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Bernard Marclay February 22, 2015 4158 × 1753 pixels

Want to see mountain nature better protected? Join us!

“Mountain wilderness” refers to any pristine, untouched mountain environment, where anyone can experience vast open spaces, silence, solitude, nature. “The value of wilderness therefore lies above all in its potential to stimulate a creative relationship between civilised man and the natural environment. It is the degree of authenticity of this relationship that gives a non-ephemeral meaning to adventure.”

This definition dates back to 1987, when the Biella theses, our manifesto, were written. They marked the birth of Mountain Wilderness.

Mountain Wilderness International (MWI) is the umbrella organisation of the national chapters of Mountain Wilderness. It facilitates communication and exchange among national chapters, coordinates and organises international projects and actions and officially represents the organisation in its relations with governments, authorities, international institutions and non-governmental organisations.

If you share our ideas and you wish to help us, please join a national chapter. Mountain Wilderness has chapters in a dozen countries.

Glacier of the Month

Mountain Wilderness International

4 days ago

"For decades, scientists and water managers have relied on snow water equivalent (SWE) to measure this winter water reservoir. SWE estimates how much liquid water snowpack would produce if melted instantly. It is physically intuitive and remains central to seasonal water forecasting.But climate change is altering not only how much snow falls, but where snowpack persists and how long it lasts. Warmer winters are bringing more rain instead of snow, more frequent mid-winter melt events and shorter snow-cover duration. In many regions, peak snowpack now arrives earlier. Snow cover is becoming more intermittent, particularly during early winter and spring transitions.These changes expose a limitation in traditional SWE measurements at large spatial scales. As temperatures rise, snow may disappear across large portions of a landscape while remaining deep in isolated patches. Under such conditions, the average snow water equivalent can appear stable even though the snow-covered area has shrunk substantially.To address this limitation, colleagues and I have introduced a complementary metric called snow water availability (SWA). Rather than averaging snow water across an entire area, SWA estimates how much water exists within the portion of the landscape that is covered with snow. The metric combines SWE with satellite measurements or climate reanalysis estimates of the fraction of snow cover over the landscape. The result is a measure particularly sensitive to patchy snow, a condition that is becoming more common in a warmer climate." ... See MoreSee Less

Warming winters are reshaping Canada’s snowpack

theconversation.com

Climate change is altering not only how much snow falls, but where snowpack persists and how long it lasts.

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Mountain Wilderness International

2 weeks ago

The Rhône Glacier is becoming a victim of tourism-driven exploitation for private interests. To preserve its famous ice cave, operators cover parts of the glacier with polypropylene sheets, but these coverings increasingly tear loose and pollute the surrounding landscape and the glacial lake. As they break down or sink, synthetic materials enter the very source of the Rhône River, carrying potential environmental risks downstream through Switzerland, France, and ultimately to the Mediterranean.If you share our concerns, please sign the petition by Mountain Wilderness CH addressed to the Government of Valais (available in German and French). Link to the blog post (containing link to petition) in first comment. ... See MoreSee Less

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Mountain Wilderness International

2 weeks ago

We share the #HandsOffNature campaign launched by the European Environmental Bureau - EEB and supported by CIPRA International.The EU intends to weaken the rules that safeguard people and the environment, but if this happened, not only nature would lose. We all would lose.It takes only 1 minute to take action and sign the petition. ... See MoreSee Less

The Campaign - Hands Off Nature

handsoffnature.eu

The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, the safety of our homes – all depend on strong environmental laws. Right now, those protections are under attack. Once they’re gone, we han...

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Mountain Wilderness International

3 weeks ago

'Sustainability is the great lie of these Games. It was written all through the bid document and the International Olympic Committee has slapped it across all manner of promotional literature.“For the IOC, for sport in general, sustainability is a priority,” said the executive director of the Olympic Games, Christophe Dubi. If you want more details, the IOC can give you any amount of information about its low carbon transport plan and how it is only using recyclable cutlery and linen tablecloths. It will tell you over and again that 85% of the venues being used at this Olympics already existed or are temporary.What it won’t say is the vast majority of those existing venues needed to be demolished and rebuilt with much larger footprints; that, for example, they decided to gouge a new snowpark out of a mountain in Livigno even though they already had one at Trepalle in the adjacent valley. Or that in Predazzo the ski jumps were rebuilt from scratch a few hundred metres across from the existing ones. Or to make room for their new bobsleigh track they had to cut down the Bosco di Ronco, so that, if you go there now, all you see is 2km of steel and concrete.' ... See MoreSee Less

The Great Olympic lie: untold story of Winter Games’ huge environmental impact

www.theguardian.com

Rivers drained dry to create artificial snow, a forest cut down for the bobsleigh track – IOC’s claims to prioritise sustainability at Milano Cortina exposed

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Mountain Wilderness International

3 weeks ago

"Sport has an enormous reach, and with that reach comes responsibility. Winter sports can continue to lend their platforms to companies whose core business is driving climate change, or they can lead by example and align their sponsorships with a future in which these sports still exist. If winter sports want a future with snow, they must start by choosing sponsors who are not melting it away." ... See MoreSee Less

Greenlandic Olympian: Climate Change Puts Winter Sports at Risk

time.com

If the Olympics want a future, writes Ukaleq Slettemark, they must drop fossil fuel sponsors.

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Mountain Wilderness International @mwildernessint ·

31 Dec

Mountain Wilderness wishes you all...

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Mountain Wilderness International @mwildernessint ·

30 Dec

A few weeks ago, the third report on the Winter Olympics 2026 was released by the NGO network Open Olympics 2026. The text is only available in Italian, but here is a brief summary in English ⬇️⬇️⬇️
#MilanoCortina2026

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Mountain Wilderness International @mwildernessint ·

24 Dec

Whether you are celebrating or not, whether you are on top of a mountain or in a crowded city, we would like to thank all mountain lovers who have followed and supported us again this year in our fight in defence of the mountains. Happy Holidays to all of you!

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Mountain Wilderness International @mwildernessint ·

22 Dec

Want to know more about the webinar we held on #IMD2025 entitled "Glaciers: A Story Worth Preserving"?
While waiting for the video recording - to be published soon - read the article below!
It provides a brief summary and interesting insights #IYGP

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Mountain Wilderness International @mwildernessint ·

5 Dec

A first glimpse of what our event
"Glaciers: A Story Worth Preserving"
for #InternationalMountainDay 2025 will be like...
Next week, celebrate #IMD2025 with us!
To register, follow link below ⬇️⬇️⬇️
#mountainsmatter #shrinkingglaciers

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