Sad news reached us this morning of an avalanche on Mont Maudit in the French Alps above Chamonix. News reports at this stage indicate that 9 people are confirmed dead, with others missing. Our thoughts go out to the families of all those involved. For those of you who have loved ones on a Mont Blanc course with Icicle this week, rest assured that our groups were not on this route, and they are all on the other side of the mountain. We have not had groups on the avalanche affected Mont Maudit all season. We reiterate that all our groups are safe on Mont Blanc.