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Snow curtain.—On this slope the mountaineer sighs with relief because the bergschrund is below, but he is mindful of the step-cutting job on the steep slope above him, and of the frequency of the recent avalanches needed to build and maintain his snow bridge over the bergschrund. Weather and Rock Weather hazards.—As important as a mountain's surface of rock and ice is the mood of the atmosphere enveloping it. Big mountains make their own weather, using various formulas, a common one being that air drops in temperature 3-5° for every 1,000-foot rise in elevation. Clear air over a sunny valley may thus be chilled, its moisture condensed into a cloudcap, precipitated in a violent blizzard on a high crest. Steep slopes can create wind, or accelerate balmy zephyrs into chilling gales. The effect of bad weather on a climbing route obviously merits special consideration by the mountaineer. |
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