The Rettenbach glacier (german: ''Rettenbachferner'' or. ''Rettenbachgletscher'') 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#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...
in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
, located near
Sölden
Sölden is a municipality in the Ötztal valley of Tyrol, Austria.
Geography
At c. , it is the largest municipality in the country. The population of 3,449 (as of 2003) is outnumbered by tourists, of which 15,000 can be accommodated. With tou ...
in the
Ötztal Alps
The Ötztal Alps ( it, Alpi Venoste, german: Ötztaler Alpen) are a mountain range in the Central Eastern Alps, in the State of Tyrol in western Austria and the Province of South Tyrol in northern Italy.
Geography
The Ötztal Alps are arrayed at ...
of
Tyrol
Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...
,
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
.
During the winter, the glacier is accessible by
cable car Cable car most commonly refers to the following cable transportation systems:
* Aerial lift, such as aerial tramways and gondola lifts, in which the vehicle is suspended in the air from a cable
** Aerial tramway
** Chairlift
** Gondola lift
*** Bi ...
and from spring time by car, using the
Gletscherstraße.
The glacier is also an attractive area for regular skiers and plays an important role in connecting the main ski area of Sölden with the
Tiefenbach glacier Tiefenbach may refer to:
Places Austria
* Tiefenbach bei Kaindorf, a former municipality in the district of Hartberg-Fürstenfeld in Styria, today part of Hartl
*Tiefenbach, a township of the municipality of Judenburg in Styria
Czech Republic
*Tie ...
.
Alpine skiing
Since 2000, Rettenbach is a traditional World Cup season opening host with giant slalom in late October, for both men and women.
Fatal accidents
On January 5, 2015, two prospects for the United States ski team, Ronnie Berlack and Bryce Astle, were killed by an
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 earth ...
they triggered near Rettenbach glacier.
On 17 November 2015, Slovenian ex skier
Drago Grubelnik
Drago Grubelnik (15 January 1976 – 17 November 2015) was Slovenian alpine skier and coach.
Born in Radlje ob Dravi, Grubelnik made the podium in one event on the Alpine Skiing World Cup, a third place in slalom in Wengen, Switzerland (January 2 ...
died in a car accident on the 7th curve at down the road, not far away from a World Cup finish area.
References
External links
FIS Alpine Ski World Cup– Soelden, Austria
Ski-db.com- Soelden men's races
Glaciers of Austria
Glaciers of the Alps
Ski areas in Austria
{{Austria-geo-stub