Aletsch Panorama Trail & Glacier Tour: Aletsch Glacier Hike

How long will there be glaciers in our Alps? A question that pops up again and again, especially in hot summer weeks. And a topic that has been with me since my geography studies. Glaciers – as fascinating as they are, their ecosystem is fragile. Comparative photos (such as here of the Rhone Glacier) impressively show how the ice masses are disappearing year after year. Even the longest glacier in the Alps – the 23-kilometre-long Aletsch Glacier – groans under the summer heat. It is all the more special when you get very close to the ice giant on a glacier tour.

After hiking various stages of the Aletsch Panorama Trail lately and admiring the Aletsch Glacier from afar, this time we went roped up and with a local mountain guide in the middle of the ice world. Foremost, what looks like a huge, homogeneous sheet of ice from a distance is, in fact, a furrowed, hilly ice landscape. Crevasses, streams, waterfalls, and moraines – not all ice is the same.

Hiking paradise Bettmeralp

But before we set off on the Aletsch Glacier together with a mountain guide, we explore Bettmeralp. I know the mountain villages of the Aletsch Arena relatively well from various summer and winter stays. However, I never noticed the Waldhaus, which is located right next to the mountain station of the Bettmeralpbahn, during my previous stays. This is probably due to the somewhat hidden location. The hotel is surrounded by trees in an elevated position away from the village centre. Recently, the hotel has invested a lot in renovation and, among other things, has created wonderfully spacious solid wood rooms with solid moon wood – with great attention to detail and with a guaranteed fantastic mountain view.

Sunset over the Aletsch Glacier

Not only is it a good place to sleep, but you can also enjoy fine seasonal cuisine. This brings us something into conflict with our plans. To get in the mood, we wanted to go on an evening hike to the Moosfluh. Experience the sunset with a view of the Aletsch Glacier, or feast on a multi-course dinner? Tough choice! Luckily, the kitchen crew is flexible and serves us an excerpt from the dinner menu before we tackle the ascent to the Moosfluh.

The hike takes us past the idyllic Bettmersee via Blausee to the Moosfluh station at 2,334 meters above sea level. A good 400 meters of altitude over a length of 4 kilometers have to be mastered. The route is signposted as 1.5 hours – we gamble that we can do it in an hour and reach the viewpoint at the same time as the setting sun. Luckily, we didn’t let ourselves be lulled too much by the cosiness in the Waldhaus – otherwise we would have missed this magical moment! By the way, the bench at the Moosfluh is labelled “s’Halleluja Bäichij”. That sums it up quite well.

The way back also has a special moment in store. From a distance, we observe a family of foxes, which – like us – is on its way to Bettmeralp. Shortly before dark, we are back at the Waldhaus and are really looking forward to the cuddly beds.

Hike through the Aletsch Forest to the Bettmerhorn

The Aletsch Panorama Trail leads in a total of three stages from Belalp via Riederfurka to Bellwald. We completed the first stage in 2014. We tackled parts of the second stages a year later – but instead of the Riederfurka we started on the Bettmerhorn and thus skipped one of the most beautiful sections. The second stage leads from the Riederfurka through the Aletsch Forest, which has been a nature reserve since 1933. The narrow hiking trail winds its way past gnarled hundred-year-old stone pines and blooming alpine roses. Sometimes the greenery almost swallows you up, and sometimes the view opens up to the Aletsch Glacier. I breathe in the fresh mountain air, listen to the squabbling of the nutcrackers, and walk light-footed across the forest floor.

The path through the Aletsch Forest leads us again to the Moosfluh. From here, the panorama of the imposing Aletsch Glacier accompanies you at every turn. We follow the Aletsch Panorama Trail to the height of Hohbalm and then climb to the Bettmerhorn. The entire loop gives us 1,000 meters of extremely panoramic altitude over a length of 12 kilometers. Now we have arrived for the upcoming excursion to the Aletsch Glacier.

Hike from the Eggishorn to the Aletsch Glacier

The starting point for the glacier tour on the Aletsch Glacier is the Aletsch Mountaineering Centre in Fiesch. To shorten the arrival time, we change accommodation for the second night and spend the night at the Hotel des Alpes. I chose this hotel because the historic house scores with a casual beer menu. Host Fabian Albrecht is a trained beer sommelier that knows how to delight beer fans with his beer selection and beer dinners. And if you know your friend’s Instagram beer story, you know that I can’t keep it from him.

