The tragic freak death of an experienced, much loved 58 year old mountain guide from Granada, has demonstrated the unprecedented perils of this winter season in Spain’s Sierra Nevada. Heavy rain and gale force winds have brought a series of blizzard conditions to the high mountains since mid-December. What are the dangers and how do we deal with them?
Roads badly damaged in the Sierras
Whatever the truth about El Niño this year, the fact remains that whilst the UK has been having the coldest and snowiest winter for many years, due to scandanavian weather influences, the lows normally reserved for northern Scotland have fled south. Instead of a few bad days each month renewing the snowpack, we have one low pressure system after another crossing the Sierras, bringing with it heavy rain, gale force winds and blizzards.
It all started in mid-December when the first “waves” hit. Very suddenly the mountainsides turned white. They have remained that way with a continual build up of snow ever since. We now have 4 to 5 metre snow depths. Great if the weather ever relents enough to give us a window of opportunity to climb them!
Unprecedented Dangers
Access tracks in the Alpujarras
The constant rain has soaked the earth. Houses that were not built to withstand the deluge have collapsed. Avalanches of stones have taken away others. Thousands of families have been displaced from their homes in Jerez de la Frontera and alongside the Rio Gualaquivir due to flooding.
Access tracks to the mountains, usually only affected by snowfall have been cut by rock avalanches. I have been above Capileira today and seen countless examples of the earth slides at first hand. Roads have been undercut by fast flowing rivers and the tarmac has sunk in places. All very precarious.
Yesterday, a 58 year old, very experienced, mountain guide from Granada was killed when walking with a group back to his car near the Rio Genil, Guejar Sierra. An avalanche of earth wiped away 30m of tarmac road he was walking on. A freak accident. A tragedy.
Some of the great scrambles we have been enjoying have changed forever. Huge chunks have fallen off ridges. We have had to cancel some climbing and scrambling trips due to the unpredictable circumstances.
High Mountain Conditions
We are used to dealing with avalanche conditions, ice and all the normal dangers associated with the Sierra Nevada. What is a bit strange is that we are having to pick and choose our times and places to climb like never before. In the UK, mountaineers are somewhat used to dodging the fronts. It is almost an unknown quantity here in “sunny” Spain! To give the local mountaineers great credit, there have been less accidents this year than previous years. Remarkable given the difficult winter conditions.
In the mountains themselves we have had daily changing conditions. Fluctuating valley temperatures (10 to 26 deg C high in Lanjaron last week. Source: Lanjaron Weather Station) have led to sheet ice one day and slush the next. Avalanche conditions one day, stabilised the next.
Recommendations
Without wanting to state the obvious, if you are venturing into the Sierra Nevada at the moment you MUST
(a) Consult multiple weather forecasts and try to form a consensus of what is to come.
(b) Leave route plan with somebody and check in regularly if you can.
(c) Must take ice axe and crampons and know how to use them (we also take helmet, shovel, probes, avalanche transceivers).
(d) Know the route beforehand and have an escape plan.
(e) Be prepared to turn around and leave your summit for another day.
(f) Be suspect of any type of rock holds.
(g) Keep well clear of bare, weed free earth at the sides of roads. This, when sodden, is the most likely to avalanche.
(h) Consult locally for advice regarding access, state of high huts (the Cariguela and Caldera huts have all but disappeared under the snow!)
If in any doubt, stay at home and watch the TV. In the words of Hervey Voge…………
The mountains will always be there, the trick is to make sure you are too
Related posts:
- New online Winter Climbing Guidebook to Spain’s Sierra Nevada mountains
- Heavy snow all week until 27th December above 2700m brings avalanche dangers
- FAM Issues Avalanche Danger Alerts for Sierra Nevada
- Mountain weather conditions Sierra Nevada 5th March 2009
- New Google Earth means you can climb mountains without leaving home
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