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Archives for April 2022

Skiing in Norway above the Arctic Circle!

April 29, 2022 by Fay Manners

Home to more gold medals at the Winter Olympics than any other nation, it is no surprise that the opportunities for exciting skiing in Norway are endless!

What you can expect from skiing in Norway

As a Brit, I can only alike this diverse coastal terrain to that of what I have seen in Scotland. A mixture of white and green mountainsides, vertical ice blasted rock faces and sublime blue fjords weaving their way through the massifs.

norway landscape

Exploration in skiing is not just an “ideal” in Norway, it is the pure nature of the sport! In print there is only a selection of lines described; when you look at a map, you can find vast remote and undiscovered terrain. The constantly changing weather caused by the proximity to the ocean creates a complex and fascinating snowpack. Because the areas are less travelled here, there is a necessity for you to independently assess the conditions. Not to simply follow the footsteps of others, but to build a broader plethora of experience which allows you to make your own more immediate decisions in the mountains.

norway landscape 2

The avalanche forecast is called Varsom, which translates “to be cautious”. It promotes more of a “see and share” culture where people document their own findings from the day. This philosophy seems to reinvigorate the feeling of adventure; where backcountry skiing is more about venturing into the unknown and discovering your own journey in the mountains.

My most recent experience skiing in Norway

For my most recent trip, I went by plane from Geneva to Tromsø in April for 18 days. I stayed in some accommodation not far from the city. April is said to be the best time of year for freeriding; I would agree that with the long days and amount of snowfall, it was a good decision.

The timeframe of my trip allowed for me to have bad weather days and visit the indoor climbing wall if I needed to wait out any big storms. With the storms came powder. This meant I had the luxury of skiing a few of the steeper lines in prime condition. Of course, there were days where the snow conditions were not optimal but with such diversity, there are plenty of other alternatives to go at, for example traversing classic alpine ridges.


It is important to bear in mind that the weather in this corner of Europe can be fairly unstable. My learning is that even when the weather does not look very promising, it is worth at least trying as you might be rewarded! Some days it is better to simply pack a down jacket. Then, wait out the weather at the top until the clouds sweep past. You may have some minutes of clear visibility for a descent.

Living like a Norwegian

Norway can be somewhat expensive for the average ski bum especially if you want to make a longer trip. For this reason, I opted to stay in a private room in the house of a Norwegian family. Living with locals meant I could truly embrace the real Norwegian way of life. Even to share a meal with them to taste some of the Scandinavian delicacies.

The Norwegian language has its own word “Kos”, pronounced “Coosh”. It is a way to describe the small joys in life. So, for me, this word best describes my trip to Norway, as it’s all the finer details of being in this country that create a feeling of warmth and cosiness. The boundless landscape for skiing, the reflections of this breath-taking scenery in the water, the herds of white reindeers roaming in the wilderness and the solidarity and kindness of the people that live here.

Big Chasm on Guhkesgasia

If you would like to hear more about my experiences of skiing in Norway then please feel free to get in touch!

Creation of the female mountaineering group CAF Girls Grand Est

April 26, 2022 by Médine Kara

CAF Girls Grand Est is a group born in 2018. The idea was and is to promote the practice of mountaineering to women. An initiative that seems essential to us. It allows our members to gain autonomy in mountaineering, climbing, skiing, etc. and at the same time to be more confident in their everyday life. I hope that our humble story can serve as an inspiration to some (nothing is impossible!).

CAF Girls Grand Est

On December 15 and 16, 2018, the first women’s gathering was held at Hohneck, a summit well known to mountaineers in the Vosges. We aim to form the CAF Girls mountaineering group for the Alpin Grand Est promotion 2019-2020.

The twenty participants, mainly from the Strasbourg region, braved conditions worthy of a harsh Vosgian winter to prove themselves in the snowy couloirs of Falimont and on the rocks of the Spitzkopf ridge.

Henri-Luc Rillh and Jean-Pierre Courvoisier, commissioned by the French Federation of Alpine and Mountain Clubs (FFCAM), had the heavy task of selecting the group’s six members from among all the girls present.

Their mission will be to promote women’s mountaineering in the region and national gatherings and be trained to get involved in their club.

CAF Girls Grand Est

The creation of FFCAM women’s groups responds to a real need for training practitioners and helping more women to practice more mountain sports. This non-mixing is even necessary for the feminisation of mountain activities. Thus, it allows women to make their own decisions without a male influence, which is often the case in mixed roped parties. Promoting these female groups will bring more parity to the clubs.

