The Höllentalferner is a

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...

in the western

Wetterstein Mountains The Wetterstein mountains (german: Wettersteingebirge), colloquially called Wetterstein, is a mountain group in the Northern Limestone Alps within the Eastern Alps. It is a comparatively compact range located between Garmisch-Partenki ...

. It is a

cirque glacier A cirque glacier is formed in a cirque, a bowl-shaped depression on the side of or near mountains. Snow and ice accumulation in corries often occurs as the result of avalanching from higher surrounding slopes. If a cirque glacier advances far eno ...

that covers the upper part of the Höllental valley and its location in a rocky bowl between the Riffelwandspitzen and Germany's highest mountain, the

Zugspitze The Zugspitze (), at above sea level, is the highest peak of the Wetterstein Mountains as well as the highest mountain in Germany. It lies south of the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and the Austria–Germany border runs over its western su ...

, means that it is well-protected from direct sunshine.

Geography

With an area of (as of 2006)''Höllentalferner - Topographie''
at www.lrz.de. Accessed on 24 December 2010 it is almost as big as the nearby Northern

Schneeferner } The Schneeferner in the Bavarian Alps is Germany's highest and largest glacier. the glacier is not in acute danger because it is located in a deeply hollowed bowl and is fed by

avalanche An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be set off spontaneously, by such factors as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, animals, and eart ...

snow (as a ''Lawinenkesselgletscher'' or "avalanche bowl glacier") and is therefore less badly affected by

global warming In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

. In order to climb the Zugspitze through the Höllental valley the Höllentalferner has to be negotiated. Depending on the season the

randkluft A randkluft (from the German for ''marginal cleft/crevasse'') or rimaye (from the same French ) is the headwall gap between a glacier or snowfield and the adjacent rock face at the back of the cirqueWhittow, John (1984). ''Dictionary of Physical ...

of the glacier is a key point on the way to the ''

Klettersteig A via ferrata (Italian for "iron path", plural ''vie ferrate'' or in English ''via ferratas'') is a protected climbing route found in the Alps and certain other locations. The term "via ferrata" is used in most countries and languages except n ...

''.

References

External links

Archive of Bavarian Glaciers
Glaciers of Bavaria Glaciers of the Alps GHollentalferner Wetterstein {{Germany-glacier-stub