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I was wondering if anyone had read about this rescue in any local news outlets.
I did a quick search but didn't find anything.
Yes a very big 0ne.Isn’t there a significant monetary fine for ignoring this rule ?
Usually, entering Navarra peregrino (or peregrina or peregrinos or bomberos) into Google News and restricting the search period to a week will result in recent articles in the Diario de Navarra and Noticias de Navarra newspapers and sometimes in a few others.I was wondering if anyone had read about this rescue in any local news outlets.
I did a quick search but didn't find anything.
Exactly my comment. I hope the local authorities impose a 3000 or 5000 Euro fine and then tell him he is banned from Spain for 5 years. Yes it might be a tough rule - but the people who rescued him risked their lives.Isn’t there a significant monetary fine for ignoring this rule ?
Yes. To pilgrims; not locals.Is the Napoleon closed legally?
The fine is not mentioned in the ordinanceAs a fine is referred to, I assume that’s the case. Is it specific to the track or the area in general?
There is a provincial bylaw which is specific to the route. So technically it only applies to the section of the route from the border onwards. Though I have read that police on the French side of the route actively deter people from walking during the closed period.Is the Napoleon closed legally? As a fine is referred to, I assume that’s the case. Is it specific to the track or the area in general?
Yes, prohibited by Spanish law. They issue a new decree every autumn. It concerns about 5 km between punto de coordenadas geográficas 43o3’2,02’’N y 1o16’6,04’’W, en las inmediaciones del Collado de Bentartea.The Pyrenees are not generally closed to anyone in general - nor are the Alps or the mountains of Scotland; both regions in which I climbed extensively in the past.
Is the Napoleon closed legally? As a fine is referred to, I assume that’s the case. Is it specific to the track or the area in general?
I can't count. It's actually 5 months of the year.the track is prohibited for all during 3 months of the year.
The Instagram post doesn't mention that he is a pilgrim. Perhaps he was an alpinist (rather unwisely) attempting the GR10, GR11 or HRP route, along rather than across the Pyrenees?This was posted today (13 December) on Instagram. It says:
Saturday(2days ago) a swiss 29 year old man defied the rules of NOT going over the pyrenees via the Napoleon route, between november 1st and march 31st. And he ended up having to be evacuated out. He was inside the refugio Izandorre. And without that small house I think it would be fair to say that he would have died in the cold. The rescue people couldn’t drive up to him. So in snowshoes they had to go up and get him. He is in good health - But please don’t attempt this. There is a GOOD reason why the Napoleon route is CLOSED during the winter
The Instagram post doesn't mention that he is a pilgrim. Perhaps he was an alpinist (rather unwisely) attempting the GR10, GR11 or HRP route, along rather than across the Pyrenees?
In any case, I hope he has deep pockets for that fine, or a large donation to the bomberos Christmas party fund.
The Instagram post is just someone's translation of the news article in one of the two local newspapers plus a few of the person's own thoughts.The Instagram post doesn't mention that he is a pilgrim. Perhaps he was an alpinist (rather unwisely) attempting the GR10, GR11 or HRP route, along rather than across the Pyrenees?
I do hope so.Isn’t there a significant monetary fine for ignoring this rule ?
totally agree! I doubt these rescuers were in danger, the drama in this thread is just so over the top and so surprisingly mean.@good_old_shoes
Yes, I agree completely. Mountains need to be respected, especially by people without a lot of experience, who unfortunately are the least likely to do so.
I lived in Alaska for 20 years, where we have a few good sized mountains.The Pyrenees are just hills compared to the Alaska Range, but while they may not be very high, but they seem to catch a whole lot of nasty, wet weather coming off the Atlantic, and as is characteristic of any mountains, the weather can change very suddenly. That climb over the Napoleon route is just long enough and the mountains are just high enough for ill-prepared people to land in trouble, as we see over and over. I only hiked it once, in September of 2019, but it was a long, cold, wet slog. A woman had hypothermia in the hut and other pilgrims were helping her and the bomberos were on their way. She was from Brazil and I suspect had no idea what she was getting into with that climb. The weather the previous day was hot and perfectly sunny. Everyone should carry the basic survival equipment you list.
I also agree that for well-equipped, experienced and fit people, the climb is not a big deal. I don’t think the rescuers in this case were in any life-threatening danger, there is no mention of bad weather in the article, just deep snow, and it says the guy they rescued was in good health, just disoriented and stomach pains and without sufficient equipment. But they still shouldn’t have had to go save this idiot.
I remember a few years ago, when the Napoleon Route was officially closed (from the french athorities) for the first time from November to the end of March, there were also informations about how much a rescue operation would cost, and that was a few thousand euros. I hope the "pilgrim" has to pay a high penalty.This was posted today (13 December) on Instagram. It says:
Saturday(2days ago) a swiss 29 year old man defied the rules of NOT going over the pyrenees via the Napoleon route, between november 1st and march 31st. And he ended up having to be evacuated out. He was inside the refugio Izandorre. And without that small house I think it would be fair to say that he would have died in the cold. The rescue people couldn’t drive up to him. So in snowshoes they had to go up and get him. He is in good health - But please don’t attempt this. There is a GOOD reason why the Napoleon route is CLOSED during the winter
It is not our idea that these rescuers can be in danger. The Spanish decree that prohibits the crossing on the Route Napoleon during the period November 2021 to March 2022 says:these rescuers weren’t in danger
We must also remember that the emergency services are there to deal with these situations, if people didn't make mistakes they would not be working.Gosh, this is one of those threads where I find myself agreeing with both opposing views of the situation; ..."make him pay for his stupidity"; ..."be thankful and have mercy on him as all turned out well as neither he nor his rescuerers incurred harm".
