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Matterhorn closed to climbers

  • 12-08-2003 10:14pm
    #1
    Evil Phil
    Registered Users Posts: 7,468 ✭✭✭


    The matterhorn, Switzerland most famous mountain, has been closed to climbers due to the current heatwave. The heat is melting the permafrost that holds the mountain together. Full story here:

    http://www.camp4.com/index.php?newsid=488


Comments

  • #2
    billy the squid
    Registered Users Posts: 12,811 ✭✭✭✭billy the squid


    its fortunate that no one was killed in the rock slide.

    I would be curious to know why it is more popular to climb a mountain which is being held together by ice in the summer than it is in the winter.

    Like the article says this phenomenon is not unusual and the people of the area have seen it before.

    I would have expected winter to be a more suitible time to climb this mountain considering what it is made of


  • #3
    ^whitey^
    Registered Users Posts: 843 ✭✭✭^whitey^


    I'm no expert on Alpinism but heres my 2 cents:

    The reason people ascend it in summer rather then winter is because conditions are normally more suitable in summer to complete an ascent.

    Climbing and especially Alpinism is a different and far more serious game in winter. Even in fine weather long nights, extremely low temps, limited daylight mean carrying extra gear, ice tools, bivouac gear. This along with avalanches means alpinism is genarlly more popular in summer. Even on slopes held together by ice.

    Under normal conditions the matterhorn would be far safer in summer than it is at the moment.

    ww)


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