Help for children with cancer Ascent of Mont Blanc for a good cause ends fatally
By climbing Mont Blanc, the Italian Michele Raule wanted to raise money for children with cancer. But the charitable summit mission ended in tragedy.
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- The Italian mountaineer Michele Raule has died in an accident on the Mont Blanc massif.
- While crossing a gorge near the Gonella refuge, Raule slipped and fell into the depths.
- The father of three wanted to use the mountain tour to raise money for children with cancer.
Italian mountaineer Michele Raule had a big goal: to raise money for children with cancer with an extraordinary mountain tour. But his plan ended on Sunday evening with a fatal fall on the Mont Blanc massif. On Monday, rescue workers were only able to recover the man's body in the rough terrain.
Together with his brother and two other companions, the father of three was hiking near the Ghiacciaio del Dôme glacier. When the quartet wanted to cross a gorge near the Gonella refuge at 3071 meters, the accident happened. The 50-year-old slipped and fell into the depths. Neither his companions nor the immediately alerted Alpine rescue team were able to come to his aid. Raule was probably killed instantly.
7000 meters of altitude for a good cause
Beforehand, Raule meticulously and energetically planned his noble project. He announced on Facebook before the start of the tour: "On July 12, I'm going to attempt what I consider an 'extreme' mission: from the sea to the summit of Mont Blanc, without sleeping, using only my legs. I will set off from Genoa at five o'clock in the morning on my bike, which I will leave at Val Veny to continue on foot to the summit. I've trained a lot, but I'm not sure if I can do it."
Raule wanted to climb a total of 7,000 meters in altitude on his tour from Genoa to the summit of Mont Blanc. He started by bike in the capital of the Liguria region and cycled 300 kilometers to the foot of Mont Blanc in 30 hours. He then set off to climb around 15 kilometers up the highest mountain in the Alps.
Association mourns the mountaineer
Raule had the idea for his fundraising tour back in 2022. He decided to climb the highest mountains in Italy, Slovenia, Austria, France and Switzerland for a good cause.
He then wanted to donate the proceeds to the association for helping children and young people with cancer in Bologna. The organization is now mourning the death of the mountaineer. "We are infinitely grateful to Michele for his enormous generosity," the association announced.
