Storms Rage & Temperatures Fall

After complaints about last summer being one of the wettest anyone can remember, the residents of Chamonix were rejoicing with the start of the summer and the high temperatures that soared into the 30's on a daily basis. However after a few weeks we began to see the downside of this unusually hot weather. 

The danger in the mountains caused by melting snow and falling rock, the glaciers melting faster than normal, water bans came into effect, the normal route up Mont Blanc was closed for safety reasons and if you are a mountain biker then I am pretty sure you were probably complaining about the dusty trails! Add to that the difficulty in doing any sort of sports in that kind of heat, and for some people even getting a good nights sleep seemed to be out of the question.

The joys of the hot weather and the heatwave of late June and early July seemed to be wearing thin. At last the storms this weekend, most notably on Friday night when the lightening was bright in the valley, the rain torrential and the thunder so loud it felt as though the house was shaking, managed to break the heatwave and today temperatures feel as though they have returned to normal. 

Despite this however, conditions in the mountains remain dangerous. On Friday night the PGHM Chamonix were called out three times to rescue climbers who became stranded by the storm. At 18:30 they were called to l'aiguille du Peigne to bring down two climbers. Fifteen minutes later they rescued another two from Les Drus and at 20:00 they flew up to Mont Maudit to rescue several more. All climbers were brought down to safety and without injury.

A press release the authorities of the Haute Savoie (translated below) has also reiterated the dangers of the Gouter route up to Mont Blanc and that the Gouter refuge will remain closed for now.

"Despite a slight drop in temperature in recent days, the effects of the heat wave are still present in the high mountains, especially in the couloir du Gouter where there is always significant rockfall. Georges-François Leclerc, prefect of the Haute-Savoie, reminds us that climbing to the summit of Mount Blanc by the normal route, called "Gouter" is strongly discouraged. The refuge du Gouter also remains closed until further notice, pending improved conditions of the Aiguille du Gouter. The gendarmes in charge of the access to Mont Blanc will maintain their vigilance and remind that the extreme conditions observed recently in the mountains requires great caution by climbers (falls stones, fragile snow bridges, snow corridors and unstable ice ...). The high mountain conditions have been permanently damaged by heat, across the entire department, before you go in the mountains, whatever peak you plan to climb, check with mountain professionals and change your route or delay your ascent depending on conditions."