Glacier of Trift (Gadmen)

The glacier of Trift ( Triftgletscher in German) is at the Eastern end of the Canton of Bern in Suisse. It is six kilometers long and its width reaches three kilometers in its upper part, and 500 meters close to the glacial language. On the whole, the glacier covers a surface of approximately fifteen km.

Description

The Glacier of Trift is resulting from several firns located at 3000 meters of altitude and hung on the northern face of the solid mass to the junction between the the Bernese Alps and the the Alps uranaises. This solid mass is also at the origin of the Glacier of the Rhone which moves towards the south while the glacier of Trift borrows an opposite valley going up towards north.

The two glaciers are connected by a narrow band of ice: l´ Undri Triftlimi (3081 m). To the south of the glacier of Trift, the Tieralplistock (3383 m) provides most of the ice. More in the North-East, the Wysse Nollen (3398 m) and the peak of the Winterberg with in particular l´ Hinter Tierberg (3443 m) and the Maasplanggstock (3353 m) shelter the other firns which feed the glacier. In the zone of accumulation, on the north-eastern axis, the glacier has a width of more than three kilometers of the Diechterhorn (3389 m) until the Winterberg .

In the east, a natural Circus covered with ice and opened towards the North-West, the Triftsack (approximately 3000 meters) recovers snow and the ice exits of the Winterberg and the Wysse Nollen . This circus is surrounded by rock faces of more than three hundred meters in height. The part of the glacier which emerges from the Triftsack starts then an abrupt descent with 60% before arriving four hundred meters lower. It is joined with approximately 2600 meters by the ice come from north and the North-West.

The glacier approaches a rock bolt which limits its width in the median and lower part. Many needles and cracks are formed in this place called l´ Obre Absturz . A small lake is a little more in the east of l´ Absturz , at an altitude of 2419 Mr. the hut of Trift (SAC) was built a little higher to 2520 Mr.

The language leads at an altitude of approximately 1660 meters (state in 2004) to a glacial lake. This one is at the origin of the Triftwasser , a torrent which joined the Gadmerwasser before leading in the Aar close to Innertkirchen.

Evolution

At the time of the Small Ice Age, the glacier of Trift further descended approximately two kilometers in the valley until an altitude 1400 meters. The lake currently present at the foot of the glacier appeared only in 1998 and prevented the access to the hut of Trift. This one was before atteignable only while walking on on the glacier. It remained held to the hikers and tested Alpiniste S. To reopen the path, a suspended bridge culminating with 70 meters with the top of the torrent was built. It is about the longest suspended bridge of cords highest and of Europe.

References

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