Selection stage

Saturday started in a thick fog, but nothing to discourage the girls! Roped in pairs, they evolved on the snow slopes, going down and up the couloirs. Looking at them allowed us to assess their ease and knowledge of rope techniques. The fog descended into the valley, forming a beautiful sea of clouds. All felt privileged to find themselves in such a setting. For a moment, they forgot the pressure of evaluation.

Gradually, the whole team returns to the top of the ridges to end the day under a beautiful sun. It’s time to return to the chalet to prepare a small aperitif and assess the day’s performance.

At Chalet SHM, it’s herbal tea, tea and coffee. The time for individual interviews is coming. Some candidates are already standing out, and others have yet to prove themselves. Jean-Pierre and Henri-Luc will wait for the next day’s events to finalise the selection.

After this day in the cold and the wind, it’s time for conviviality around an aperitif followed by a hot meal. The participants get to know each other, share their experiences, and create stronger relationships.

The foot of the Hohneck

The last straight line

Sunday begins with a sick fog, which will not leave us of the day. The biting cold (-12°C in the morning!) and the wind will not discourage the roped parties. The women who decided not to apply to the group are going to the corridors of Falimont. Then, still in the race, the contenders go to the Spitzkopf ridge to be evaluated on mixed terrain.

Ropes of two evolve on the rocks by adapting their roping techniques to the situation. Each, in turn, takes the place of the leader. The jury will thus be able to evaluate the ease and technique of each candidate.

The organisers meet to deliberate in the afternoon, and Henri-Luc announces the result after some explanations. The joy of the selected girls opposes the sadness of those who are not selected.

I take the direction of a group of happy selected women. I am at the origin of the project and the group manager. To share their joy, I am starting to organise our first adventure, the “Ice climbing Ecrins 2019”.

In love with Belledonne

April 19, 2022 by Médine Kara

The mountains, an environment that never attracted my parents

Despite being from Lyon, I did not grow up with a Mountain culture, to my great regret. It was an environment that never attracted my parents, and for a good reason; they had lived all their childhood in the countryside with very little money. They dreamed of modernity, luxury, and material goods. The city offered them everything they liked. My father’s business could offer them all the comfort they dreamed of. When you are a parent, you think that what you want is what your children appreciate. That’s why I can’t blame them. But you are probably wondering, what is the relationship with Belledonne? Patience, I’m getting there.


Lac Blanc at an altitude of 2,161m
Lac Blanc at an altitude of 2,161m
The Lac de Sitre at an altitude of 1,952m
The Lac de Sitre at an altitude of 1,952m

My whole family lives in Lyon, and every year, I visit them during the Christmas holidays. December 2017, the snow is here, and I am with my family. Little Berzan is happy to see Medina, his favourite auntie! I think back to my childhood in Lyon, and I decide with Ozan to take my little sister’s family, including my favourite Berzan, to the ski resort of Sappey-en-Chartreuse, near Grenoble. Berzan will discover the joys of tobogganing not far from Chamechaude, the highest point of the Chartreuse massif, which rises to 2,082 m above sea level.

My discovery of Belledonne

I’m introducing my brother-in-law to snowshoeing. The landscape is magnificent, and the sun is shining. On my way back, I observe the snowy landscapes of Grenoble. Deep down, I tell myself that, while I didn’t experience the pleasure of a day like this in my childhood, I was going to share one with my little nephew. Today, he asks me, “Auntie, when are we going back to the snow?”



After one corner, I see even more beautiful peaks. But, what is this massif with these steep slopes? I access the application on my phone, and I discover that it is the Belledonne massif on the map. I am amazed by the number of indicated lakes that dot these mountains. But how have I missed that until I was 26? With the feeling of having missed something precious in my childhood, I want to make up for the lost time. I will be back this summer 2018 to hike these beautiful mountains. All is decided and agreed with my sister’s family.

On the way to Belledonne

In August 2018, as promised, I am in Lyon. We are all on our way to Lac Achard above Grenoble. It is the heatwave! People rushed to the shores of the lake. They came to enjoy the fresh air and water. My brother-in-law, his cousin and I left my sister and her two children on the shores of Lake Achard to hike to Lake Robert. We are all three fascinated by the beauty of the landscapes and scenery. My sister finally discovers that her children only need a stick and a few pebbles to have fun.



