Upper Grindelwald Glacier

The Upper Grindelwald Glacier is a valley glacier at Grindelwald on the northern slopes of the Bernese Alps, in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It has a length of 6 km and occupies an area of almost 10 km ².

The Upper Grindelwald Glacier arises from a vast snowfield, which is bounded on the south by the fright Horn, in the east by Berglistock and in the north by the Wetterhorn. To the north- east of the glacier over the fissured hanging transition Rosenegg connection with the Rosenlaui and the Gauligletscher ( 3470 m asl. ); in the southeast it is through the Lauteraarsattel ( 3125 m above sea level. M. ) isolated from the system of the Lower. In deep sunken valley between the Mättenberg ( 3104 m above sea level. M. ) in the southwest and the Wetterhorn in the northeast flows the Upper Grindelwald Glacier than just 200 to 500 m wide ice stream with a steep gradient to the northwest. The glacier is currently at about 1400 m above sea level. M., and thus one of the lowest eternal ice fields of the Alps. The glacier feeds the Black Lütschinen that belongs to the catchment area of ​​the River Aare.

In his High Stadium during the Little Ice Age in the mid- 19th century, the Upper Grindelwald Glacier stretched over a rock barrier ( the " Nollen " ) up to 1180 m above sea level. M. down and ended opposite the Grindelwald Hotel Wetterhorn. He was easily accessible and was visited so often in the 19th century. During this time, ice blocks were mined here for use in pubs and breweries. Also in recent foray 1959-1985 a narrow end of the glacier tongue reached the bottom again behind Grindelwald (ca. 1220 m above sea level. M. ). However, since 1991, the glacier moves according to the general trend of declining rapidly.

On the southern slope of the Wetterhorn high above the Upper Grindelwald Glacier is at 2317 m above sea level. M. Glecksteinhütte of the Swiss Alpine Club SAC. It offers a beautiful view of the glacier and to the wide Firnarena, dominated by fear horn.

View of the Upper Grindelwald Glacier, from the station Bort

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