How we reported his pole-to-pole trek

The climber who died in the French Alps along with Rob Gauntlett, the youngest British mountaineer to conquer Everest, was named today.

James Atkinson and Mr Gauntlett, both 21 and from Sussex, fell to their deaths while ice climbing in the Mont Blanc du Tacul near Chamonix. Their bodies were discovered by a mountain rescue team on the 14,000ft high mountain at 8am yesterday. French police said they were in a couloir when they fell. It remains unclear how they died as weather conditions were not extreme, there were no reports of avalanches and they were both well equipped.

Mr Gauntlett’s family spoke of their devastation at their son’s death, adding that their only consolation was that he died while “doing something that he loved”.

His parents have flown to France to recover their son’s body. James Hooper, his schoolfriend with whom he climbed Mount Everest in 2006, was also in Chamonix.

Speaking from Mr Gauntlett’s family home in Petworth, West Sussex, before leaving for France, his mother Nicola said he and Mr Atkinson had been ice-climbing when there was a “big fall”.

She said: “At the moment we don’t know exactly what happened but there was obviously a big fall and they both died.”

She said they arrived in the region on January 2 and were due back in the UK on Wednesday.

“We are all just devastated. He’s far too young to die. We had spoken about something like this happening only recently. We can only take consolation that he died doing something that he loved.”

Four people have already died on the Mont Blanc massif so far this season.

Mr Gauntlett’s website explains how his passion for adventure was kindled while a pupil at Horsham private school Christ’s Hospital. There he became close friends with Mr Hooper.

During their GCSEs, the pair set their hearts on climbing Everest, which they succeeded in doing three years later.

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• The Times obituary: Tomaz Humar
• Too proud to claim my Jaffa Cakes on expenses
• Leaders say sorry to transported children