French President Emmanuel Macron has been urged to take action after British tourist Matthew Disney abandoned a rowing machine close to the summit of Mont Blanc.
Mayor of Saint-Gervais Jean-Marc Peillex said a member of the “Royal Commandos”, thought to mean the Royal Marines, carried the exercise machine up the peak for a stunt on Saturday.
In an open letter, Mr Peillex said that the man did not have the strength to bring it back down and left it in an emergency hut at 4,362 metres (14,300 feet).
He added that the man gave his name as "Disney", quipping “with a name like that, you’d think he thought he was at an amusement park”.
However, Mr Disney who carried the rowing machine up Europe's highest mountain to raise money for charities providing care for British veterans rejected the accusations.
The former royal marine explained that he abandoned the machine just below the summit as the weather was worsening and had to put safety first, but that plans were in place to bring it down from the mountain.
The mayor has been railing against overcrowding on Mont Blanc for years.
Mr Peillex said the situation had "gone on long enough" as he called on Mr Macron to “write and pass laws that would severely punish all these wackos who break the law, and restore peace to Mont Blanc”.
Other incidents include a German tourist making the ascent with a dog, despite police warnings not to do so.
The man promised to leave his dog at a refuge before his climb, but instead left in the middle of the night with his pooch.
Fortunately, the dog survived but returned to bloodied paws, according to photos posted on Mr Peillex’s Twitter account.
Officials are struggling to cope with the influx of climbers hoping to ascend the 4,810-metre (15,774ft) peak.
This heightens security risks as well as environmental impact because warmer temperatures in recent years have melted the permafrost which raises the risk of rockfalls on the most popular routes.
The alpine peak attracts nearly 25,000 climbers every year.
Three climbers have died on Mont Blanc so far this season.
