2. 2012

Vallee Blanche in April

For years I've been searching for the elusive European yeti, Gigantopithecus modernis yetii. My first expeditions to the alps (see here and here) yielded important clues about likely yeti habitats, but no actual sightings (a big furry beast located on a mountain ledge one night turned out to be a misplaced hiker named Jacques see 'In search of the yeti Part II'). However, I'd had my suspicions about the remote Vallee Blanche for years. Skiers regularly disappear without trace here, and the numerous deep crevasses provide ample shelter. Surely if the yetis were out there it would be an ideal place to find them. So when surgery to repair an old arm fracture prevented me from working, I seized the opportunity to go searching... Don't miss the published story of this adventure!
Read More
  • Photo Sharing
  • About SmugMug
  • Browse Photos
  • Prints & Gifts
  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Contact
  • Owner Log In
© 2023 SmugMug, Inc.
    Rest stop, with the ubiquitous crevasses nearby.
    In midwinter it's possible to ski all the way back to town, but at the end of the season snowmelt required us to catch the train. The cable car at top right leads to the station. It was built years ago at ice level. A series of stairs had to be built as the glacier shrank an average of 10 m annually due to global warming, and now we had to carry our gear about 100 m up the cliff. All the European glaciers are rapidly receding and in time may vanish entirely. Meat and dairy production is one of the leading causes of climate change, so please be as vegan as you can!
    On the train afterwards, shattered and covered in sweat, but very happy to be alive. Those yetis sure are tough critters...