Gifted Brit found frozen to death in the French Alps 'ignored the warnings'

Mark Emerson, 30, his New Zealand girlfriend Jane Jerram, 26, and two female students from France and Chile attempted the ascent of Western Europe's highest peak despite worsening weather.

The four victims, who had set out poorly equipped to deal with adverse conditions, died of cold and exhaustion after enduring a night on the mountain exposed to 75mph winds, heavy snowfall and temperatures of minus 15C.

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Stephane Bozon, captain of the high mountain police in the French Alpine resort of Chamonix, said: "The group decided on this climb without taking into account the poor weather forecasts. This is stubbornness and stupidity.

"They persisted despite the weather and focused only on climbing Mont Blanc. Their responsibility is total."

The bodies of Mr Emerson, who came from York, his girlfriend, the French student Clement Morgane, 25, and the 27-year-old Chilean, who was married, were discovered on Tuesday at an altitude of 13,120ft.

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The group, all based at L'Enshmg, a highly respected engineering college in Grenoble, had spent three nights at a mountain refuge at 11,800ft to acclimatise to the altitude.

They left the hut at 3am on Monday. The weather was already closing in and they managed to proceed only 2,000ft in seven hours. Forecasters had warned of Monday's bad weather on Saturday. Mr Bozon said: "I don't know why they didn't turn back."

By 3pm, realising they were in dire trouble, they contacted emergency services but they were unable to cite their location. The last contact with the group was at 4am on Tuesday.

Miss Morgane spoke to rescuers but was delirious after a night exposed to the elements. One of the party was already dead.

Mr Bozon said: "We became powerless witnesses to the deaths of these four people despite deploying our rescuers. We did the maximum we could in these atrocious conditions."

Miss Morgane's body was brought down by helicopter on Tuesday afternoon. The other three bodies were recovered that night.

Olivier Kim, a police spokesman, said: "The victims did not possess any tent and had not dug holes to protect themselves from the 75mph wind and the snowfall. Their equipment was not sufficient to face such brutal change in the weather."

Mr Emerson had studied at Impeinrial College London before moving to L'Enshmg as a civil engineering student seven years ago. He had completed his PhD and had been working in a lab at the college.

He had secured a job as a lecturer at University of Canterbury in New Zealand. His post was to have started December and he and Miss Jerram planned to set up home together.

Pierre Foray, who taught Mr Emerson and Miss Jerram, said: "It is such a waste of two young lives. They had wonderful careers and happiness ahead of them. They were both brilliant students. I have known Mark for seven years. He came to L'Enshmg to study but also because he loved the mountains."

He insisted Mr Emerson was not a risk-taker: "Mark had been climbing for about five years and he was very good. He was a wise man so I don't understand why they continued their climb in such bad weather."

Mr Emerson's parents, Christopher and Patricia, from Settringham, North Yorkshire, were too upset to comment yesterday.

Each year Mont Blanc - first climbed in 1786 - claims many victims and during peak weekends the local rescue service flies an average of 12 missions.