R44's are flown daily around the Alps without issue, because the pilots and companies that operate them do so safely by knowing the limitations of both the aircraft and the pilots. I think many of the posters trying to suggest that they are unsuitable for the environment simply haven't been here and don't have a clear idea of the helicopter operations in & around the Alps.
Although we have no idea what the cause of this incident was (and my personal hunch is that must bumping is unlikely to have been involved),
the crash of G-RAMY on the Isle of Man in 2015 is a clear example that
any semi-rigid/teetering rotor system is susceptible to mast bumping so we can all agree 3+ blades are best
.
Despite the satisfaction of pointing out the numerous shortcomings of the Robinson design, I think posts on this thread would be more constructive and worth everyone's while if they were related to the incident at hand and on the possible causes. Maybe this was whiteout/loss of references? Could icing have brought them down? Maybe the wind
did cause the crash with a sudden downdraft when they were close to obstacles/ground? Hopefully there will be some lessons learned out of this one, and it's not just another repeat of last episode on 'R44 wreckage found in challenging terrain.'