There are cost associated to all kinds of things, step into the Emergency room for a hang mail, a wedding ring too tight, exposure to what you think was an STD, your daughter shoving a bead up her nose… or true CPR being done on your body to cover peoples butts when you’ve long been gone… the cost is outrageous!I remember a few years ago, when the Napoleon Route was officially closed (from the french athorities) for the first time from November to the end of March, there were also informations about how much a rescue operation would cost, and that was a few thousand euros. I hope the "pilgrim" has to pay a high penalty.
my point is I’ve done many things in my life not advised and not allowed… I’ve lived to tell thankfully. Most of us make mistakes, or think we can do something that it ends up we can’t. That’s my point.It is not our idea that these rescuers can be in danger. The Spanish decree that prohibits the crossing on the Route Napoleon during the period November 2021 to March 2022 says:
The experience of the last few years has shown that it is advisable to maintain the restriction on the first stage of [the Camino via the Route Napoleon] at the entry to the Spanish territory of Navarra in the same way as in previous years, in order to ensure greater safety for individuals and rescue personnel, both professionals and volunteers.
I totally disagree with the tone of this post. The person made a deliberate choice. I have been in a mountain rescue unit in the Cairngorms. I have chipped the dead out of the ice. They were not amateurs or cowboys but experienced men who got caught out. Sneering at the Pyrenees because they were not considered real mountains wound up giving the person almost what he deserved. I did not consider my self to be " working". Many mountain rescue teams are unpaid volunteers often considered to be a taxi service for the inadequate who " expect" to be rescued . Shame on you!We must also remember that the emergency services are there to deal with these situations, if people didn't make mistakes they would not be working.
Sorry to upset you but the rescue services there are attached to the fire brigade, paid workers. Instead of baying to have the man crucified or stoned maybe consider all the times all of us have done something stupid and not be so high handed.I totally disagree with the tone of this post. The person made a deliberate choice. I have been in a mountain rescue unit in the Cairngorms. I have chipped the dead out of the ice. They were not amateurs or cowboys but experienced men who got caught out. Sneering at the Pyrenees because they were not considered real mountains wound up giving the person almost what he deserved. I did not consider my self to be " working". Many mountain rescue teams are unpaid volunteers often considered to be a taxi service for the inadequate who " expect" to be rescued . Shame on you!
samarkand.
I read it was a $12,000 fine?Exactly my comment. I hope the local authorities impose a 3000 or 5000 Euro fine and then tell him he is banned from Spain for 5 years. Yes it might be a tough rule - but the people who rescued him risked their lives.
This is pure speculation on my part but I do agree with you: he probably thought ’not a real mountain’. It is of course much lower than the Alps and…in bad weather always under the cloud line. Ie not only there is snow but there is no visibility either. Twice on that route, in mid-July, I couldn’t see anything, I could hear the cows very close to me but that was it. I can only imagine what it’s like in Winter… I couldn’t have found my way in snow, with no traces to follow and complete fog! In the Alps, unless it’s a snow storm (or you’re in AvoriazThe possible sub-text: A young Swiss male, blithely arrogant about this not being a "real mountain," gets a swift kick in the butt by Mother Nature.
The original source, the tweet from the bomberos says:The newspaper report uses the word “peregrino” for what that is worth.
Nothing on this beloved Forum surprises me anymore. The Mods always regarded Winter-time as "Fighting Season" - few if any walking, the Northern Hemisphere living in the dark and the damp, to much key-board time... Now? Que pasa?Never fails to surprise me how some of the threads on the forum ‘unravel’.
if volunteers don’t want to do it they shouldn’t volunteer, sorry if that sounds snippy not my purpose. But that’s obvious to me. No one deserves the fear of death, extreme cold etc… no oneI totally disagree with the tone of this post. The person made a deliberate choice. I have been in a mountain rescue unit in the Cairngorms. I have chipped the dead out of the ice. They were not amateurs or cowboys but experienced men who got caught out. Sneering at the Pyrenees because they were not considered real mountains wound up giving the person almost what he deserved. I did not consider my self to be " working". Many mountain rescue teams are unpaid volunteers often considered to be a taxi service for the inadequate who " expect" to be rescued . Shame on you!
samarkand.
There are monuments all over Iberia to rescue workers who lost their lives in the service of their country and community. As to being high handed. I had friends in the Lifeboat Service who were volunteers. Some of them never came back. I have never considered baying at the level you mention.Sorry to upset you but the rescue services there are attached to the fire brigade, paid workers. Instead of baying to have the man crucified or stoned maybe consider all the times all of us have done something stupid and not be so high handed.
BTW I am a volunteer First Responder and if we took this attitude we would never go out on a shout.
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