Switzerland 2017

After the Aletsch glacier it's onwards up the Rhone valley, to where it's very narrow, and very twisty roads. A huge scar shows where the Rhonegletscher ice used to be in very recent history. The Belvedere hotel sits near the glacier and in the 1930's the glacier ice was at the same height as the road to the hotel.

Dust on the ice absorbs the heat more, increasing the melt. On some parts special white sheets have been laid on the glacier, slowing the ice melt by about 10m height compared with non-protected ice. The sheet covered ice allows it to be stabilised somewhat, enabling access to ice tunnels which are bathed in a blue light. This is the filtered sunlight, and is only observed about 15m below the surface.

In 1870 the ice reached the bottom of the valley, where the small river almost reaches the twisty road.Les mer