Part of Mountain Collapses in Switzerland
The large rockfall turned into a huge landslide that has closed access to several huts
On Sunday, a large part of the north face of Piz Scerscen (3,771 m) in Switzerland collapsed, triggering a big landslide. The mountain is located between Piz Bernina and Piz Roseg on the Swiss-Italian border. There have been no reports of injuries.
The rockfall took place at 7 a.m. and ran for over five kilometres along and down the Tscerva Glacier. According to the Bernina section of the Swiss Alpine Club, the event has affected access to the Coaz Hut and the Tschierva Hut. Several classic routes have also been damaged.
The north face of Piz Scerscen had a few smaller rockfalls in 2023, which led to climbers being told to avoid the area. Dave Petley, a world leader in the study and management of landslides, said the rockfall likely had a volume of over 1 million cubic metres. “This appears to have undergone fragmentation at the foot of the initial slope,” said Petley, “to form a long runout rock avalanche.”
Several popular climbing areas in North America have had significant rockfalls over the past few years, including in Squamish and Yosemite. “Much of Europe has been experiencing exceptional temperatures in recent weeks,” said Petley.
Woww, brutal!! 😱
7am, 14 April 2024, a large rock avalanche occurred on West face of Piz #Scerscen (3970m, Bernina) around 3600mhttps://t.co/JwXBTyXEng
~1 million M3 and 5 km runout!
As a frequent visitor to the covered area, just got goose bumps!
Pic SAC Bernina@davepetley
1/ pic.twitter.com/ogrkU7cANh— Melaine Le Roy (@subfossilguy) April 15, 2024
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