The Oberaletsch Glacier (German: ''Oberaletschgletscher'', meaning ''Upper Aletsch Glacier'') is a valley

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#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...

on the south side of the

Bernese Alps , topo_map= Swiss Federal Office of Topography swisstopo , photo=BerneseAlps.jpg , photo_caption=The Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau , country= Switzerland , subdivision1_type=Cantons , subdivision1= , parent= Western Alps , borders_on= , l ...

, in the canton of

Valais Valais ( , , ; frp, Valês; german: Wallis ), more formally the Canton of Valais,; german: Kanton Wallis; in other official Swiss languages outside Valais: it, (Canton) Vallese ; rm, (Chantun) Vallais. is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 ...

. It had a length of with an average width of just under and an area of about in 1973. The Oberaletsch Glacier system consists of two approximately equal arms. The eastern one takes its starting point on the south western flank of the

Aletschhorn The Aletschhorn () is a mountain in the Alps in Switzerland, lying within the Jungfrau-Aletsch region, which has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The mountain shares part of its name with the Aletsch Glacier lying at its foot. ...

at around , and joins the western arm (Beichgletscher) in the valley at the foot of the

Nesthorn The Nesthorn is a mountain in the Bernese Alps. It is located in the Swiss canton of Valais north of Brig. The mountain lies between the Oberaletsch Glacier on the north and east side and the Gredetschtal on the south side. It is part of the subr ...

. Then the glacier flows to the south-east towards the

Aletsch Glacier The Aletsch Glacier (german: Aletschgletscher, ) or Great Aletsch Glacier () is the largest glacier in the Alps. It has a length of about (2014), has about a volume of (2011), and covers about (2011) in the eastern Bernese Alps in the Swiss ca ...

without reaching it. The glacier tongue ends at around . During the

Little Ice Age The Little Ice Age (LIA) was a period of regional cooling, particularly pronounced in the North Atlantic region. It was not a true ice age of global extent. The term was introduced into scientific literature by François E. Matthes in 1939. Ma ...

in the middle of the 19th century the glacier was part of the Aletsch Glacier. The

Swiss Alpine Club The Swiss Alpine Club (german: Schweizer Alpen-Club, french: Club Alpin Suisse, it, Club Alpino Svizzero, rm, Club Alpin Svizzer) is the largest mountaineering club in Switzerland. It was founded in 1863 in Olten and it is now composed of 111 s ...

Oberaletschhütte The Oberaletsch Glacier (German: ''Oberaletschgletscher'', meaning ''Upper Aletsch Glacier'') is a valley glacier on the south side of the Bernese Alps, in the canton of Valais. It had a length of with an average width of just under and an area o ...

() is above the junction of the two glacier arms and has been accessible to hikers since 2005 with a new trail from

Belalp Belalp is a village and ski resort in the Swiss canton of Valais, situated at approximately above sea level in the municipality of Naters. Because of its altitude, Belalp is a vantage point offering views of the Dom and Fletschhorn mountains a ...

. The area of the Oberaletsch Glacier, along with the Aletsch Glacier, was declared a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

in December 2001.

External links

Oberaletsch glacier on Glaciers online
Glaciers of Valais Glaciers of the Alps {{Valais-glacier-stub

See also

External links