{"id":16239,"date":"2018-09-05T19:16:54","date_gmt":"2018-09-05T17:16:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.randos-montblanc.com?p=16239"},"modified":"2019-08-31T10:40:05","modified_gmt":"2019-08-31T08:40:05","slug":"aletsch-glacier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.randos-montblanc.com\/en\/intermediate-hikes\/aletsch-glacier.html","title":{"rendered":"Aletsch Glacier"},"content":{"rendered":"

Located in the south of Switzerland, in the canton of Valais, the Aletsch glacier is the largest glacier in the Alps. Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2001, the Aletsch glacier will not leave the hiker indifferent in view of its characteristics<\/a> : 81.7 km2 of surface, 22.6 km in length, 900 m in depth for a total weight of 27 billion tons ! To put the figures in perspective, if all the ice in the glacier were to melt, the resulting meltwater would be enough to supply every person on the planet with one litre of water per day for about six years.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, like many glaciers around the world, it is suffering from global warming. If the Aletsch glacier has lost about 2600 m since 1880<\/a>, 30 % of this decline (or about 800 m) occurred between 1980 and 2010, indicating the acceleration of the glacier’s decline. Each year, the glacier loses up to 50 m in length. In addition, it was observed that the glacier reverses also in width<\/a>. As such, I invite you to consult the comparative photo album of the Trient Glacier<\/a> ; global warming is at work before our eyes, and if we do nothing to stop its course, these ice giants will be nothing more than memories that our children will not see.<\/p>\n

The route I propose here follows the classic panoramic trail (Panoramaweg<\/em>) starting at the arrival station of the Moosfluh cable car and going to M\u00e4rjelenseen in the north. The itinerary, which is bucolic to say the least, presents no difficulty, except perhaps the length of the itinerary with its 13.6 km round trip (hence its rating in the “Intermediate” category). The Matterhorn is one of the many peaks that can be admired during this outing. Note that the trail passes through Hohbalm, the lower part of the scenic path being closed for safety reasons. The last cable car connecting Moosfluh to the village of Riederalp leaves at 4.30 p.m., so you have to plan your outing carefully so as not to be caught short on the way back.<\/p>\n