21 Cycling Climbs Part Two - Flipbook - Page 164
Grimsel & Furka Pass
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1.
The Grimsel and Furka Pass make a dramatic
sight deep in the heart of the Alps.
2.
Due to climate change, the shrinking glacier is
no longer visible in the picture.
The abandoned Hotel Belvédère sitting high
up on what looks like the world’s edge adds a
poignant focus to the overwhelming sense of
something lost.
As the source of the River Rhône, one of
Europe’s largest rivers, this is expected to have
unavoidable catastrophic consequences.
Initially opened in 1882 to accommodate
visitors to the Rhône Glacier, the hotel closed in
2016 as the adjacent glacier shrank drastically
affecting the hotels foundations.
The Rhône river rises from the Rhône Glacier,
which, can be seen towards the top left of the
picture.
The Rhône is France’s largest river.
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Originally the glacier covered over half of what
now is Switzerland and is still today a primary
contributor to Lake Geneva, which is also
expected to disappear.
The glacier is losing from 5 to 7 metres in
thickness yearly. Experts predict a further
50% reduction by 2030 and its complete
disappearance by 2100.
The effect on the availability of fresh drinking
water for approximatley 70M. people will be
significant.