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VIDEO: Cerro Torre’s Rime Ice Mushroom Collapses
One of the most iconic peaks in the world – Cerro Torre – got a bit of a facelift the other day when part of the summit’s ice mushroom collapsed in dramatic fashion. This would have been an absolute nightmare scenario for anyone climbing below it, but luckily nobody was reported on the mountain at the time.
Here are some sobering words from @patagoniavertical:
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The factors that influence rime mushrooms to result in break off are not known, but it seems plausible that they behave in part like a snowpack, and that the combination of gravity, heat and moisture can result in events like this one. This summer there is ample rime, which combined with heat, and rain at higher altitudes could have lead to this. Not knowing what factors affect the deeper layers of rime mushrooms, it is difficult to hypothesize a protocol to minimize exposure, but avoiding periods with the freezing-line above the base of the route (2300m) would be a wise first step.
