FOURTEEN CLIMBERS, INCLUDING A MEMBER OF THE FRENCH NATIONAL SKIING TEAM, CHARLES BOZON, WERE SWEPT 500 YARDS TO THEIR DEATH TODAY (TUESDAY) IN AN AVALANCHE ON THE AIGUILLE VERTE (GREEN NEEDLE) PEAK IN THE MONT BLANC RANGE.

FOR BOZON, WHO WON THE SPECIAL SLALOM WORLD TITLE AT CHAMONIX IN 1962, HISTORY REPEATED ITSELF TRAGICALLY. HIS FATHER, A FAMED MOUNTAIN GUIDE, WAS KILLED BY AN AVALANCHE IN 1938.

BOZON WAS WITH A PARTY OF FOUR CLIMBING INSTRUCTORS AND NINE YOUNG MEN TRAINING TO BECOME GUIDES WHO WERE SWEPT AWAY BY THE AVALANCHE WHEN CLIMBING THE 13 THOUSAND FEET (4,121 METRES) AIGUILLE VERTE SHORTLY BEFORE NOON.

AN INSTRUCTOR OF THE FRENCH NATIONAL MOUNTAIN SCHOOL BASED IN CHAMONIX HAD EARLIER FLOWN OVER THE AIGUILLE VERTE IN A HELICOPTER TO INSPECT THE PLANNED ROUTE AND HAD FOUND CONDITIONS EXCELLENT.

THE ALARM WAS SOUNDED AFTER THE AVALANCHE WAS SEEN FROM THE VALLEY. IMMEDIATELY, MOUNTAIN GENDARMES FLEW TO THE DISASTER SCENE IN HELICOPTERS AND DUG OUT THE BODIES OF THE 14 CLIMBERS. THEY SAID THE PARTY HAD BEEN SWEPT 1500 FEET (ABOUT 500 METRES) DOWN THE MOUNTAINSIDE.

BOZON'S BODY WAS THE FIRST TO BE FOUND BY THE RESCUE TEAM. THE FORMER WORLD CHAMPION HAD JOINED THE PARTY IN AN INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY AND WAS NOT A MEMBER OF THE MOUNTAIN SCHOOL'S STAFF.