Latest news with #Alps
France 24
4 hours ago
- Climate
- France 24
Heat melts Alps snow and glaciers, leaving water shortage
"Everything has dried up," said Noemie Dagan, who looks after the Selle refuge, located at an altitude of 2,673 meters (8,769 feet) in the Ecrins, a mountain range overtowered by two majestic peaks. The snowfield that usually supplies water to her 60-bed chalet already "looks a bit like what we would expect at the end of July or early August", she said. "We are nearly a month early in terms of the snow's melting." The mountain refuge, lacking a water tank, relies on water streaming down from the mountain. If it runs out it, the shelter will have to close. This happened in mid-August 2023, and could happen again. Dagan's backup solutions to avoid such a scenario include plastic pipes a kilometre long (0.6 mile) -- installed with difficulty -- to collect water from a nearby glacier close to the Pic de la Grave. But the slopes along which the pipe was laid are steep, unstable and vulnerable to increasingly violent storms ravaging the range. In the 15 years that she has worked in the sector, Dagan has witnessed "a metamorphosis" of the mountains and glaciers that are "our watertowers", she said. "We are basically the sentinels who have seen what is coming." 'Never even crossed our minds' Thomas Boillot, a local mountain guide, said the possibility one day of seeing water supply issues affecting the mountain shelters had "never even crossed our minds". But such cases have increased "and there will likely be more," he added. Some snowfields once considered eternal now melt in the summer, precipitation has become scarcer, and glaciers change shape as they melt -- factors that combine to disrupt the water supply for chalets. Water used to arrive "through gravity" from snow and ice reserves higher up, but it is going to have to be pumped from below in the future, he said. Scientists say that the impact of climate change is nearly twice as severe in the Alps as it is globally, warning that only remnants of today's glaciers are likely to exist by 2100 -- if they haven't disappeared altogether by then. This year's weather is also dangerous for the 1,400 glaciers in neighbouring Switzerland, where the authorities report that accumulated snow and ice have melted five to six weeks before the usual time. "Brutal" is the term Xavier Cailhol, an environmental science PhD student and mountain guide, used to describe the impact of the heatwave that he saw on a recent trip to the massif of the Mont Blanc, western Europe's highest mountain. "I started ski-touring on Mont Blanc in June with 40 centimetres (16 inches) of powder snow. I ended up on glaciers that were completely bare, even as high up as the Midi Peak, at 3,700 meters altitude," he said. A cover of snow helps to protect the ice underneath by reflecting sunlight, he noted. "Above 3,200 meters, it's drier than anything we've seen before," he said. "It's quite concerning for the rest of the summer." A case in point is the accelerated melting of the Bossons Glacier, a massive ice tongue overlooking the valley before Chamonix. It began with a "patch of gravel" which became larger, and "in fact is speeding up the melting at that location" because its dark colour absorbs more heat. The melting of the Bossons Glacier is clearly visible from Chamonix, making it a constant reminder of what is happening to glaciers everywhere. "It's a symbol," said Cailhol.
The Guardian
a day ago
- The Guardian
The valleys of the Dolomites: exploring Italy's new network of wild trails
Thick white cloud hangs outside the windows of Rifugio Segantini, a mountain hut 2,373 metres up in the Italian Alps. But it is shifting, revealing glimpses of the majestic Brenta Dolomites before us: a patch of snow here, a craggy peak there. The view is tantalising, and a couple of times I have run outside in a kind of peekaboo farce to see the full display, only for it to pass behind clouds again. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. The refuge – cosy, wooden-clad and packed with hikers – is named after the Italian landscape painter Giovanni Segantini, who was inspired by these mountains. His portrait hangs on the walls and his name is embroidered on the lace curtains. A simple stone building with blue and white shutters in Val d'Amola, the refuge is dwarfed by its rugged surrounds, with Trentino's highest peak, the snow-capped 3,556-metre Presanella, as a backdrop. The entries in the guestbook are entirely by locals. For most British hikers, the eastern parts of the Dolomites, like the Tre Cime di Lavaredo and Lago di Braies, towards Cortina, are better known. Few come to Trentino, and fewer still come to this part of the Adamello Brenta nature park. This, I am told, is the wild part of these mountains: less explored, with fewer tourists, and rousing 'bigger emotion', according to my mountain guide Nicola Binelli. (He climbed Presanella for the first time when he was six.) I'm here to sample the new Via delle Valli (the Trail of the Valleys), a network of 50 hiking routes covering 50 of Trentino's mountain valleys, which launches this month. It runs from ski capital Madonna di Campiglio down to Lake Idro, taking in both the Brenta Dolomites and the Adamello glacier, Italy's largest. Some are gentle family-friendly strolls; others are remote challenging climbs for which a mountain guide is recommended. Trails can be walked in a day, or strung together in a multi-day trek, making use of the area's mountain huts (open from June to September) and bivouac shelters. But exploring the whole route is a long-term project, intended to be walked over weeks, months or even years. These trails existed before, but they have been unified under the Via delle Valli. Their signage is being updated, maps and GPX files have been made available online, and a 'Valley Passport' has been introduced, which hikers can stamp at each valley as an encouragement to return. Each valley has a local ambassador, intended to pass their love and knowledge of the area on to others. The initiative, which has been three years in the making, is the brainchild of local tourist board manager Loredana Bonazza, who was inspired by Spain's famous Camino de Santiago. The idea, she explains, is to tempt mountain-lovers away from the area's hotspots, like Madonna di Campiglio and Val Genova, and towards adventures on lesser-charted trails. 