A 33-year-old Greek mountaineer from Patras, Dimitris Kantas, lost his life on Monday, August 4, during a solo descent on Mont Blanc in the Haute-Savoie region of France. Kantas fell while navigating the treacherous Goûter Couloir, known as one of the most dangerous segments of the classic ascent route to the summit.
French authorities report that the experienced climber was descending without a rope when he lost his balance and fell several hundred meters below the Goûter refuge, at an altitude of 3,835 meters. Emergency responders from the Chamonix Mountain Gendarmerie (PGHM), arriving by Dragon 74 rescue helicopter, were only able to confirm his death.
Kantas, a well-known figure in his local community as both a physicist and a passionate alpinist, was also recognized for his involvement in basketball. His body has been repatriated to Greece, and an investigation is ongoing to determine the exact circumstances of the accident.
Authorities suggest that multiple factors may have contributed to the fatal fall, including fatigue, the heavy backpack he was carrying, or a brief lapse in attention. The PGHM indicated that a “technical error” may have occurred.
The Goûter Couloir—also known as the “Corridor of Death”—is infamous for its danger, with more than a hundred fatalities recorded over the years. Frequent summer rockfalls make this section particularly perilous. Just two months prior, in June 2025, a 24-year-old American woman also died at the same location.
