The Alpine glaciers are going through a real agony this summer. From east to west, the African heat is destroying the precious ice and snow reserves of the Alps, with temperatures that make you forget the high altitudes that set them apart.
Since the beginning of summer, no fewer than 5 African heat waves have hit Italy and much of Europe, bringing temperatures well above the seasonal average. While temperatures above 35 degrees have by now become a “habit” in the cities, things are certainly no better in the mountains, with thermometers reading 30 degrees even at altitudes above 1,000 m.
The glaciers, too, are stuck inside this natural oven arriving from Africa, the very glaciers that were once true natural freezers. That is no longer the case: while people gasp for air down on the plains, up high the snow is melting at the speed of light, leaving the glaciers without snow and their bare ice exposed to the scorching sun, which inevitably, day after day, makes them retreat metre after metre without respite.
Stubai Glacier (Austria)
This is certainly not the only summer in which the glaciers have had to cope with intense heat, but in terms of duration and intensity it can definitely be compared to the summer of 2003, when temperatures “burned” a large part of their surface, causing irreparable damage. What’s more, this summer is far worse than last year’s.
Stelvio destroyed, only Plateau Rosà survives
There are several glaciers where you can go summer skiing, and the most famous of them are: Les 2 Alpes (France), Tignes (France), Plateau Rosa’ (Switzerland/Italy), Stelvio (Italy), Hintertux (Austria).
They range from 3,900 m at Plateau Rosa’ to 3,200 m at Hintertux and Passo Stelvio.
Once again, the glaciers suffering most from the intense heat are those at lower altitudes, regardless of the winter snowfall. While Les 2 Alpes (3,600 m) seems to be holding up in this scorching summer, the Austrian glacier of Hintertux (3,200 m) is in agony, even though the abundant winter and spring snowfalls had allowed the summer ski season to start (in June) with a whopping 310 cm of snow.
Hintertux
The Austrian glacier can still count on a few tongues of “winter” snow, but most of its surface is now bare ice, which means the glacier’s retreat began quite a while ago; despite this, summer skiing carries on.
Hintertux August 2012
Tignes
The French glacier of Tignes isn’t faring very well either. Here, besides the ice, rocks have also resurfaced, but here too, as on the Austrian glacier, summer skiing continues, and the chairlifts carry skiers and snowboarders who have to fly over an expanse of bare rock to reach the drag lift.
The Tignes glacier: summer skiing continues
Les 2 Alpes
Things are a little better for the Les Deux Alpes glacier. Here the snow has held up better thanks to the higher altitude, with the lifts climbing up to 3,600 m above sea level. To see how marked the difference in altitude is, just compare the pictures of the lift departures (3,200 m) with those of the arrivals (3,400 m). At the bottom, the snow and ice have completely disappeared, and to allow skiers to ride up on the drag lift, the snow groomers have to bring snow down from higher up. The old glacier ice that dominates the entire lower part of the glacier is clearly visible.
Les 2 Alpes at the foot of the glacier
Higher up, on the other hand, the snow is holding out (though who knows for how long), and the old ice only surfaces in a few places.
Les 2 Alpes at 3,400 m
Plateau Rosa’, the only one holding out
Faring much better is the Plateau Rosa’ glacier, at the foot of the Matterhorn. Here the lifts climb up to an altitude of 3,900 m and the snow situation is much better: the winter snow seems to be keeping well thanks to the high altitude, and summer skiing is continuing without a hitch. Conditions are excellent, and even in the middle of the day temperatures hover around zero.
Of all of them, it is the only place where you can ski in good conditions despite the infernal heat. Recommended for those who just can’t do without snow.
Plateau Rosa' on July 20, 2012
Stelvio
We’ll wrap up this report with what we believe is the glacier suffering most of all from the extremely high temperatures brought by the African anticyclones: the Stelvio glacier.
The Stelvio glacier has always been the mecca of Italian summer skiing: despite its not particularly high altitude (3,200 m seems low compared with the almost 4,000 m of Plateau Rosa’), the snow almost always keeps well, and good summer seasons with excellent skiing from June to September are not uncommon.
However, the summer of 2012 has gripped the glacier on the border between Lombardy and Trentino in a vice of heat. The glacier is in total agony: only the upper part is partially spared, while everything else is dominated by bare ice with gaping crevasses. The glacier tongue is retreating, and one can’t help wondering how many days it will be before the snow disappears around Punta degli spiriti too.
Despite this, summer skiing goes on… The drag lift clings to a small rectangle of snow and carries skiers and snowboarders, towing them across the grey glacier.
The Stelvio hasn’t looked like this in years: the meagre winter precipitation and this summer’s monstrous heat have stripped it to the bone…
Stelvio Glacier August 2012
The forecast… here comes Nerone
The forecasts are not encouraging: after the thunderstorms expected this week, a new African anticyclone named Nerone is on its way.
Nerone will very likely be the coup de grâce for the Alpine glaciers in this infernal summer. Temperatures are forecast to rise, and a return to normal is not expected until around August 20.
This could mean a “death sentence” for the Stelvio glacier and a serious problem for all the other Alpine glaciers.
Perhaps only Plateau Rosà will make it…
Here are some more articles (including from previous years) about summer and the glaciers.
The situation in June, when snow was abundant
>> http://news.mondoneve.it/sci-estivo-2012-ghiacciai-neve-abbondante_4800.html
The sheets protecting the Presena Glacier
>> http://news.mondoneve.it/teli-geotessili-ghiacciaio-presena-2012_4811.html
Summer 2011, last year’s report
>> http://news.mondoneve.it/ghiacciai-distrutti-dal-caldo-infernale_3520.html
All articles on Global Warming
>> http://news.mondoneve.it/category/riscaldamento-globale
Some articles on the disappearance of the glaciers
>> http://www.mondoneve.it/forum/showthread.php?211-Scioglimento-dei-Ghiacciai-dal-passato-ad-oggi-Immagini-a-Confronto
>> http://news.mondoneve.it/scomparsa-dei-ghiacciai_1508.html
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