'Every valley is different,' she says. 'We forget everything [in the mountains]: our stress, our jobs, our family problems. You really feel connected with the mountain. The result is: per scoprire; per scoprirsi. To discover; to discover yourself.' My focus is on two contrasting valleys – the rocky, rough Val D'Amola and neighbouring verdant Val Nambrone, where we begin by exploring one of its jewels: the breathtaking (literally) Lago Vedretta, at 2,600 metres. We climb from another hut, Rifugio Cornisello (newly renovated and all timber and glass), through green alpine pastures, up over a rocky lip, where the lake appears in all its glory. The landscape remains frozen, even in late June, with sheets of ice thawing into pale blue water. You'd be forgiven for thinking it was Patagonia, rather than Italy. There are around 100 bears in Trentino, as well as wolves, foxes, chamois, falcons and eagles. But on the way back to the refuge, where we are spending the night, we take a detour up above the turquoise Lago di Cornisello Superiore to spot fluffier mountain residents: marmots. There are plenty of them up here, promises Debora Rambaldini, ambassador for Val Nambrone and the first woman in the area to become a forest guard. We follow her up a lush green spur dotted with wildflowers, and stand in silence, listening to the sounds of rushing water. Rambaldini puts a finger to her lips. There, a flush of reddish fur, a marmot darting between rocks, bushy tailed. And better still, another sunbathing on a rock below, eyeing us with suspicion. The following day, we head to Val D'Amola. The route takes us around the inky Lago Nero and up over the Bocchetta de l'Om pass, backpacks fully loaded. Val D'Amola is only a few kilometres away, but it is a different world. It is more peat and bog, more Lord of the Rings. The water – grey here, not blue – thunders rather than babbles. But after lunch it's our ascent up to Quattro Cantoni, a steep ledge and the gateway to the next valley, that reveals more of these mountains' wild side. The cloud hangs low and thick, and apparently a storm is coming – soon. The sky rumbles above. Scrambling over rocks, tiptoeing on ledges and gingerly crossing patches of snow, the route is humbling: a reminder to improve my mountaineering skills. But safely back at Segantini, I feel elated. And the storm never comes. At Segantini, just as we sit down for our hearty mountain dinner of polenta, the clouds finally part. Seen from Cornisello, these jagged, teeth-like Dolomites appeared pastel pink in the sunset; now, they are slate-grey, foreboding, capped with snow. They fill the whole horizon. As the sky darkens, we can see the twinkling lights of another hut, the vast Tuckett which sleeps 120 people, slowly appear on their black flanks. I head to bed happy, and feel my heart racing with the altitude. It's a small, six-bed dorm room, with a window that looks back towards the way we came. Occasionally, distant flashes of lightning illuminate the room, disrupting the dark and quiet. Sleeping – and waking – above 2,000 metres, though, is special. Ordinary life, below the clouds, feels a long way down. Time slows, you can only focus on the present, the company, the view. Afterwards, a little part of me will stay up here at Segantini, waiting to come back and explore more of these wild mountains and the secrets of the Via delle Valli. The trip was provided by Trentino Marketing and the local tourist board. Dorm rooms at at Rifugio Cornisello €65 B&B or €90-€100 half-board, and €85 half-board at Rifugio Segantini. For more information about the Via delle Valli, visit
Sky News
a day ago
- Sky News
British hiker missing for a week in Italian Alps
A British tourist has been missing for a week after going for a hike in the Italian Alps. Matthew Hall, 33, from Hull, has not been seen since Tuesday 8 July, after he set out on a solo walk from an Airbnb in the town of Chiavenna, just north of Lake Como, in Lombardy, northern Italy. A missing person appeal circulated by his friends and family on social media says he last contacted a friend at 1.20pm the day he went missing, sending a photo of himself on the walk. "He has not contacted family or friends since then," the appeal says, adding he was meant to be flying back to England on Saturday. "A missing person report has been filed with both Italian and UK authorities," it says. Another appeal shared by Italian media says Mr Hall is believed to have taken a wrong turn on his walk at around 1pm. It said he may have been intending to walk towards Savogno or Dasile, starting from Borgonuovo, or towards Pianazzola, Daloo or Lagunch, starting from Chiavenna. Mr Hall's mother Sara Foster told Hull Live that he is an experienced hiker. "He's fit, he's resourceful, so that's what's keeping me positive," she told the local news outlet. "He's well travelled, and a solo traveller. He's a walker and has all the gear. We just need to find him and bring him home to safety." She said several of his friends and colleagues from work had flown out to join the search party. Mr Hall is described as being approximately 1.78m tall with brown hair and blue eyes, and is believed to have been wearing a beige T-shirt and black backpack when he was last seen. A spokesperson for the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office told Sky News: "We are supporting the family of a British man missing in Italy and are in contact with the local authorities."
