The Aiguille du Midi ice tunnel in March 2014. Photo: Anna Lochhead
An effort to secure the Aiguille du Midi ice tunnel earlier this week was not successful, necessitating the famous tunnel’s removal. The tunnel has been a fixture of the Aiguille’s high mountain station in Chamonix, France, for decades and gives access to the high-mountain arête, Vallée Blanche, and major climbing routes. While the exit was closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 4 and 5, the removal has restores access and all operations are continuing as normal.
While some may find it sad to see the tunnel disappear, the good news is that the ice is no longer unstable and does not pose a risk to mountaineers and sightseers.
It’s not the first time the ice tunnel has been dismantled. According to Mont Blanc Natural Resort, the infamous, infernal summer of 2003 was also fatal to the tunnel.
Anyone who has skied the Vallée Blanche or its variations — by far the most common winter descents from the Aiguille — has passed through the tunnel. Mountaineers use the same access in summer. Many sightseers also visit the tunnel.
An image from Mont Blanc Natural Resort showing the dismantled ice tunnel. Photo: Mont Blanc Natural Resort
Will the Tunnel Rebuild?
The ice tunnel will likely rebuild itself in winter, at least temporarily.
The Aiguille, at 3,842 meters (12,605 feet), is one of the highest lift-access zones in Europe. Located on the edge of the Alps, this spire is the first to receive storms from the west, northwest, and north, and attracts intense snowfalls. It’s not uncommon to have just a few centimeters of snow in the valleys with several times that in the high mountains.
The ice tunnel is the very top of the accumulation zone of the Glacier du Pelerins. Normally, enough snow and ice build up at this level during winter to keep the station’s exit covered, necessitating the ice tunnel. Snow accumulates in this high-altitude bowl, compresses into ice over the course of a year or two, and slowly slides down the north face of the Aiguille. However, this summer has been hot enough to disrupt that balance, lowering the glacier enough for the tunnel to become thin and unstable.
Showing how the ice tunnel forms. Photo: Google Earth
Unlike other parts of glaciers, accumulation zones can often see rapid changes in size. A heavy snow year may raise levels by several meters. Eventually this snow turns to ice or melts, and the top of the glacier “drops” down again. It’s a natural cycle, but as the mountains keep experiencing warmer summers, the upper Pelerins glacier and its accumulation zone will likely drop below the Aiguille exit, and the ice tunnel will become more and more ephemeral.
Therefore, when the Glacier du Pelerins has dropped enough, the tunnel may appear only in winter and disappear each summer.
Europe’s Record-Breaking Summer
“Dante-esque” may be the best adjective we’ve seen to describe the endless heatwaves that have pounded Europe this summer. We’re halfway through the meteorological summer, so full comparisons are still elusive. But June was Western Europe’s hottest ever, at 3.06℃ (5.4℉) above the 1991 – 2020 average (which was, in turn, already significantly higher than the preindustrial average). If that seems inconsequential, consider the fact that the 2003 summer, which caused an estimated 70,000 deaths in Europe, was only 2℃ hotter than average.
Temperature anomalies surpassed 8℃ in many continental parts of Western Europe this past June. Photo: ECMWF