Even the Matterhorn is not an option.
The extraordinarily hot, dry conditions in the European Alps have turned the glacier areas and classic routes into deadly traps. Media around the world speak of “closed mountains”. While the term is not accurate — it’s virtually impossible to ban climbers from a particular peak — authorities and guides have had to make some tough decisions. They have shut refuges, canceled guided trips, and strongly recommended that climbers don’t go on their own.
Classics out of reach
“Conditions are changing fast and not in a good way,” reported the High Mountain Office of Chamonix on July 20. Back then, most guiding companies refused to take clients up Mont Blanc. Meanwhile, climbers turned back on dozens of other popular ascents, from the Aiguille Verte to the Grandes Jorasses, because of open crevasses and constant rockfall.
Even the bergschrund at the base of the Aiguille du Midi opens wider every day. Although local conditions change almost daily, high temperatures have given no respite to an already scorched Europe.
Last week, guides working on the Matterhorn (Cervino) between Switzerland and Italy and the Jungfrau at the Swiss Oberland decided to stop guiding these classic peaks as well, Barrabes.com reported.
Dent du Geant (Giant’s Tooth). Photo: Unione Valdostana Guide Alta Montagna
Among the guided trips canceled are those to:
Looking for alternatives
An alternative route to the Dome de Neige del Ecrins. Photo: Pierrick Fine
Caution beyond the glaciers too
Even if temperatures finally moderate, conditions throughout the alpine will remain dicey and need careful assessment. Even rocky areas near the glaciers slide frequently now. The permafrost is melting, and the scree may slough off, destabilizing entire slopes and exposing the fossil ice below.
Rock slides left big patches of black fossil ice on mountain passes. Photo: Clara Baquedano