It is a stone’s throw from the Hotel des Alpes to the mountaineering centre or to the valley station of the Eggishorn cable car. Here the mountain guides, Herbert and Kilian Volken are waiting for us. They distribute the Grödel and critically examine each newcomer – are we all equipped for glaciers? After the material check, we head up to the Eggishorn. The glacier tour starts with an entertaining hike from the Eggishorn to the glacier room at the Märjelen lakes. The one-hour hike over stony and partly steep terrain gives the two mountain guides a good overview of who is on foot and how.

At the Gletscherstube there is a short snack break. While we fortify ourselves with an oven-warm nut croissant and tea, Herbert and Kilian distribute the “Gschtältli”. A glacier tour is not a walk in the park. Even if the ice may seem harmless from a distance, a furrowed terrain awaits us: wide flush holes, deep crevasses – and far and wide no reliably tested path because the glacier surface changes every day.

It is only a short walk to the entrance to the glacier world, past the Märjelen lakes and then down to the ice masses. If we had done this tour 50 years ago, we would have been spared a few meters of altitude. The difference in altitude between Märjelen lakes and glacier masses is steadily increasing.

Guided glacier tour on the Aletsch Glacier

Before we go out on the ice, we have to mount the Grödel on our shoes. The claws will give us the necessary grip on the ice. Then we line up behind Herbert on the rope and march off in lockstep. Step by step, we head towards the middle of the glacier. The furrowed and unstable structure of the glacier reminds me a bit of the surface of the lava fields of the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii.

While the two-day glacier tour takes you purposefully across the glacier in the direction of the Konkordia hut, on the one-day glacier tour we zigzag towards the western central moraine. Since three large firn fields flow together at Konkordiaplatz, the Aletsch Glacier has two central moraines. There we take a lunch break and then hike back towards the Märjelen lakes.

After two hours on the glacier, we are secretly happy to have solid ground under our feet again. With two or three narrow passages between seemingly endlessly deep crevasses, I was already “äs bizeli gschmuch” – but the Grödel did their job perfectly. Finally, there is a one-hour walk to Fiescheralp. As we hike down into the valley, I mentally set my sights on my next destination: The Concordia Hut!

Practical tips for the glacier tour on the Aletsch Glacier

The guided glacier tours take place on Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday and last a whole day (start 8:15 a.m. in Fiesch, return between 4:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.). There is a maximum of ten people in a group per mountain guide. The cost is 90 CHF for adults, 70 CHF for children (including rental of climbing harness and Grödel).

In addition to mountain boots, you should pack weatherproof clothing including a hat, sunglasses, and gloves. The gloves are not so much because of the cold, but more because of the risk of injury if you fall over. The same goes for the trousers – even if it’s warm, it’s still a good idea to wear long trousers. Poles are also helpful, although you only need one stick on the rope.

The walking time is about six hours. Only a few meters of altitude (uphill) are made. If you are used to hiking for several hours, the tour is not strenuous in terms of fitness.

More tips and more experience reports about the Aletsch Arena

• Bettmeralp is car-free. You can reach it by cable car via the Betten valley station, which has a direct train connection.
• A new public transport hub is currently being built in Fiesch, which will connect the Fisch-Eggishorn cable car directly with the train, as in Betten. The new building is scheduled to open at the beginning of the 2019/2020 winter season.
• In midsummer, sunrise trips to the Eggishorn take place on Tuesdays and Sundays. Unfortunately, we were a week too early – the weather would have been great.
• If you are interested in star photography, you may enjoy the photography workshops. Inka from Blickgewinkelt took part in one and blogged her impressions.
• You can find more impressions of the glacier tour at Ellen from Patora. She has even spotted glacier fleas.
• And the Aletsch Arena is not only a great destination in summer, but, in my opinion, also one of the most beautiful Swiss winter sports resorts. You can find out more about this in my article “7 tips for winter holidays on Bettmeralp”.

Note: this trip was supported by the Aletsch Arena. All impressions and opinions are, as always, ours.