After the huge ice avalanche

This summer a mega ice avalanche has swept down on the Tibetan plateau. In the Aru Range in northwestern Tibet a whole glacier tongue broke off and tumbled down into the valley. Scientists say it was one of the largest ice avalanches ever recorded. According to the Chinese authorities this natural event, which already occurred on 17 July, killed nine Tibetan herders. More than 350 sheep and 110 yaks were buried under the ice and rock masses. The American space agency NASA now published satellite images which show the dimension: The ice covered an area of ten square kilometers, the lake down in the valley was colored white and the debris piled up 30 meters in some places. The cause of the collapse is still unclear. “Climate change is causing more glacial hazards through mechanisms we do not fully understand,” said the Chinese glaciologist Tian Lide. “There is an urgent need for more monitoring and research efforts, especially in populated areas in high mountains.”

I called the Swiss scientist Samuel Nussbaumer. The 35-year-old glaciologist is working for the World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS) in Zurich, which is observing and analyzing the fluctuation of glaciers worldwide.

Before the collapse

How unusual is this massive ice avalanche in Tibet?

The way I see it, really the complete glacier tongue has broken off, the entire lower part. I don’t know about another event of that extent – but of course we only know about what has been documented. In 2002, there was a case of a similar dimension at the Kolka Glacier in the Russian Caucasus (about 140 people died then). But there had been a rockfall first that carried away the ice. We know pretty well, what happened back then. The exact circumstances in Tibet, however, are not yet known.

Samuel Nussbaumer

Are such massive glacial ice avalanches predictable? Are there alarming hints?

Glaciers are in constant movement. Signs are for example the crevasses which can be observed with cameras or high-resolution satellite images. Doing this, such an event could be foreseen. But of course it is not practical to monitor all glaciers worldwide. In the Alps many glaciers are observed. The dimension, however, is much smaller. There are e.g. steep hanging glaciers, where parts are in danger of breaking off and impacting on villages or cable car stations. These glaciers are monitored by automatic cameras. Such glacial collapses can be predicted – e.g. when the ice is flowing faster or the crevasses are getting larger.

Are huge ice avalanches like in Tibet a result of climate change?

You can’t make a statement about it as long as the cause of the event in Tibet is not yet finally clarified. But melt water plays an important role in the process of a sliding glacier tongue. In 1965 we had such an event on the Allalin glacier in Switzerland (88 people died), where the complete glacier tongue broke away too. In these cases there is often plenty of water in the glacier bed on which the ice can slide, and then suddenly it breaks. It’s a well-known phenomenon in steep glaciers, but of course in a much smaller extent than now in Tibet. If the temperatures are higher, the chance is greater that there is more meltwater and that the water on the surface acts like a lubricant.

Alex Lowe in 1995 (l., with Conrad Anker)

Glaciers are constantly moving. And so they spit out one day what they once swallowed. Climate change, which makes glaciers melt faster, is speeding up the process. In recent years there have been more and more reports from around the world that bodies of dead climbers were discovered after many years. Whether on Mont Blanc, on the Matterhorn, on Mount Everest – or now on the eight-thousander Shishapangma in Tibet. The Alex Lowe Charitable Foundation announced that Swiss Ueli Steck and German David Goettler had discovered the bodies of two climbers in blue ice during their acclimatization for Shishapangma South Face. The melting glacier would release the corpses soon. The description of clothes and packs left no doubt that it was the bodies of Alex Lowe and David Bridges, it was said.

Pilgrimage to Shishapangma

Along with their compatriot Conrad Anker, the two Americans had been caught and buried in an avalanche in the South Face of Shishapangma on 5 October 1999. Only Anker had been able to free himself from the snow masses, badly injured. Lowe, at that time 40 years old and one of the best climbers in the world, had planned to ski down the South Face. Bridges had joined the team as a cameraman. Later Conrad Anker married Lowe’s widow Jennifer and adopted the three sons of the couple. “Conrad, the boys and I will make our pilgrimage to Shishapangma,” Jennifer Lowe-Anker said, after she had received Ueli’s and David’s message. “It is time to put Alex to rest.” And Anker added: “After 16 ½ years this brings closure and relief for me and Jenni and for our family.”

Pik Lenin

“There are no easy mountains and certainly no easy seven-thousanders.” I remember very clearly these words of my Austrian expedition leader Herbert Wolf in 2011, on the 7,246-meter-high Putha Hiunchuli (Dhaulagiri VII) in Nepal. I had to turn around 150 meters below the summit because the weather conditions were deteriorating and I was too late. What Herbert meant, was the fact that the conditions can change even an apparently easy mountain into a difficult and dangerous one.
Commercial expedition operators often call Peak Lenin in Kyrgyzstan an “easy seven-thousander” or an “entry seven-thousander”. On 7 August, a Russian mountain guide died on the 7,134-meter-high mountain in the Pamirs.  It was a combination of difficult conditions and negligence that led to his death. Three other members of the expedition, which had been organized by a Kyrgyz agency, were lucky enough to survive the accident. I have first-hand information.

Without ice axe and helmet

Hundreds of climbers have been trying to climb Peak Lenin this season. Reports from various expeditions say that the weather conditions in recent weeks have been unusually bad: Heavy snowfall, wind and cold made the success rate on the mountain decrease from about 20 percent to two percent in July. “In the morning of 7 August, we were the first group to climb via the normal route from Camp 1 at 4,400 meters across the snow-covered and crevassed glacier to Camp 2 at 5,300 meters“, a member of the rope team of four told me. He survived the incident and wants to remain anonymous. According to his words, the Russian mountain guide was an experienced man who had already summited eight-thousanders. But apparently, he took the ascent across the glacier lightly. “He had neither a helmet nor an ice axe. He took a 40-meter rope, but insisted on paying out only 20 meters.” Later that proved fatal.

