Chamonix Activity Report: 19th September 2004
After a week outdoors (bar mid-week when it was raining), yesterday we headed indoors for something to do. We went along to the Gay-Couttet photo exhibition in the Tairraz centre (closed 20th September-12 December 2004 for refurbs), to see the display of photos taken by the Gay-Couttet family between 1880 and 1980. The exhibition runs until April 2006.
Inside there are some truely stunning images of the valley, seen through the ages and the eyes of 5 generations of this local family. High-moutain views, cable-cars, the development of the town, sporting events, summer and winter panoramas, merriment and tragedy have all been captured through their lenses. However, the greatest tragedy it occurred to us seemed to be what the human race is capable of doing to places of such natural beauty as this valley.
At the start of the century the Chamonix valley was pristine fields, untouched woodlands and pastures, with the little bit of rural development being rustic or architecturally pleasing to the eye. Whilst the valley remains undoubtedly stunning, we couldn't help coming out and noticing quite how ugly the modern (60/70s) buildings, road signs, concrete, rubbish left on the mountain, and 4000 HGV lorries coming up to the Mont Blanc Tunnel per day pumping out gallons fumes on the way, have made the place we live in. If you think about it our minds are capable of producing some great things - and unfortunately a whole heap of rubbish as well; no doubt here is nothing compared to what has been or is being done elsewhere by us. Progress is supposedly a good thing but we are surely completely mad to treat this planet like we do!
Should you be in any doubt that global warming is not occuring we seriously suggest you reference the pictures in the exhibition - roofs with snowfalls on them as high as the building below, chalets 3/4 buried in snowfields, the glaciers reaching the main valley floor, or reaching the tops walls of rock they had incised on the way down - making the current state of things seem very sorry indeed. It is incredible that most people can't give a stuff and that more isn't being done to stop the damage - unfortunately too many people must be making more money for themselves by not doing anything, or by making the situation worse. It is going to come as a nasty shock one day soon, we'd place money on it, when the resources start to dry up.
Coincidentally, we came across this article today on climate change in the ski areas of Europe. We can't help but wonder how far it will go before we realise just how bad things have become - it seems the idea is to carry on building higher rather than trying to stop the cause of the problem which is complete madness. No doubt it will be too late and we won't have noticed because we were too busy making money whilst the sun shone. Quite probably the planet will survive long after we have wiped ourselves out.
Undoubtedly the whole subject is far to huge to write about anymore, surfice it to say we are ashamed of what we are inextricably part of.
The exhibition is definitely worth the trip. Go along and then do something to tidy up your act on this planet. We're off to our weekly recycling of rubbish now (hoping that some bast**d doesn't just burn it when it gets to the plant). The rant is now over!
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Additional snow and weather information provided, with thanks, by meteo.chamonix.com and the Tourist Office
