Published on January 5, 2025 at 07:35. / Modified on January 5, 2025 at 07:36.
6 mins. reading
Depending on the currents, the wind and sometimes snow rush between the walls of the bivouac located at an altitude of 2980 meters. Overlooking the Haut Glacier d’Arolla, a stone’s throw from the Italian border, the ibex refuge contorts itself, following the movements of the glacial moraine on which it was erected in 1975. The retreat of the ice giant and the melting of the permafrost , linked to climate change, cause the crumbling of the land. As part of the small octagonal building is now located almost a meter above the ground, it is necessary, almost every year, to prop up the bivouac so that it remains level and safe. Before it was too late, the section of the Swiss Alpine Club Val de Joux – owner of the refuge – decided to take the lead, by launching a project for a new bivouac.
“We preferred to launch this project in good conditions, rather than in an emergency, after a disaster. We want to invest in the future, ensure that the refuge is located on a stable location and thus avoid small regular works which are expensive,” underlines Laetitia Santana, head of the renovation commission of the Refuge des ibexes. The latter is one of five Swiss cabins already impacted by climate change. The Trift hut in the Bernese Oberland and the Mittelaletsch bivouac in Upper Valais were destroyed by avalanches and will be rebuilt in safer locations, while the Rothornhütte and Mutthornhütte – located in Upper Valais -Valais – have been or will be displaced due to the melting of permafrost.
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