Climbing the Sierra Nevada mountains in Spain
Climbing the Sierra Nevada mountains in Spain
Learn about the Sierra Nevada of southeastern Spain.
Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz
Transcript
NARRATOR: Spain - there is hardly a mountain range on the Iberian Peninsula as dangerous as the Sierra Nevada. Storms and high fog can make climbing these snow-capped 3,000-meter peaks a treacherous undertaking. But Jesus and his friends are determined to make it to the top. The first section is courtesy of an off roader, but then Jesus and his band of mountaineers enter the national park and its criss-crossing mountaineering trails. The first section of the trail follows a man-made water gully. Similar channels cut across the whole of the Alpujarra region.
JESUS: "In Spanish we call these water channels acequias. It's an old Moorish name. In the Alpujarra mountains, almost all of these channels were created by the Moors. Many are 500 or 600 years old. Up here, water is in short supply and this is the best way of using what little we have. In this Mediterranean region, melt water from the peaks of the Sierra Nevada is our most important source of fresh water."
NARRATOR: Jesus and his small group of mountaineers have only one thing on their minds, reaching the summit of the Mulhacen, the highest mountain on the Spanish mainland. The climb will take almost six hours and nerves of steel. At almost 2,500 meters, the tree line up here is home to a remarkable array of well-adapted animals. It's an endless source of fascination for Jesus and his friends. A little further on and the trees and meadows give way to hard, unforgiving rock. Before long, the climbers reach the snow. Despite the thin air at 3,300 meters, the climbers are only going in one direction - up. Shortly, before they reach the summit, the group faces one last hurdle, a mountain glacier. Even this, however, can't stop them.
At 3,482 meters exactly, the group reaches the summit. For Jesus and his friends, this is a magical place that provides a spellbinding panorama out over the valleys of the Sierra Nevada. On clear days, it's possible to see as far as the Mediterranean.
JESUS: "In Spanish we call these water channels acequias. It's an old Moorish name. In the Alpujarra mountains, almost all of these channels were created by the Moors. Many are 500 or 600 years old. Up here, water is in short supply and this is the best way of using what little we have. In this Mediterranean region, melt water from the peaks of the Sierra Nevada is our most important source of fresh water."
NARRATOR: Jesus and his small group of mountaineers have only one thing on their minds, reaching the summit of the Mulhacen, the highest mountain on the Spanish mainland. The climb will take almost six hours and nerves of steel. At almost 2,500 meters, the tree line up here is home to a remarkable array of well-adapted animals. It's an endless source of fascination for Jesus and his friends. A little further on and the trees and meadows give way to hard, unforgiving rock. Before long, the climbers reach the snow. Despite the thin air at 3,300 meters, the climbers are only going in one direction - up. Shortly, before they reach the summit, the group faces one last hurdle, a mountain glacier. Even this, however, can't stop them.
At 3,482 meters exactly, the group reaches the summit. For Jesus and his friends, this is a magical place that provides a spellbinding panorama out over the valleys of the Sierra Nevada. On clear days, it's possible to see as far as the Mediterranean.