diff --git a/dune/tectonic/io/hdf5-writer.hh b/dune/tectonic/io/hdf5-writer.hh
index 006201221902a8131c95ffb7b29e5fa4b71cc211..6a89f7233a04beb29feb7e7f073fc05bb153ed10 100644
--- a/dune/tectonic/io/hdf5-writer.hh
+++ b/dune/tectonic/io/hdf5-writer.hh
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ class HDF5Writer {
 
         timeWriter_.write(programState);
 
-        friction.updateAlpha(programState.alpha);
+        //friction.updateAlpha(programState.alpha);
 
         // extract relative velocities
         using Vector = typename ProgramState::Vector;
diff --git a/dune/tectonic/io/io-handler.hh b/dune/tectonic/io/io-handler.hh
index e1b735b721e01bd73127581757fd51ec42cdfb4c..ea5bc85c088ff798f8ff48d784c04fd546b59367 100644
--- a/dune/tectonic/io/io-handler.hh
+++ b/dune/tectonic/io/io-handler.hh
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ class IOHandler {
     }
 
     template <class ProgramState, class GlobalFriction>
-    void write(const ProgramState& programState, const ContactNetwork& contactNetwork, const GlobalFriction& friction, const IterationRegister& iterationCount, bool initial = false) {
+    void write(const ProgramState& programState, const ContactNetwork& contactNetwork, GlobalFriction& friction, const IterationRegister& iterationCount, bool initial = false) {
       if (writeData_) {
         writeData(programState, contactNetwork, friction, iterationCount, initial);
       }