No chance to react

On the glacier

First they were able to jump across some narrow but deep crevasses. But then, at about 5,000 meters, the team reached a big crevasse, into which the wind had blown a lot of snow. “Due to the short rope distance between us, two climbers were simultaneously crossing the snow bridge when it broke”, said the climber. “It was happening so fast. We others were not able to react because of the short rope connection and were also pulled down into the 20- meter-deep crevasse.”
The Russian mountain guide hit the ground with his head forward and died on the spot. Another team member was hit by the guide’s crampons and suffered serious cut injuries. The fall of the other two climbers ended on the side of the crevasse, one injured his knee, the other miraculously remained intact.
Other rope teams realized that the group had suddenly disappeared in the crevasse. About two hours later, all were recovered from the crevasse and flown out by helicopter.

“Gross negligence”

“If we had used the full length of the rope – we repeatedly dunned the mountain guide for doing so –, only one team member would have stood on the snow bridge and in case it broke, we would had a chance to stop the fall”, said the expedition member, adding that the equipment with which the Russian mountain guide set off was insufficient for the prevailing conditions at Peak Lenin. This also applied to the food that had been deposited in the high camps. “That was gross negligence”, said the climber. “You should really look carefully under whose care you put yourself on such an expedition.”

Tragedies on Pik Lenin

Memorial stone for the victims of the ice avalanche in 1990

Peak Lenin was first climbed by a Soviet-German expedition in 1928. The mountain was repeatedly the arena for tragedies. In 1974, eight Russian female climbers froze to death in a storm. In 1990, the mountaineering accident with the most fatalities ever occurred on Peak Lenin: An earthquake triggered an ice avalanche that buried a high camp completely. 43 climbers died, only two survived. So much for “easy seven-thousander”.

Long line on the glacier

The clouds were hanging low, it was cool. Not exactly the perfect weather to tempt curious or spontaneous people to climb up to over 3,000 metre to the Koednitzkees, a glacier below the summit of Grossglockner, the highest mountain of Austria. On Saturday – as reported here – the “longest rope team of the world” should be formed there. A notary certified the number of participants of the action which in case of success should find its place in the Guinness Book of Records. Despite the bad weather 193 mountain friends roped up to a length of 600 metres. “The exercise has been successful,” said Peter Ladstätter, district head of the mountain rescue in Osttirol (Eastern Tyrol) who had organized the event.

Longer rope team on Tegelberg

It remains to be seen whether that’s enough for an entry in the Guinness Book. Afterwards the organizers were still speaking of the “longest rope team in the world”, but added “on a glacier higher than 3,000 metres”. In October 2012, about 400 employees of a Swiss outdoor company had formed an one kilometre long rope team on the ridge of (the non-glaciated, 1,881 metres high) Tegelberg in Bavaria in occasion of the company’s 150-year-anniversary. A notary was probably not present then.

Always roped up!

Meeting point Stüdlhütte

Record or not, that was not primarily the goal of the action in Osttirol. First and foremost mountain rescuers, mountain guides, the alpine police and the Centre of Alpine Excellence in Osttirol wanted to point out that climbers should always rope up before entering a glacier. In this way many falls into crevasses could end without serious consequences.

Rope up before you start!

The longest rope team of the world. That is the goal of an action on Grossglockner, which, if it works, will find its place in the Guinness Book of Records. On Saturday at 2 p.m. mountain rescuers of Osttirol (Eastern Tyrol) will rope up as many climbers as possible on the Koednitzkees, a glacier below the highest peak of Austria. A notary is commissioned by the Guinness Book of Records to count the participants. Afterwards the Austrian artist Dieter Remler will make a performance, according to the motto: “As free as an eagle, with a person’s mind”. This is just one of several actions in Osttirol during this weekend which is dedicated to safety in the mountains . I contacted Peter Ladstaetter, district head of mountain rescue in Osttirol. He has organized the action on the Koednitzkees .

Peter, what is the message of forming the longest rope team of the world?

Our key message is: It must be a standard to take a rope before you enter or cross a glacier. Unfortunately many do not know that glacial ice is always moving and therefore also crevasses are “walking”. There are many falls which only end without serious consequences – in most cases even unhurt – because the mountaineers are roped up.  A last year’s fall into a crevasse that ended with death gave us the idea to start a preventive campaign in order to raise awareness for alpine dangers. By the way, in my opinion not the mountain is dangerous, but the climber who doesn’t care about security standards.

Do you as rescuers notice that less climbers use ropes on glaciers with the consequence of avoidable accidents?

Not only mountain rescuers but all organizations with alpine competence have to take advantage of their opportunities (networks and know-how) to reach all climbers and hikers. 83 deaths year-to-date in the mountains of Tyrol (including Südtirol/South Tyrol) speak for themselves. The progress in technology and equipment in recent years allow us to go beyond our personal limits. Only if equipment, technology and knowledge harmonise, climbers can enjoy a wonderful and above all safe mountain adventure.

There are fatal accidents (as recently on the Sasso Lungo in Val Gardena), that might have ended less tragically if the climbers were not roped up. When should climbers rope up, when not?

Grossglockner, highest peak of Austria

Fatal accidents of whole rope teams are the absolute exception and usually have other reasons such as crossing a cornice or releasing a snow slab in case of fresh snow. We should not make the mistake of thinking that every accident is preventable. There will still be fatal mountain accidents, but we must do everything possible to inform climbers and hikers as well as possible and to raise awareness for alpine dangers. I am very pleased to see that an increasing number of people are attracted by nature to recharge their batteries. “People who love the mountains reflect the sunlight, those who remain in the valley, do not know their language.”