Charmoz, part of the famed Chamonix Aiguilles. Jacquemoud, an experienced high-mountain guide, was working with a team of four others to re-equip the Cordier pillar, a classic climbing route. According to initial reports, he fell during one of the final rappel stages of the operation, suspended only by a rope.
Three other ENSA trainers and a member of the High Mountain Gendarmerie Platoon (PGHM) of Chamonix were on the route with him but were unable to intervene. They were later flown safely back to the valley. A gendarmerie investigation has been opened to determine the precise causes and circumstances of the fall.
The Grands Charmoz is a 3,445-meter high granite needle in the Mont Blanc Massif above Chamonix. It is a prominent feature in the famous Charmoz-Grépon traverse and is a significant site in the history of alpinism. The first successful ascent of Grands Charmoz was completed by Alexander Burger, Albert Frederick Mummery, and Benedikt Venetz who summited on the northwest side on July 15, 1880. The northwest ridge is known as a technically challenging route, which requires significant experience.
ENSA confirmed that Jacquemoud had been on official duty at the time of the accident. The work — part of a coordinated effort involving France’s leading mountain safety and rescue institutions—was aimed at maintaining and modernizing climbing infrastructure on heavily used alpine routes. The goal, officials said, is to improve safety on peaks increasingly affected by rockfall, erosion, and other hazards linked to climate change.
“These collective operations to redevelop routes at the service of mountaineers and the mountain community are carried out in consultation with the PGHM, CNISAG, CNEAS, EMHM, the Chamoniarde, the Chamonix Guides Company, and municipal services,” ENSA said in a statement. “They are intended to contribute to global safety on emblematic and frequented peaks and races, when they are particularly impacted by the effects of climate change.”
Jacquemoud was widely respected within the alpine community and his death leaves a gaping hole at ENSA. Originally from Saint-Nicolas de Véroce, he initially a ski instructor at the ESF of Chamonix, before working in ENSA’s alpine ski department from where he moved to the mountaineering faculty, where he spent many years training new generations of guides. He was also an active member of the storied Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix, the world’s oldest guiding association.
His death has sent shockwaves through Chamonix, where mountain professionals say his loss will be deeply felt both personally and professionally. Colleagues describe him as a dedicated teacher, a skilled mountaineer, and a generous mentor whose career was devoted to making the mountains safer for all.
