Mont Blanc has been semi-officially closed as the summer heatwave
makes the normal routes to the summit unjustifiably dangerous reports
David Rose in yesterday's Observer newspaper.
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Falling to pieces - Mt Blanc
viewed from
the Arete des Cosmiques a few weeks ago
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The unprecedentedly high temperatures have melted snow apparently
leaving the summit of the Dome de Gouter improbably bare and melted
the permafrost which holds the friable rocks of the Alps together.
The short-term result is that many popular routes are now subject to
heavy and unpredictable rockfall with climbers being killed and
injured on what are normally relatively safe paths while open crevasses and serac collapse also threaten climbers.
The end result is that the Guides Office in Chamonix has announced
that it is no longer taking bookings for the normal routes on the
mountain and a spokeswoman is quoted as saying that 'for this year it
is finished'.
The consequences may be longer term than that however.
Glaciologists reportedly estimate that it will take 30-40 metres of
fresh snow to make good the deficit of snow and ice that has melted
this summer. Moreover, the heat is steadily melting the permafrost
which renders stable the foundations of many structures in the
Alps.
This is bad news for the ski industry which relies on a network of
high level lifts and ski stations to service its clients at high
level resorts and whose lower level stations are already suffering
from the rise in the winter snowline attributed to global warming. On
a broader scale, the wprldwide melting of the snows threatens the
tourist industry which underpins the economy fo the Alps.
The Observer
article makes fascinating if depressing reading and is well worth
a short blast across the interweb.
Oliver Preece
