Gornergletscher Revisited

Ivar Hagendoorn -

I first visited the Gorner Glacier (German: Gornergletscher) in 2014. A year later I booked a guided tour to the Monte Rosa hut across the Gornergletscher, or rather, the Grenzgletscher, which is currently the main tributary of the Gornergletscher. In 2019 a new route to the Monte Rosa hut was opened, the Panorama Trail, which crosses the upper Gorner Glacier proper. If you start early it is possible to hike to the Monte Rosa hut and back in one day. As I was on my own and didn't want to risk being the last person to walk down, I decided to take my time and just have some fun taking photos on the glacier, which, of course, is one of my main reasons for doing the hike in the first place.

The Gornergletscher remains an amazing sight. Technically the upper part is the Grenzgletscher.

The former tributaries Schwärzegletscher (left) and Unterer Theodulgletscher (right) are now disconnected from the Gornergletscher

The upper Gornergletscher
The upper Gornergletscher. It gets bigger and bigger the closer you get
On the glacier! Just follow the signposts
Just follow the poles...
It's difficult to get a sense of scale. I guess this crevasse was about 10 meters deep.

Whenever I look at my glacier photos I want to go on another glacier hike

One of the advantages of being tall is that I can take a big step where other people have to jump.
As the photos attest I had a great time on the Gornergletscher

It was fascinating to see clouds form and dissolve

One more parting shot

More glaciers! Aletschgletscher, Svellnossbreen, Nigardsbreen, Falljökull and the Glacier Trail Felskinn Mattmark.