Sad news for Chamonix Valley

Severe prognosis for alpine region as climate records show decline in snow below 2000m

Kim Willsher published an article in the Observer last weekend, which reports on current climate research by meteorologists in Chamonix. 

In short, climate records show that increasing temperatures are having visible effects on the alpine landscape below 1000 metres. Accumulations of snow below this altitude have decreased by 40% in the last fifty years. These trends are expected to continue with long term climate change. As Willsher acknowledges, Chamonix is lucky in that many of its ski resorts operate at higher altitude, where the effects will not be so acutely felt, but this is not true of all resorts in the Alps.

Additionally, scientists are monitoring the changes to high altitude glaciers in the area and there is clear evidence of glacial retreat: the Mer de Glace has lost 65m of depth in the last 20 years and 300m in length since 1996. When I was trekking along the Mer de Glace last July, I was surprised to hear that the glacier was considered the largest in the Western Alps. It was a thin, mere film strip of ice coated by rubble deposits from the adjacent slopes.

The top image shows my view from the Mer de Glace railway station at 1913m. In the bottom picture, I was hopping over crevasses on the dry glacier surface with two guys from Flight of the Frenchies.

For climate scientists, glacial retreat is a simple, physical change to the environment that reflects a fluctuation in climate. It's easily observed, and it's easily understood by the public. This helps to explain the recent success of Chasing Ice - a documentary film I saw in Leeds - about the attempts of photographer James Balog to capture glacier retreat in the Artic Circle, using time lapse photography. The film combines his personal story with images depicting the beauty, scale and ultimately the fragility of ice masses during climate change.

It does make me question the morality of using an energy-intensive, artificial indoor ice wall when the ice out there is melting around us (see Ice Ice Baby). But hey, maybe we'll need more indoor ice climbing centres in fifty years time when the world is a few degrees hotter... ?!

Just as the causes of this global issue are bound up in human activity, so the effects for the Chamonix Valley are inextricably linked to people. There are obvious socio-economic impacts for tourism in the area, as the quality and availability of snow depreciates. Willsher makes reference to this in her article.

So, here's another story telling me that the effects of climate change are distributed unequally. Some regions in the world may experience increasing precipitation levels, but for the Alps it seems to be thaw all the way. Read more by the IPCC for clarification on this. Certainly, meteorologists suggest there's a difference between low and high altitude slopes, so it'll be interesting to see how localised the impacts really are.

For climbers and mountaineers, it brings a stark message that we can't hide from this by jetting to the Bernese Alps or sailing to Greenland. We're in it together. Climate change is having a detrimental impact on the mountain playground within our lifetimes.

Eurasia bike expedition route finalised

The route for a 9000 mile cycle journey from London to India has been determined by myself and partner Lewis Gibbs this week ahead of the 8 month trip which starts in March 2014.

The expedition will start in London in the spring and finishes in India by November of the same year. The route will head to Paris, Strasbourg, Munich and will hit the Danube River in Germany for swift travel through to Eastern Europe along easy cycle trails. Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria will be the last European outposts as the language and culture of people shifts to a central Asian feel.

We expect to have a short break for repairs in Turkey's largest city, Istanbul, after which a ferry will take us across the Caspian Sea from Azerbaijan into Turkmenistan. The expedition will then attempt the Pamir Highway through Tajikistan into Kyrgyzstan, where some of the world's most remote and beautiful mountain scenery is expected.

Our next objective will be the settlement of Kashgar in China and an epic crossing of Tibet, which must be timed carefully with the monsoon season and high summer temperatures. This will draw on our expedition skills, cycling in extreme heat with few sources of food or water. Visa problems and delays are also expected near Tibet due to its sensitive political situation.

If everything goes well, the trip will continue to Lhatse and will enter Nepal from the north for a visit to Everest Base Camp. We are both aware of the dire environmental state of the trekking region and will be looking to volunteer with litter/pollution clean ups where possible. The expedition will leave roads behind at Kathmandu and take singletrack south through to the Himalayan foothills of India. 

The route will finish in India around October/November 2014 for a flight home to the UK, although the end destination has not been decided on. This is partly due to the recent news of attacks on tourists in northern India by bandits and local gangs. We will need to spend more time assessing the safest routes through the country.

So that's the plan!

*Several people have expressed an interest in joining us for the part of the route and it would be awesome to take people along - for support, cameraderie and banter. You could get as much out of two weeks cycling with us as we get from the whole trip! We can share a route plan with you that has anticipated dates and distances on later in the year, so you can contact us about joining the exped nearer the time.

**We need accommodation in Europe and Asia. We also need local contacts (and their local knowledge) for support if something goes wrong. If you know of people living near to the cities en route please contact me: benjamin-lewis@live.co.uk. Thank you

Ice Ice Baby

Ellis Brigham Vertical Chill review

Pictures from my recent trip to the Ice Wall at Ellis Brigham store, Manchester. Thank you to the staff at Ellis Brigham and the Merrell reps who organised a free climbing session for the Leeds Uni Hiking Club.

