Colm Ennis (left) and Peter Britton, who died in the French Alps.
The bodies of Colm Ennis (37) and Peter Britton (55), who were founding members of the popular Rathgormack Climbing Club, were recovered at approximately 4pm on Sunday afternoon.
According to French newspaper ‘Le Parisien’, the men fell some 200 metres to their deaths in an area known as the ‘Dent du Géant’ (Giant’s Tooth).
It’s believed that fellow climbers from some distance away saw both men falling and alerted mountain rescue to the tragedy.
Local mountain police stated that both Mr Ennis and Mr Britton experienced difficulty during their climb, which was cut short in the most devastating manner when they “slipped” and “broke loose” from their ascent ropes.
Mr Ennis, a native of St John’s Park, was Amazon’s HR Manager of Customer Service Operations in Cork having previously worked for the Caulfield McCarthy Group and C&C, and had had a lengthy association with the De La Salle Scouts.
Mr Britton, who had climbed throughout Ireland, Britain and further afield with Mr Ennis, had a long association with the Irish Mountaineering Club.
The Department of Foreign Affairs is offering consular assistance to the Ennis and Britton families via the Irish Embassy in Paris.
Messages of sympathy were posted on the Rathgormack Climbing Club’s Facebook page throughout Monday when the tragic news broke.