I returned with my brother-in-law to Belledonne for a long and magnificent hike two days later. A loop that starts from the Pré Conté car park at about 1,360m and that passes through the Col du Sitre (2,130m), a descent into a ravine, the Mousset footbridge (above the stream “the Vors”), the Habert Mousset hut (1,718m), the Jean Collet refuge (1,960m) to Lac Blanc. To access the lake, we climbed the Ravine des Excellences. It is a tough climb, but you are rewarded by the wild and indescribable beauty of the Lac Blanc site in its mineral setting, at the foot of the Glacier de Freydane and the Pics de Belledonne.

An unforgettable day for both of us. I promise one day, I will climb the highest peak of the massif, the Grand Pic de Belledonne, which culminates at 2,977m!

Eiger Nordwand, Alpi-stop

April 8, 2022 by Guillaume Pierrel

The Alpi-stop was invented during the ascent of the Eiger, in March 2022!

The original plan

After an unsuccessful attempt of the Eiger’s North Face, in January with Etienne Potof, I decided to go back there with my favorite and faithful climbing partner Lucien Boucansaud. You have to believe that fate persists. Lucien was sick and decided to stop at the train entrance (first station of the train that goes up to the Jungfraujoch), after 4 hours of climbing.

I ask him if he doesn’t mind that I continue, and he encourages me, but alone, it’s a stupid idea! It was then that I decided to call for help and stopped the two parties following us. Maybe, by chance, one of them, would take me with them… ? I called it the alpi-stop, like when you stick your thumb up at the entrance to the highway, but there it’s dark, and we’re in the middle of the north face. One of them (some German climbers) gives up and leaves with Lucien (you have to know that we got lost for two hours), and the second accepts.

the ascent

What a surprise! I have the chance to find Christophe Dumarest with his client Didier. The latter said to me: you really wouldn’t have to like the mountains to refuse to take you on our rope! Awesome! Lucien is safe on the train; I am off to an anthology tutoring with a guide and a golden rope. We soar and distribute the lengths. And, it is in the good mood and joy of being again in this immense wild face, we reach the top around 8:30 p.m. In addition to a great adventure, I experienced real beautiful teaching in situ.

Thanks Christophe. Pure spirit!

Along the way, I closed the trilogy of the north faces of the Alps – Eiger, Grandes Jorasses and Matterhorn – which was so close to my heart. I solved today the last problem (not mine) of the Alps (what was said in 1938 for the historical wink) 😉

Sleeping on the Eiger
credit: Christophe Dumarest
Hanged on the Eiger

Congratulations to the ingenuity and madness of the men who braved such a monumental challenge at the time.

Key considerations on Permafrost

April 8, 2022 by Thomas Viguier

What is permafrost?

Permafrost is some ground that freezes and remains frozen all year round for at least two consecutive years.

Frozen ground

It is found in cold climates of high latitudes or high altitudes where the ground does not thaw entirely, even in summer. Permafrost consists of rocks, sediment and soil. It contains varying quantities of ice, which acts as a cement to bind the different materials together.

Most of the present-day layer of frozen ground formed during or since the last ice age. On top of that layer of ice, there is a thin layer of soil called the active layer. It thaws each summer and refreezes each winter. It can range from 30 to 200 cm. On the other hand, permafrost can go as deep as 1,500 meters.

The repeated freezing and thawing of the active layer in soils can produce interesting patterns on the ground. For example, ice-wedge polygons often indicate the presence of permafrost. In some places, extreme cold conditions cause the frozen ground to contract and crack in spring. During snowmelt, the cracks fill with water, which freezes in the permafrost, forming a thin vertical ice vein.

A long process

The following winter, the ground will contract and crack again along the existing ice vein. Water will again fill this crack, which will freeze and widen the ice vein. This process continues for centuries, millennia, or even tens of millennia, forming the famous ice wedges. Presently, permafrost occurs in as much as 25% of the exposed land surface in the Northern hemisphere and under shallow shelf seas, flooded after the last ice age. One can find constantly-frozen grounds in vast areas in Russia, Canada, Alaska, China and Greenland.

In Europe, permafrost can be found in Scandinavia and high mountain regions in Germany, only at the soakspitzer. However, increasing global temperatures have resulted in the slow degradation of permafrost worldwide, with severe consequences.