Ellis Brigham offer the latest climbing equipment for hire, and I was pleased to test out the DMM Apex axes (pictured). 

The ice wall is made using a mix of waste snow-ice from a nearby indoor snow dome, and this snow is plastered to the walls. Large refrigerator fans maintain the temperature at -12 degrees C. The ice is heavily pockmarked and can be climbed without swinging axes/kicking crampons in, just using simple placements more akin to the mixed game. Because the ice is plastered on it's likely to break off in large chunks, which can be infuriating at times if you're trying to hone a fine axe swing. A overhang obstacle also provides a few laughs.

Essentially, for 8 metres of ice climbing in the centre of the Manchester conurbation, it's a great facility and you can't expect an indoor centre to imitate the beauty of ice as Mother Nature makes it. The equipment and staff are great, though the climbing can be limited. Perfect for beginners and those needing to re-unite with their tools.

Live Better by Consuming Less?

This post borrows its title from Tim Jackson's (2005) work on sustainable consumption.

Newcomers to this blog may have the read the article published on UKC this week: A New 'Style' Of Climbing: The Eco-Mountaineer

I wrote the article at Christmas last, after a lot of academic reading on low consumption lifestyles. The UKC article throws up a multitude of global issues (rising population/climate change) and presents sustainable consumption as a theoretical answer to many of these problems.

It's great that UKClimbing is willing to host this kind of debate on its website and I'm forever grateful to Jack Geldard for this.

If you're interested in these ideas, have a look at the video clips below and put 'voluntary simplicity' in your search engine.

I'm off to Fort William on Thursday...  yes, in shared transport before you ask! Hope you have a good week.

Landscape

During research on landscape values in the Peak District, I came across this little gem by the Council for the Preservation of Rural England (CPRE): a film produced in 1938 entitled 'Rural England'. It goes well with a cup of coffee.

Aside from the archaic language and politics - 'spasmodic building' - aren't we thinking the same ideas today?

Hooked: Scottish Winter

View of the Ben, Feb 2011

   


With a coating of powder and lots of freezing, the climbing landscape in Scotland can evolve into an ugly and challenging place. The risks may be greater when climbing: feeling run out on a couple of poorly bedded ice screws, if you fall your picks and spikes may rip through your waterproofs. This will hurt. Climbing can be slow and arduous, as my recent experience following Matt and Joe on Castle Ridge pointed out. 

But the biggest risks surpass the immediate pitch, when external forces come into play. Avalanche. Weather. Foresight and good judgement are needed in the winter climber's arsenal. The extreme cold may prove a problem for the belayer freezing their tits off, or for the climber whose hot aches burn like buggery. The low temperatures demand a methodical approach to fuelling yourself and changing layers between pitches.

For me, the brutality of winter climbing is overshadowed by the beauty of a discipline with more adventure than Ueli Steck on steroids. It has history and ethics to the sport which need respect. This kind of mountaineering is far removed from the monotony of plastic holds on a straight-line route at my the indoor wall. On these routes, decisions are taken. Errors are made. The shit gets serious.

My debut on Scottish winter came in December last, taking our luck on Castle Ridge (III), Ben Nevis. With mixed forecasts and far from perfect conditions, I had low expectations of the day, unsure about our chance of success and needing more psych really after a couple of hours sleep then hitting the road for Fort Bill. Maybe I was doubting my own ability more: a lack of experience and desperately wanting technical axes. I had put in the physical training, scrubbed up on winter reading and got some practice with tools at the Leeds Wall, so why not make a go of it?

Coatings of sheet ice at the North Face Car Park and along the track that follows would be the first obstacle, stacking it onto the ice several times, then sheepishly standing up and regaining composure as amateur mountaineers would. 

Castle Ridge offers pleasant winter scrambling interspersed with steeper sections that warrant a grade III label. Seconding Paul for all but one pitch, I was thankful for Matt and Joe breaking trail ahead of us. Dumpings of soft powder were making it difficult to place protection and get a purchase on the rock or in the snow pack. Joe was our snow plough for the day.

On Castle Ridge

  
At the crux pitch, I was baptised into Scottish winter climbing. There was no font, no religious words said, but shouts of 'Fuck' and 'Shit' as I heaved on dodgy axe placements. The pitch involved a verticle rock step of a few metres, with desperate pulling and body tension to keep hands and feet in the right place with directional pull. The winter climbing style as a form of movement isn't natural - tools and crampons pushing you away from the rock, making the climb feel steeper and ultimately like hard work. But it's the most epic fun you'll ever have in the Scottish mountains.

Our climb finished in classic style with a descent in the dark and a hot meal at the bunkhouse. Thank you to the guys for a good day out. 

Links
Ben Nevis winter routes
BMC Winter climbing conservation tips
UKC Winter conditions
Scotland Avalanche Information Service 
Gresham and Parnell's Winter Climbing+ book

Not the most psych-laden video I've seen, but it gets you in the mood:

  













Happy climbing