2022 - 2023 Far West Skier's Guide - 75

FIESCH AND THE
ALETSCH GLACIER -
EUROPE'S LONGEST
GLACIER
The first stop on our short road trip was
the little village of Fiesch (1049 m), nestled
into the Goms Valley, and connected by ski lift
with the car-free villages of Bettmeralp and
Riederalp. Here the Eggishorn (2926 m) rises
almost two vertical kilometers above the valley
floor, and offers a stunning panorama of
the Aletsch Glacier. If you don't come here for
the skiing, you could well visit for the view
alone. The Aletsch is not your ordinary glacier.
With a length of 23 kilometers and a surface
area of 85 square kilometers, it is the longest
and largest glacier in the Alps - a virtual river
of ice that begins at the base of the famous
Jungfrau and flows past the Eggishorn toward
the Rhone Valley. In 2001, the glacier along
with the Jungfrau was named as the Alps' first
UNESCO World Heritage site, and one can
view almost the entire area from the top of the
peak.
It was not so odd that the Eggishorn became
the first stop on our trip. From there, the
famous Jungfrau (4158 m) was actually
dwarfed by a number of big sisters, as the panorama
surrounding the glacier includes the
Monte Rosa (4643 m), the Alphubel (4206 m),
TOP IMAGE: The village of
Bettmeralp, located at the
lower elevations of the Aletsch
Glacier offers lift service to
reach the lower trails nearby.
LOWER IMAGE: The cable car
from Fiesch to the Eggishorn
brings skiers to a viewpoint
over the Aletsch Glacier.
the Mischabel Dom (4545 m), the Nadelhorn
(4327 m), the Matterhorn (4478 m), the Weisshorn
(4506 m), the Grand Combin (4314 m),
the Aletschhorn (4205 m), the Finsteraarhorn
(4274 m), and even Mt. Blanc (4808 m). Almost
forgotten among all these mountains is
the Fiescher Glacier, just a stone's throw to the
northeast of the Eggishorn, which, at a length
of 16 kilometers, is the second longest glacier
in the Alps. Suffice it to say that there is
enough spectacular mountain scenery in this
corner of the Alps to keep a mountain aficionado
busy for quite some time.
Our lookout point was not the most hospitable
location on the mountain. The wind
was picking up, storm clouds were brewing
and it was time to generate some body heat by
moving. We spent the day skiing around the
pistes. There are some interesting off-piste possibilities
in this area, but the conditions did not
allow any exploration. We knew that our time
here was limited and made an immediate
mental note to return sometime in the
summer when the snow-free glacier is even
more visually impressive and the list of nearby
hikes is almost endless.
We enjoyed the village of Bettmeralp,
where the vehicle-less streets are covered with
snow and one can ski through the main street
to find a suitable lunch spot. Cheese specialties
are indigenous to all parts of Switzerland, and
the Goms Valley is also known for their dried
sausages and hams. We started with a small
assortment of dried meats followed by a
cheese fondue.
During lunch, one of the locals threw a
few more interesting statistics about the glacier
at us. At its thickest point, it is about 900
meters deep, and the weight of the ice is estimated
to be 27 billion tons. If that ice were to
melt, it would provide a liter of water for every
human being on Earth each day for six years!
Far West Skier's Guide 2O22 - 2O23
75
ttttt
2022 - 2023 Far West Skier's Guide

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of 2022 - 2023 Far West Skier's Guide
