Climbing the Alps was never an easy task but thanks to global warming, it’s even more arduous now after the risks multiplied.
Every step on the ice is an open invite to death and melting of the ice that holds peaks together in the Alps has just increased the risk. The rocks have become lose and traditional climbs like Eiger and Matterhorn are now fraught with danger that was never before.
Grindelwald mountain guide Marco Bomio has been around for quite a few years and he knows the region inside out. Bomio said
Now there are routes that just can’t be done any more.
Naturally, rockfall is becoming a daily occurrence and guides are often required to put aside loose rocks and bond those in the net.
Bomio said
These days we make more money from rockfalls than we do as mountain guides.
Already, the Petit Dru, a pinnacle of rock and ice in the Mont Blanc, has started coming apart and the renowned Bonatti Pillar route has simply vanished.
A series of rockfalls in 2003 saw 70 climbers being rescued by helicopter from the Matterhorn.
