Works on glaciers
18/06/2023
Tête Rousse glacier pumping works 2010
Following pressure measurements of the water pocket of the Tête Rousse glacier, the authorities decided to quickly start work to pump this pocket. Indeed, after the tragic accident of 1892 where the pocket of water of about 100,000 cubic meters escaped from the glacier and caused 175 deaths when it arrived in the valley, the authorities remained suspicious of screw this glacier. This is why, in 2010, a call for tenders was launched for work on pumping the water pocket. However, no company was specialized in this type of extraordinary work. Drawing on our knowledge of the mountains and our versatility, we were able to win this call for tenders by proposing an innovative technical solution that poses no risk to the glacier. We even patented it! It consists of drilling a well using a drill head supplied with hot water under very high pressure. Titanic work has therefore begun with no less than 15 people of all professions on the glacier. It is also 5 generators, 3 bungalows, 2 towers, 2 winches of 300kg... In order to make 8 wells of about 40m in the ice to pump the 60,000 cubic meters of the pocket.
Works on the Tête Rousse glacier 2022
4th intervention campaign on the Tête Rousse Glacier. The objective was the instrumentalization of the glacier and the pumping of part of the water pocket. It was a work in collaboration with the teams of scientists. We brought them our operational expertise. In the "Our expertise" tab of our site, you will find a video produced by us to describe this 2022 campaign.
Creation of a reservoir for the Cosmiques refuge
In June 20219, the melter of the Cosmiques refuge (3600m altitude) no longer worked. The refuge was therefore no longer supplied with water. Specialist in glacier drilling from the site on the Tête Rousse glacier. The town hall of Chamonix commissioned us to quickly create a reservoir of several cubic meters which is self-supplying with water. Thanks to our drilling equipment, we were able to create a 4 cubic meter reservoir for them in record time directly in the Glacier du Géant. This reservoir is naturally filled by surface runoff.
