There are more than 3000 km² of glaciers and firn in Switzerland. Most of the glaciers are decreasing.
A glacier is a large, slow moving river of ice, formed from compacted layers of snow, that slowly deforms and flows in response to gravity. The process of glacier growth and establishment is called glaciation.
The word glacier comes from French via the Vulgar Latin glacia, and ultimately from Latin glacies meaning ice.
Glacier ice is the largest reservoir of fresh water on Earth, and second only to oceans as the largest reservoir of total water. Glaciers cover vast areas of polar regions but are restricted to the highest mountains in the tropics.
Aletsch Glacier
Besides Brig, there is a northwestern ridge belonging to the Aletsch area including the spas Riederalp, Bettmeralp and Fiesch. Moreover,…
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Gorner Glacier
The Gorner Glacier (German: Gornergletscher) is a valley glacier found on the Monte Rosa massif close…
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Morteratsch Glacier
The Morteratsch Glacier (romansh: Vadret da Morteratsch) is the largest glacier by area in the Bernina…
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Rhône Glacier
The Rhône Glacier is the source of the Rhone River and one of the primary contributors to Lake Geneva in the far eastern end of…
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Ice Pavilion Mittelallalin Saas Fee
Visit the world’s largest ice pavilion at an altitude of 3,500 meters on the Mittelallalin. A 70-meter access gallery connects the…
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