Rome, 2 August 2022 – Matterhorn landslide due to Drought and of anomalous climatic conditions that hit the Alps this summer. At about 5.30 pm there was a large detachment of stones from the Head of the Lion, famous passage to altitude 3.715 meters of the Italian route to the summit of the Matterhorn (4,478 meters), between the Aosta Valley and Switzerland. The Valle d’Aosta mountain rescue intervened by helicopter to verify that no people were involved because the collapse occurred in an area that crosses the line of ascent of the normal ascent route from Cervinia. It is a track where the mountain guides – just for the risk of detachment linked to drought – have climbs suspended since last July 20. The Sagf of Cervinia has also been alerted. A roped during the descent it was lower and was not involved.
Circa 30 minutes before the collapse the consortium had been seen with binoculars by the Financial Police of Cervinia, which after the secondment requested an inspection by helicopter. The two mountaineers engaged in the descent reported to the helicopter rescue technicians that they had not seen other climbers behind them, but this report is under investigation. Based on what has been ascertained so far by the Aosta Valley Alpine Rescue there are no people involved in the landslide. Some mountaineers – five according to what has been learned – who were facing the descent from the Capanna Carrel bivouac (3,830 meters), therefore further upstream of the detachment area, are evacuated and brought back to the valley by helicopter by mountain rescue. Some guides will also wait for the mountaineers who are descending from the summit in these hours so as not to let them continue further.
Because of risk of collapses due to drought, the mountain guides have suspended the accompaniment of their customers on the climbs to the Matterhorn since 20 July but, despite it stop to activities – also valid on the Swiss side and on some climbing routes on the Mont Blanc massif – there are several mountaineers attracted by the most iconic mountain in the Alps and who in the summer season venture every day on the Gran Becca.
“Surely there will be somethingwe are defining how “. Thus the mayor of Valtournenche, Jean-Antoine Maquignazcomments on the hypothesis of take measures following the landslide on the Italian normal route of the Matterhorn. In the 2015 his predecessor had closed with an ordinance the Italian way to the summit for just over two weeks, between the end of July and August 15th, following some landslides that fell to 3,000 meters above sea level in the Cheminée area.
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