Really sorry to hear about this Bob, such a crappy way to end what was a good night and challenge....and as you say, so far removed from the spirit of the challenge.
Hope all your ailments get sorted soon.
Good to have met you
Vicky

Happened to me at Les Dru in Chamonix exactly as per your experience. It's a real pain, but that's the risk of commercial sites and pitching in clusters. Good luck.

That's a real shame Bob - not a good way to end the 2013 Challenge - hope you're recovering now you're home.....

Bob, really sorry to hear about this. I hope whoever did the damage 'fesses up, perhaps best done privately.

If the person responsible is a Challenger and would rather use a go-between in confidence, feel free to use the co-ordinator. I'd rather this was resolved properly off-board than left to fester.

Following receipt of bad news I was not with the crowd and spent the evening on the site, as did a couple of others. I was there from about 8pm or so onwards. I was towards the middle one third of the way from the site end amongst the mob of 69(!) tents. Many times I heard what sounded like things blowing around and looked out to check frequently, but saw nothing and deduced it was items attached to guylines flapping about. I did not hear any drunken issues but I had noticed early one smaller tent closer towards the main site than I was, looking somewhat battered.

I could see nothing escaping from it and, apart from looking somewhat weather beaten, deduced it was secure. If that was your tent I do wonder if the damage could have been the high winds buckering the pole and loosening the pegs. Though less excusable is the thought someone tripped on the criss-crossing guylines on the way out, did not check sufficiently for damage caused and the wind then added to this.

I hate to think it could have been a fellow Challenger and I do hope your tent is ok or at least fixable and that you managed to retrieved everything.

Hope the good memories outweigh this ending for you.

s:)

Thanks Sheila for the info, however I can assure you the tent was pegged down hard and if nothing else, it was in amongst a pile of others, if anything protecting it from the wind.

None of which suffered even slightly.

Having camped through the high winds of the previous Saturday (I think it was) and one other day since, I knew the shelter wouldn't take off or suffer any damage in such smaller gusts of that evening, so I wasn't unduly troubled.

Lets face it, it would take no time at all to stumble and fall, get up and continue your way on an evening like that. The half footprint on the upper part of the material I've since discovered when drying it out, would confirm my thoughts.

Sadly no one has made amends, but happily repairs are now done. Just a shame really.