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
British hiker missing for a week in Italian Alps
A British tourist has been missing for a week after going for a hike in the Italian Alps. Matthew Hall, 33, from Hull, has not been seen since Tuesday 8 July, after he set out on a solo walk from an Airbnb in the town of Chiavenna, just north of Lake Como, in Lombardy, northern Italy. A missing person appeal circulated by his friends and family on social media says he last contacted a friend at 1.20pm the day he went missing, sending a photo of himself on the walk. "He has not contacted family or friends since then," the appeal says, adding he was meant to be flying back to England on Saturday. "A missing person report has been filed with both Italian and UK authorities," it says. Another appeal shared by Italian media says Mr Hall is believed to have taken a wrong turn on his walk at around 1pm. It said he may have been intending to walk towards Savogno or Dasile, starting from Borgonuovo, or towards Pianazzola, Daloo or Lagunch, starting from Chiavenna. Mr Hall's mother Sara Foster told Hull Live that he is an experienced hiker. "He's fit, he's resourceful, so that's what's keeping me positive," she told the local news outlet. "He's well travelled, and a solo traveller. He's a walker and has all the gear. We just need to find him and bring him home to safety." Read more on Sky News: She said several of his friends and colleagues from work had flown out to join the search party. Mr Hall is described as being approximately 1.78m tall with brown hair and blue eyes, and is believed to have been wearing a beige T-shirt and black backpack when he was last seen. A spokesperson for the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office told Sky News: "We are supporting the family of a British man missing in Italy and are in contact with the local authorities."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
The Aftermath of a Porsche Carrera GT Careening Off the Austrian Alps
Taking a Porsche Carrera GT for a drive in the Alps sounds like a dream day for most car enthusiasts, but it can turn into a nightmare in an instant, as one driver found out on July 11, according to firefighters in Austria. The crash in question occurred around 11:25 a.m. and involved a Yellow Carrera GT that was driving on the Postalm Road in Tennengau, Austria, according to first responders. A social media post from the local volunteer firefighting department indicates the 603-hp, mid-engine supercar crashed between the first and second corners of the scenic, 16-mile alpine pass. Images from the recovery show the Carrera GT slid down an embankment during the crash. The two occupants of the German-registered Porsche were already extricated and receiving medical attention when the recovery team arrived. Recovering the crashed Carrera GT required the Strobl Volunteer Fire Department to close the pass for around 3.5 hours, as a team of pump and tow trucks arrived on the scene. In order to reach the Fayence Yellow Carrera GT, the fire department says it cut down "several trees... and root stumps" before the built-in rope from a rescue vehicle known as Tank 1 was able to winch it out. Photos from the rescue show the Carrera GT suspended in the air as the rope trucks lifted it out of the ravine. It's not immediately clear how the Carrera GT ended up off the road, but it certainly wouldn't be the first time that a potential degree of overeagerness resulted in a crashed Carrera GT. Reports from Radio Salzburg indicate that both of the occupants were from Singapore, though the car was reportedly registered in Heilbronn, Germany. Similarly, Radio Salzburg reported that a special kind of tow truck was called to the incident, due to the rare nature and carbon-heavy construction of the Carrera GT. Ownership details about the car are unknown at this time. Limited photos of the vehicle following the crash show a surprisingly limited amount of obvious damage, with the majority of the damage seen on the left-rear quarter panel. However, the monocoque construction of the Carrera GT and the fact that only around 1200 were built indicate that repairing this unit could prove to be particularly challenging. Either way, it hurts to see an especially golden version of one of Porsche's most coveted models crash like this. You Might Also Like You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners The Man Who Signs Every Car
