The Cliffhanger That is Global Warming
May 22, 2007 at 2:07 pm
The Alps - now you see them...
Global warming is melting the ice on the Alps, making sheer rock climbing even more dangerous whilst wiping out some routes altogether.


According to a Reuters news report, melting ice and increasing rockfalls are making classic European climbs – including the Eiger, the Matterhorn and the Petit Dru – even more perilous.

“As the temperature rises, higher and until now frozen mountainsides will warm up and the number of possible crack zones – and the frequency of large falls – increases,” said Wilfried Haeberli, geographer at the University of Zurich.

But the problem is not confined to the Alps, with reports of disappearing routes and melting glaciers in climbing hotspots (excuse the pun) all over the world.

“The changes are everywhere,” said Mark Bowen, climber and author of Thin Ice - a book on global warming and its impact on mountain ranges. “They go from Patagonia to Alaska, from New Zealand to the Alps to the Himalaya.”

Kev Reynolds, author of guide books on hiking in the Alps and other areas, added: “The Alps are falling down and glaciers disappearing. That should be obvious to all walkers and climbers who make fairly frequent trips to the mountains. These are just a few examples of the effects of global warming.”

Well at least that’s one less holiday destination to fly to this summer…

nothing to see here