1 of 6 Chacaltaya was considered the highest ski resort in the world since 1939 Photo: Getty Images/Via BBC Chacaltaya was considered the highest ski resort in the world since 1939 Photo: Getty Images/Via BBC
Chacaltaya in Bolivia has been considered the highest ski resort in the world since 1939 and is at an altitude of 5,421 meters even higher than Everest Base Camp.
It used to be a big attraction for foreigners and Bolivians who wanted to enjoy their vacation.
However, according to experts interviewed by BBC News Brasil, site visits have been put on hold after the site closed due to climate change.
The glacier, which was part of the area where the ski resort was located, retreated until it reached a point where there was no longer enough snow to practice the sport.
According to Pedro Côrtes, professor at the Institute of Energy and Environment at the University of São Paulo (USP), the phenomenon should not occur and is considered worrying.
“Due to global warming, there is an increase in temperatures near the planet's poles and in high mountains. “That’s quite significant, as it tends to snow constantly at this altitude,” says Côrtes.
But the melting of the glacier had already been predicted several years ago by scientists who were studying the consequences of rising temperatures in this region.
What they couldn't imagine was that it would happen much sooner than they expected.
Researchers believed the snow would disappear completely in 2015, but the event occurred six years earlier, in 2009.
Today the place is practically deserted and only attracts those who want to learn about its history or are fans of more intense walks.
2 of 6 Mount Chacaltaya seen from Huayna Potosi, Bolivia Photo: Getty Images/Via BBC Mount Chacaltaya seen from Huayna Potosi, Bolivia Photo: Getty Images/Via BBC
In the 1990s, it was common in the Chacaltaya region to receive tourists from abroad who visited Bolivia and enjoyed skiing.
Bolivian and tour guide Fredy Ticona Conde, 58, has been in the travel industry for over three decades and began giving tours to the ski resort in 1995.
“There was a lot of snow, it was very cold. It was always full of tourists,” says Conde.
He says that in high season there were always trips to the site, with at least a hundred people a day.
Since it is a ski resort with a medium to high level of difficulty and is not recommended for beginners, foreign tourists were more common there, mostly of French, German and American origin.
“People from Europe already know how to ski. Bolivians tended to go to build snowmen and play,” says the guide.
According to him, Brazilians do not visit the region often at the moment.
According to Conde, the price was also advantageous for those who were not from South America.
“A trip with an agency cost $20. A private tour was $50 and with more hours it was $100. “It wasn’t expensive,” he remembers.
Once there, visitors could choose to ski for a few hours or even stay overnight at a resort at the top of the mountain.
Up to 30 people could sleep there and, according to the travel guide, the hotel was always at least 50% full.
It was also possible to eat at a snack bar that sold some food and enjoy the view.
“There was coca tea, hot chocolate, sandwiches and beer,” he says.
For many years tourism was strong in the region until everything changed with the arrival of the 2000s.
“(The glacier) shrank drastically. People felt deceived. They went up and only saw a mountain,” says the guide.
To get a sense of the changes on the mountain, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations panel, released photos showing the amount of snow that has disappeared over the past 60 years, between 1940 and 2005.
In 1940, the snowcovered and skiable area was 0.22 km². In 1982, 0.14 km². In 1996 0.08 km². And in 2005 only 0.01 km².
Due to these climate changes, the glacier disappeared completely in 2009. After a year the station was deactivated.
“Companies had to stop operations. While there were ten before, only three continued. There wasn’t much service,” says Conde.
3 of 6 Due to these climate changes, the glacier disappeared completely in 2009 Photo: BBC Due to these climate changes, the glacier disappeared completely in 2009 Photo: BBC
Currently, many agencies in the city of La Paz still offer visits to Chacaltaya. But now skiing is impossible.
When researching establishments that offer these types of excursions, it is common to hear from staff that Brazilians only go on the tour to try to see some of the remaining snow.
But you have to be lucky and not go in the dry season.
To get to the ski resort, tourists drive for almost an hour and a half in a van along a dirt road with many curves.
The vehicle is parked near the site and you still have to climb for about 40 minutes to reach the summit.
The mountain has become almost a ghost town, attracting only the most curious tourists who want to relive the history of the world's highest ski resort.
It is possible to see some cables of the old cable cars that existed there and also the snack bar that has become an abandoned space.
According to the Bolivian travel guide, before the station was closed, it was common for the mountain to receive about 23,000 tourists per year. Today there are around 2,000.
Conde also states that the impact on tourism has been felt by guides and professionals in the region.
“It was sad for us because it was typical of La Paz. Because it was so close, a lot of people came and liked it,” he remembers wistfully.
In his opinion, this was the city's most important attraction.
To mitigate losses in this sector, agencies are currently also selling packages to Charquini, where there is snow and there is also an emerald green lagoon.
