The mountain hut near Bernina has been closed due to the extreme heat
Keystone-SDA
Even at altitudes above 3,000 metres with permanent snow, the high temperatures are making themselves felt. The Marco e Rosa mountain hut – situated at 3,609 metres in Valmalenco, 300 metres from the Swiss border – is witness to this.
The hut is a popular destination for all mountaineers and a base camp for tackling Piz Bernina, the highest mountain in the Eastern Alps.
The notice announcing the closure of the mountain hut – which welcomes thousands of hikers and mountain lovers every summer – was issued by the Valtellina branch of the Italian Alpine Club (CAI). “Due to the adverse conditions on the access routes caused by the unusually hot weather, the refuge is closing with immediate effect until conditions on the mountain allow for its reopening,” reads a statement.
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The refuge is the highest in Lombardy, but this has not saved it: the extremely high temperatures of recent days have damaged the snowpack, creating crevasses and an unstable, hazardous situation for hikers. Consequently, the CAI, in agreement with the managers, has decided to close it.
“This has never happened before,” remarked one person on the CAI’s Facebook page in response to the notice. But it is hardly surprising considering that, during this spell of scorching heat, the freezing level in the Alps has been averaging between 4,200 and 4,500 metres.
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Translated from Italian, reviewed by an English Department journalist.
