Montespluga

Rock and road

You'd have to be living under a rock, or be as dense as one, to not have seen the impact of rising temperatures in the Alps. On a road trip criss crossing the Swiss/Italian border we arrived at the top (well nearly) of the Splügen Pass. The tiny three road village of Montespluga is at 1903 metres above sea level and is cut off all winter long. The climb from Italy is intense with 51 hairpin bends, none of which are wide enough for two cars to pass. The border is just past the village at the actual summit, 211 metres higher and 5 more bends away. Even the mighty Swiss PostBus doesn't venture here.

The lake that should be in the photograph had all but disappeared in August 2022 leaving the dry, gravel bed. It was evident all hot summer long that things were bad. Zermatt closed its glacier for summer skiing and the pass between the Tsanfleuron and the Scex Rouge glacier melted for the first time. No longer could you ski between them. The last time anyone saw these rocks would have been the Romans and it is unlikely anyone has ever walked on them.

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