TWO climbers suffocated when a huge avalanche buried them as they neared the summit of a treacherous mountain.

An inquest into the deaths of neighbours John Taylor, 48, and Stephen Barber, 47, from Pear Tree Avenue, Upper Poppleton, York, saw an open verdict recorded, more than two years after they died on Mont Maudit, in the French Alps.

York’s acting senior coroner, Jonathan Leach, expressed his condolences yesterday to the families of the men, who were both fathers of young children when they were hit by the massive wall of snow.

The pair were two of nine climbers killed on July 12, 2012, as they climbed the 4,465m Cursed Mountain in the Mont Blanc range near Chamonix, on a climb raising money for York’s St Leonard’s Hospice.

They were part of a 28-strong group that left a climbing hut to attempt the route and had scaled 4,275m.

However details of what happened between the avalanche falling and the alarm being raised at 5.20am are limited.

Mr Leach said: “I express my condolences to the family.

“There’s very little information I have but both the gentlemen were part of a climbing group and while doing so they unfortunately became caught up in an avalanche, as a result of which they both received injuries from which they died.

“In respect of both gentlemen, their cause of death is 1A mechanical asphyxiation.”

Mr Taylor, a finance director, and Mr Barber, an accountant, both had young children at Poppleton Ousebank School when they died.

Mr Barber was father to Frankie, who was in Year 5 at the time, and Mr Taylor was father to Emma and Louise, of Year 5 and Year 3 respectively.

The inquest heard both men were recovered from the mountain and later taken to York Hospital, where their bodies were identified by close friends.

A post mortem examination carried out seven days after their death found no internal organ damage.

However, both bodies were badly bruised.

Mr Leach recorded an open conclusion.

In the aftermath of their deaths, colleagues of Mr Taylor at the Vela Group raised £50,000 for the Daisy Chain charity, which works with autistic children and their families.