2. The price of memorial denial in the light of contemporary catastrophes

2.1 Avalanche de Montroc (1999)

Montroc is a Haute-Savoie village in the Chamonix-Mont-Blanc commune, at the bottom of the Chamonix valley, on the right bank of the Arve river. From February 7 to the 10th, the area experienced exceptional snowfalls of up to 3.60 m.

On February 9, 1999, an avalanche occurred in a 30-hectare combe at an altitude of 2,450 m. It began at the Bec de Lachat. It began at the Bec de Lachat when a crumbly slab around 1.5 m thick broke off and slid down, triggering an avalanche of powdery snow and an aerosol. An estimated 300,000 m ³ of snow was set in motion, rushing down the Péclerey couloir where it caused a "blast" downhill at nearly 200 km/h, killing 12 people and destroying 14 chalets...