What happens when permafrost thaws?

Due to climate change, thawing permafrost has a massive impact on local ecosystems, economies, landscapes, and topography. Arctic summers get warmer and longer. It causes the active layer to penetrate deeper and deeper into the frozen ground each year. If the active layer reaches too deep, it cannot refreeze entirely during the winter. This causes the permafrost to recede each year. 

Effect of thawing permafrost
A block that fell into the ocean on Alaska’s Arctic Coast. Credit: U.S. Geological Survey

Permafrost contains frozen water, which acts like cement, binding loose sediment together. When this ice melts, the ground becomes weak and unstable.

Weakened coastlines, compounded by retreating sea ice, warmer waters and longer storm seasons, become more vulnerable to erosion. Therefore, in towns and cities built on that frozen ground, infrastructure was constructed assuming that the solid foundation of permafrost would not change.

Melting grounds can shift and settle the foundation, damaging or even destroying infrastructure. This disrupts everyday services and costs national economies hundreds of millions due to relocations or increasing costs of repairs. In addition, in high altitudes and steep mountain terrain, thawing permafrost increases the risk of rockfalls and landslides, triggering additional hazards.

The loss of permafrost has a considerable impact on the ecosystem as well. It is impermeable to water. When disappearing under bodies of water, it can cause the water above it to seep through the ground, triggering the loss of innumerable Lakes and wetlands. Thawing permafrost could entail even further, reaching consequences affecting the entire planet: The Acceleration of Global Warming. 

Why can it accelerate climate change?

Organic matters, such as animal and plant remains, were buried and frozen into the permafrost during and since the last ice age.

The permafrost froze this organic matter for thousands of years and preserved it. Just like a gigantic freezer, the permafrost keeps this organic matter preserved up to this present day.

Thawing ground exposes organic matter to microbes. They will break down the carbon-based organic matter, releasing carbon dioxide or methane into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide and methane are greenhouse gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, increasing global temperatures. Rising temperatures would then lead to accelerated thawing. This creates a feedback cycle called the “permafrost carbon feedback cycle”. This process is irreversible on short human timescales.

The organic matter in permafrost accumulated over tens of thousands of years. It contributed to reducing the carbon content of the Ice Age atmosphere. But now, portions of this massive quantity of carbon get released within decades. Warmer climates enhance plant growth, and increased vegetation removes some carbon dioxide. Unfortunately, that positive impact cannot fully compensate for the much greater carbon emissions from thawing permafrost.

Permafrost regions may contain about 1,500 gigatons of carbon in the form of frozen organic matter. This is nearly twice as much as what is currently in the atmosphere.

We estimate that a large portion of the frozen organic matter could thaw and decompose. It would result in the release of additional greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere over the following decades.

How can we understand the changes better?

Understanding the risks of thawing permafrost

Thawing permafrost entails many known risks. The initial effects and damages have already been observed in many regions. However, some of these threats’ magnitude, timing, and urgency remain uncertain because there are too many changing variables. Constantly changing landscapes, for example, often produce varied and opposing effects, whether because of increased vegetation due to a warming climate or increased snow cover, which insulates the ground from cold air temperatures.

In some areas, researchers have observed increases in the thickness of the active layer while the permafrost temperatures remain essentially unchanged.

The active layer is stable in other areas, while the underlying ground is rapidly warming. Furthermore, recent observations could change our previous understanding. For example, large craters formed in Siberia; scientists assume that natural gas collected under impermeable permafrost layers and eventually erupted in a burst, leaving behind an enormous hole. However, there is still much to learn about that frozen part of the ground.

Permafrost thaw ponds in Hudson Bay, Canada – Image: Steve Jurvetson/Flickr
Polygonal tundra and lakes landscape in summer (Getty images)

Organisations

In pursuit of understanding, climate researchers and geoscientists have established the Global Terrestrial Network for Permafrost. The objective is to organise and manage a global network of observations for monitoring changes.

These networks collect data in a centralised database and make them available to the public. It provides interested researchers worldwide with valuable information on permafrost’s extent, distribution, vulnerability, and behaviour.

Still, more key parameters need to be regularly measured to monitor the permafrost status better. Permafrost around the world has begun to change. It does not seem so permanent anymore. The international community has to address these imminent changes. With the coordinated action of national governments and international organisations, we can have the tools and knowledge to manage the impacts of permafrost degradation in a warming climate.

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