In 2016, Monique Richard experienced a major incident on Mount Rainier.
On March 26, 2016, she and her best friend and mountain partner, Norwegian mountaineer Arvid Lahti, were surprised by an unexpected storm at 3,300 m and remained stuck all night in the cold, in a blizzard and no visibility.
Temperatures dropped to -17 C and gusts over 100 km/h swept the mountain.

Unfortunately, her friend did not survive and died in her arms of hypothermia in the early morning.
She herself was affected by advanced hypothermia but found the strength to descend to Camp Muir where she was assisted by a team of rescuers who were there for training exercises, then evacuated by a US Armed Forces helicopter.

This tragedy deeply affected the mountaineer.
Monique Richard returned to Mount Rainier the following year to install a commemorative plaque near Camp Muir.
Since the tragedy, each year Richard commemorates the death of her friend Arvid Lahti on her social media.

A short film produced in 2017 on the life of Monique Richard, "L'affront des cimes", relates this accident and the impact it had on Monique Richard.
In 2016, Monique Richard experienced a major incident on Mount Rainier. On March 26, 2016, she and her best friend and mountain partner, Norwegian mountaineer Arvid Lahti, were surprised by an unexpected storm at 3,300 m and remained stuck all night in the cold, in a blizzard and no visibility. Temperatures dropped to -17 C and gusts over 100 km/h swept the mountain.
Unfortunately, her friend did not survive and died in her arms of hypothermia in the early morning. She herself was affected by advanced hypothermia but found the strength to descend to Camp Muir where she was assisted by a team of rescuers who were there for training exercises, then evacuated by a US Armed Forces helicopter.
This tragedy deeply affected the mountaineer. Monique Richard returned to Mount Rainier the following year to install a commemorative plaque near Camp Muir. Since the tragedy, each year Richard commemorates the death of her friend Arvid Lahti on her social media.
A short film produced in 2017 on the life of Monique Richard, "L'affront des cimes", relates this accident and the impact it had on Monique Richard.
Monique Richard (alpinist)