SAMAYA x REGARD SUR L’AVENTURE
GLACIAL EXPLORATION IN KYRGYZSTAN
In October and November 2023, Bruno Fromento, Didier Gignoux, and members of their association "Regard sur l’Aventure" joined the Inylchek Glacier in Kyrgyzstan to continue their study on glacial floods begun four years earlier. For Samaya, Bruno recounts these two months of exploration and the work that remains to be done.
You had already completed two expeditions to Kyrgyzstan, in 2019 and 2022. What drove you to go back again?
Bruno Fromento: We wanted to return to the Inylchek Glacier to continue our investigations around Lake Merzbacher and in relation to glacial floods. It is one of the longest non-polar glaciers in the world, 60 kilometers long and advancing 120 meters per year. Our goal was to explore the glacial mills located at the confluence between the north and south glaciers. It was an opportunity for our team to immerse ourselves in the heart of the glacier and follow the subglacial networks.
This project is therefore part of the continuity of previously carried out expeditions. Why are these expeditions important from a scientific point of view?
BF: Our various observations have allowed us to note that the glacier continues to melt. Some mills explored in the downstream area of the glacier have partially disappeared. Glacial sources evolve and move along the glacier front. We found previously buried stakes, used for monitoring the glacier, that were over 3 meters high. These stakes allow us to confirm the slow glacial melt.
Today, understanding glacial floods is of capital importance. Some valleys populated with villages in high mountain regions like Nepal, Pakistan, or India can be devastated by these floods known as GLOFs (Glacial Lake Outburst Floods). The issue is crucial for populations who must be alerted to the imminent risks linked to GLOFs, as is the case in France for certain lakes in the Alps, which are monitored to prevent catastrophes.
Today, understanding glacial floods is of capital importance. Some valleys populated with villages in high mountain regions like Nepal, Pakistan, or India can be devastated by these floods known as GLOFs (Glacial Lake Outburst Floods). The issue is crucial for populations who must be alerted to the imminent risks linked to GLOFs, as is the case in France for certain lakes in the Alps, which are monitored to prevent catastrophes.
How do you implement all this on-site?
BF: Getting to the Inylchek Glacier is a four-day journey before reaching the Gottfried Merzbacher scientific station at an altitude of 3,500 meters. We follow the Inylchek River with an all-terrain vehicle. This journey takes place on a track, then on the glacier's moraine until the lower base camp at an altitude of 2,800 meters. We spend two nights there before climbing up to the high camp. Porters help us transport the equipment, which weighs about 500 kilograms. To reach the next high camp, we walk 17 kilometers and gain 1,000 meters of elevation on the moraine.
Up there, we bivouacked for 12 days. This camp is located on the north face and is therefore never in the sun. Cold and shade reign constantly. A communal tent is our place of conviviality where we share meals, discussions, games, and bits of comfort. We are surrounded by peaks ranging from 4,000 to 7,000 meters in altitude and temperatures are always below freezing, around -15°C.
During the day, we form teams to explore the mills. Needless to say, everyone volunteers to go down onto the glacier to enjoy the few hours of sunshine. Traversing the Inylchek Glacier is magical. We are at the junction point of two immense glaciers that clash with crevasses, seracs, frozen lakes, cracking sounds, and canyons. The commitment required in this type of landscape is certain. We have no right to make mistakes; an accident is not an option. We have no logistical support, no helicopter. The safety aspect is therefore omnipresent.
Up there, we bivouacked for 12 days. This camp is located on the north face and is therefore never in the sun. Cold and shade reign constantly. A communal tent is our place of conviviality where we share meals, discussions, games, and bits of comfort. We are surrounded by peaks ranging from 4,000 to 7,000 meters in altitude and temperatures are always below freezing, around -15°C.
During the day, we form teams to explore the mills. Needless to say, everyone volunteers to go down onto the glacier to enjoy the few hours of sunshine. Traversing the Inylchek Glacier is magical. We are at the junction point of two immense glaciers that clash with crevasses, seracs, frozen lakes, cracking sounds, and canyons. The commitment required in this type of landscape is certain. We have no right to make mistakes; an accident is not an option. We have no logistical support, no helicopter. The safety aspect is therefore omnipresent.
How do your days unfold on the glacier?
BF: The answer to this question first requires an explanation of the terrain's composition. A moulins stream is a watercourse resulting from ice melt that flows into a mill. During the period we are there, the watercourses are frozen. Going down into a mill is not trivial: we must equip the access with ice screws and ropes. The sun and the glacier's melting, even minimally, can lead to issues in our explorations: falling rocks or ice, the presence of meltwater showering us. When the sun disappears behind the high mountains and the cold returns, the terrain stabilizes. However, we may encounter other difficulties, such as ice exploding due to a crampon strike or the placement of a screw. We are releasing tension! We must also be careful not to get wet in the pools of water present in the mills, because the sub-zero temperatures would make the situation critical. This exercise forces us to perform some acrobatics on ropes!
For several weeks, you continued your study of the glacier. Can you share the moments that left the biggest impression on you?
BF: I immediately think of a moment of exploration during which we descended into the heart of a 90-meter-deep mill, with the sound of a waterfall not far away. On the wall of this vast space, hanging ice stalactites and ice slabs weighing several tons had formed, stuck together by the frost. We set our screws there and I remember feeling worried. That feeling made me realize that we had surely taken risks.
I also think back to the moment when our truck, which was taking us over a 3,900-meter pass, got a flat tire on the snowy track. Or even when a member of our team broke through the ice of a frozen stream and ended up wet up to his calves.
Otherwise, what particularly touched me were the moments of sharing. We all went bivouacking on the glacier to explore the mills and the access to Lake Merzbacher. We spent good nights in the Samaya3.0 tents. They are spacious and easy to set up, and the vestibules allowed us to protect our equipment. Despite the cold and the conditions, we all appreciated being such a tight-knit team.
I also think back to the moment when our truck, which was taking us over a 3,900-meter pass, got a flat tire on the snowy track. Or even when a member of our team broke through the ice of a frozen stream and ended up wet up to his calves.
Otherwise, what particularly touched me were the moments of sharing. We all went bivouacking on the glacier to explore the mills and the access to Lake Merzbacher. We spent good nights in the Samaya3.0 tents. They are spacious and easy to set up, and the vestibules allowed us to protect our equipment. Despite the cold and the conditions, we all appreciated being such a tight-knit team.
You've been back for a few months now. How do you feel today about your project?
BF: I feel a sense of pride, because exploring a remote corner in winter is not common. However, the presence of a strong team on-site makes things easier. Finally, the exploration of glacial mills remains a marginal activity that deserves closer attention. It can provide many elements and pieces of information.
The mystery of this natural phenomenon, the GLOF, remains entire. We have formed hypotheses, but to do it right, we would need to observe the glacier in summer. We lack time and money. We do not despair of being able to lead a team of researchers interested in the region.
The mystery of this natural phenomenon, the GLOF, remains entire. We have formed hypotheses, but to do it right, we would need to observe the glacier in summer. We lack time and money. We do not despair of being able to lead a team of researchers interested in the region.
