Extraordinary Mountain Clouds: Part 1

Extraordinary Mountain Clouds: Part 1 – Introduction

When hiking in the Alps you have a very good chance of seeing some extraordinary clouds. Because mountains – especially if a mountain is the highest in its environment – create their own clouds. Such “mountain clouds” are called orographic clouds. And some of them have amazing characteristic shapes. In my next few blogs I’ll be explaining some common (but stunning!) cloud formations you might see on the Tour du Mont Blanc or the Haute Route:

– Mont Blanc’s hat

– The Matterhorn on fire

– A sea of clouds

But before I go into how these incredible mountain clouds are formed, I’ll first explain in this blog why you regularly see exceptional clouds in mountain ranges like the Alps.

Rising air

Depending on its height, a cloud consists of a collection of water droplets (low clouds) or ice crystals (high clouds) or a mixture of both. In cooling air, water vapor condenses into droplets or freezes into ice crystals, that’s why clouds often form in rising air.

There are several situations in which air is forced to rise:

• On flat land, air rises for example when cold air slides underneath warmer air at a weather front.
• In the mountains, air is forced up when it collides with a mountain slope. During this process the rising air cools down and becomes saturated with water vapor. This is how clouds become visible.
• Air also rises on sunny days because it’s heated from below (convection). When the sun for example heats up rocks, this will cause warm air to rise, and that creates thermals. You can sometimes see large birds of prey and paragliders circling around on these thermals to gain height.

In short, air in the mountains is forced to rise, causing some breathtaking combinations of mountains and clouds.

Annoying or breathtaking?

Of course, clouds can also really ruin your hike. Especially if you’ve just reached your desired summit, expecting a magnificent view after a strenuous hike uphill, and you can’t see a thing due to a thick blanket of clouds. And don’t even think about rainy and stormy weather! But clouds can also give your mountain experience an extra dimension, they can make a spectacular mountain landscape even more impressive. I truly hope you get to see some phenomenal clouds when hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc or the Chamonix to Zermatt Haute Route!

Captions: Beautiful swirling clouds dancing in the alpine sky above the Aiguilles des Chamonix, making a spectacular mountain landscape even more impressive!

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Simone van Velzen

In her work as an alpine naturalist Simone adds an exciting new dimension to your Tour du Mont Blanc trek with insights into the incredibly rich flora and fauna of the Alps. Simone studied Wildlife Management at the Van Hall Institute in the Netherlands. After her studies she left her home country (which is flatter than a pancake) and moved to British Columbia. In the Canadian Rockies, she discovered the astonishing richness of mountain environments. Her passion for mountain nature was born. And when she returned to Europe, she based herself in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, the perfect setting for exploring and studying the natural history of mountain environments. As an alpine naturalist she writes for outdoor magazines and leads excursions in the natural world.

If you step into the natural world with Simone, her passion for all living things—wild flowers to lichen, birds to mammals—can’t help but rub off on you. She’s excited to meet you on your Tour du Mont Blanc and share the amazing natural wonders in the Alps.

Latest posts by Simone van Velzen (see all)

• The Alps: A Biodiversity Treasure Trove - December 10, 2020
• Flora in the Alps – Spotlight on the Alpenrose - June 25, 2020
• Tour du Mont Blanc Hightlight: The Contamines-Montjoie Nature Reserve - May 21, 2020