Furthermore,
Mountain: accidents aggravated climate change:
Mountain accidents –
“Climate change acts as an aggravating factor”
Recent accidents show that the mountain is changing. Nevertheless, and its dangers too. In addition, For a guide, you have to adapt your practice.
The landslide near the Grande Dixence did not damage the dam.
Keystone
- For Pierre Mathey, natural phenomena worsen in the mountains due to climate change.
- The thawing of permafrost weakens the rocks at altitude and causes, among other things, falls of stones and collapses.
- The guides modify their routes due to the decline in glaciers.
- The individual risk assessment remains essential for each mountain hiker.
The destruction of Blating and the landslide near the dam mountain: accidents aggravated climate change of the Great Dixence Saturday recently marked the spirits. Consequently, And last Tuesday. However, A 36 -year -old hiker lost his lifestruck by a rock on a path in the Evolène region. However, This recalls that even apparently safe routes can reserve risks.
Secretary General of the Swiss Association of Mountain Guides (ASGM). Meanwhile, Pierre Mathey explains that these accidents are due to natural phenomena, but aggravated by climate change.
Are these accidents in the same problem?
Not completely. Meanwhile, All these accidents are linked to natural phenomena such as scraps of stones. In addition, collapses or avalanches, but they do not enter the same risk management logic.
In the case of infrastructure such as roads. Similarly, railways or buildings, monitoring and monitoring systems are in place in each region. Moreover, They allow you mountain: accidents aggravated climate change to anticipate certain dangers and, if necessary, to close or secure access.
What about mountain sports?
For hiking or mountaineering, there is no systematic monitoring. Meanwhile, People engage on these routes under their own responsibility. Going to the mountains is an individual choice. in a permanently unclurited space, where natural dangers can become risks as soon as there is a human presence.
Certain situations, such as falls of stones or seracs, remain very difficult to predict. Even by applying the precautionary principle. which consists in avoiding certain routes in case of hot or precipitation for example, zero risk does not exist. The human factor is one of the causes of accidents. but bad luck – being in the wrong place at the wrong time – also plays a significant role in mountain dramas.
What are the mountain: accidents aggravated climate change origins of these accidents?
Accidents have their origins in natural phenomena. but climate change acts as an aggravating factor, making certain areas formerly more fragile stable. There is no evidence of a direct link between global warming. an increase in serious accidents: mountain conditions are evolving rapidly, making the assessment of risks more complex.
Among the main natural mechanisms in question, we find the thaw of permafrost. This ice present in altitude soils acts as a cement that maintains the rocks in place. When temperatures increase, this link is weakening, and the blocks become unstable. This explains the increase in the frequency of stone falls, landslides or even massive collapses.
In the mountains. the basic rules – go early, come back early – avoid certain critical situations linked to high temperatures, which accelerate the melting of hard snow and weaken previously frozen and therefore solid land.
How did you adapt your routes to these changes?
As a professional, I have changed some of my routes over the years. Several passages used thirty years ago are no longer practicable today. especially due to the withdrawal of glaciers, whether by loss of thickness or length. This phenomenon sometimes leads to collapsing or landslides, making certain passages on the side of the hill impassable. We also observe landslides that can prohibit certain ways, or push us to get around them.
This development affects both professionals and amateurs. The classification of trails remains linked to their technical difficulty, not to natural dangers. It is therefore up to each practitioner to assess the dangers. except in the event of a manifest threat where access is modified, even closed. Information and prevention play an essential role, but understanding natural dynamics requires time and experience.
What do you feel personally in the face of these changes?
The mountain requires humility and respect. Hikers and mountaineers are lucky, we are not often forced to cancel an outing. On the other hand, you have to know how to adapt, and modify your route if necessary. My advice is not to have that the initial objective in mind. but to live a great experience, whatever the summit.
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Mountain: accidents aggravated climate change
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