4 out of 6 Today the place is practically deserted, attracting only those who want to know a little about the history or like more intensive walks Photo: Fredy Ticona Conde/Via BBC Today the place is practically deserted, attracting only those who are a little over want to know the history or are a fan of more intensive walks Photo: Fredy Ticona Conde/Via BBC
Thawing can be irreversible
Global warming is directly affecting the melting of glaciers around the world.
A study conducted by the Bolivian Mountain Institute in collaboration with the Department of Geography at the University of Neuchâtel in Switzerland found that more than 50% of glacier area has been lost in the Bolivian Andes over the past 40 years due to climate change.
Ice formation occurs at the North and South Poles, which are under the influence of the Arctic and Antarctic, respectively, and also in the mountains.
In the mountains, snow accumulates naturally with altitude, favoring colder climates.
According to Luiz Henrique Rosa, professor in the Department of Microbiology at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), the significant increase in temperatures in these regions means that in places where snowfall is frequent throughout the year, there is little or almost none There is snow, like in Chacaltaya.
Glacial ice is formed by snow precipitation that thickens over thousands of years. When it melts quickly, glacier ice is lost.
Since temperatures are always above average, these glaciers often melt, making the formation of new glaciers impossible.
“There is a lot of snow, which is seasonal. As temperatures continue to get higher, this seasonal snow does not last and the ice formation process does not take place,” says Rosa.
The expert also explains that melting at the poles is irreversible, a phenomenon that has also been observed in the mountains.
This affects ski areas whose concept is based on the accumulation of snow that forms on rocks or on glaciers, socalled glaciers.
In the case of Chacaltaya, it was formed on a glacier.
A snow depth of at least ten centimeters is ideal for skiing if there are not many fragments or cracks in the rock.
However, if the terrain is very rocky and quite uneven, you will need a snow depth of at least 30 centimeters to practice the sport.
Without a significant amount, skiing becomes impractical.
“Ice melting tends to be greater in mountains at lower latitudes precisely because they are closer to the equator, where temperatures are higher than at the poles,” explains USP’s Côrtes.
“But under normal conditions this wouldn’t get to the point where this melting occurs, as it did on this mountain specifically.”
5 of 6 Chacaltaya station is almost deserted today Photo: Fredy Ticona Conde/Via BBC Chacaltaya station is almost deserted today Photo: Fredy Ticona Conde/Via BBC
In addition to the direct impact on ski areas and tourism, the melting ice in the mountains also has a direct impact on the population's water supply, as the water resulting from the melting reaches many regions.
“The ice feeds all the communities that live on the plains and slopes of the Andes,” says Maria Elisa Siqueira, doctor of meteorology at the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe).
“But because of this shortage, agriculture is declining and is having a huge social and economic impact.”
Normally there can be a larger accumulation of snow in the winter and the watercourses are supplied in the spring and summer.
However, when snow is not produced, there is not enough snow to supply the rivers, impacting regions that depend on this process.
In the case of Chacaltaya, the city of La Paz benefited from melting ice.
“In the long term, cities will die out. There are some Andean cities that are already suffering from this,” emphasizes Rosa from UFMG.
The problem doesn't just exist in Bolivia. Countries like Chile and Argentina are already suffering from the effects.
“The Santiago region in Chile experienced a period of water scarcity last year due to the lack of snow in this region,” emphasizes Côrtes.
“Because not enough snow accumulated in the winter, the water supply was greatly reduced in the summer.”
Melting ice in these places also contributes to the proliferation of new microorganisms that emit harmful gases onto the planet.
“After this thaw, they can emerge and release methane, which further increases the greenhouse effect,” says Rosa.
6 of 6 Restoring ice in regions affected by global warming while stopping temperature rises will take years of work Photo: Priscila Carvalho and Gabriela Coelho/Via BBC. Restoring ice in regions affected by global warming And yet trying to stop temperatures rising will take years of work Photo: Priscila Carvalho and Gabriela Coelho/Via BBC
Restoring ice in regions affected by global warming and even trying to stop temperatures rising will take years of work.
The predictions of institutes and experts studying these changes on the planet are not the most optimistic.
“The ice in the mountains will only return if the global average temperature drops,” says Siqueira, who is also a professor in the geography department of the Faculty of Philosophy, Literature and Humanities at USP.
“This is longterm, but in the coming years I only see warming. The damage has already been done.”
According to the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report, the last decade has been warmer than any other period in the last 125,000 years.
The work also showed that developing countries will suffer more, as people in vulnerable areas are up to 15 times more likely to die in floods, droughts and storms than people who do not live in risk areas.
To improve this forecast, several nations must continue to commit to energy changes and seek renewable energy sources.
“Countries that pollute more don’t want to reduce it because it impacts the economy. “It would be ideal to invest in clean energy sources, that saves money,” says Rosa.
“We only have the earth. If we don’t take care of them, there is no Plan B.”
But not all countries are treating the problem with the necessary urgency, experts say.
“From what I saw at the last COP [cúpula do clima das Nações Unidas]“It seems that countries are more concerned about energy security than dealing with climate change,” says Côrtes.
“They are not giving this situation the attention it deserves. It will only get worse in the coming decades.”