Mont Blanc nearly two metres taller than in 2023

Mont Blanc, a mountain that intrigues with its beauty, also fascinates scientists for another reason. Its latest measurement for 2026 has just been revealed. Mont Blanc stands at 4,807 metres, 47 centimetres. Western Europe's highest peak has grown 1 metre 88 centimetres since 2023. The measurement was taken following an expedition last month. Before sunrise, a team of 32 experts sets off. Surveyors, mountain guides, photographers. After a 10-hour climb and an ascent of 2,500 meters, they reach the summit at daybreak and set up their equipment. In just two hours, they capture 1,300 images and record 15 million data points. These precise measurements have been carried out since 2001. Although the mountain has grown since 2023, the overall trend has been downward over the last 25 years. It's by building up the data over time that we'll be able to determine whether we've reached a turning point or not. We'll see how things develop over time and in what way. It is too early to know whether melting glaciers are already having an impact on Mont Blanc's height. For the people living at the foot of the mountain, that is the main concern. For years, we haven't really had what we call permanent snow. It was the kind of snow you could see and admire all year round, and now there's practically none left. It shows it's melting at increasingly high altitudes and things aren't getting any better. We'll see how much snow falls this winter, but the warmer it gets, the more it melts. The mythical mountain is now inching closer to the historic figure calculated at the end of the 19th century.