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adventure & travel

Impressions from inside of the Steinberg Glacier

An accessible natural wonder on the Titlis

by Christian Berner 05/20/2018
Due to the whims of nature, a glacier grotto has formed on the Steinberg route, which can even be accessed (carefully!) on skis or a snowboard. Conditions reporter Christian Berner describes his impressions.

It's an emotional moment as I dive into the natural glacier cave - into another world. My body releases happiness hormones and adrenaline at the same time, because despite its mass, the beauty seems fragile and is certainly not imperishable. Again and again there is a dull cracking sound inside the masses of ice and a constant drip from the ceiling. Dangerously large chunks of ice on the floor remind me that something could always fall. My mind is awake, my spirit enchanted by this majestic structure, cloaked in colors that only a glacier can paint. So beautiful that the whole thing can hardly be described in words. And then this tranquillity... interrupted only by the mysterious sounds that the glacier emits from within. My hands tremble as I take photos. It's not the cold.

Snow and wind as master builders

Even long-established freeriders who have been skiing on the Titlis for half a century are impressed and say that nothing like this has ever happened up here before. There are probably several factors at play that make it possible to visit, or even ski through, the 50-metre-long cave.

On the one hand, there is the large amount of snow that has finally fallen on the Titlis once again. At peak times, there was almost eight meters of snow on the summit. Thanks to these amounts, the entrance to the cave was only possible in the first place.

The other master builder was the wind, which blew a lot of snow inside the cave. Thanks to it, visitors can travel comfortably through the interior of the cave on a thick, white carpet.

No pain, no gain

After ten minutes, I had soaked up enough impressions. Impressions that I will remember for the rest of my life. It takes three swings before the cave spits me out and I leave the fairytale world in its shades of blue. I quickly move away from the mighty glacier formation due to the danger of breaking off. Only then do I look back at the grotto with great reverence.

    The rest of the Steinberg route - and there are still a good two thirds to go - is not at all nice to ski on this warm day. The snow is so lazy that I change direction with hairpin bends to avoid tearing my cruciate ligament at the end of the season. But even if I had to carry the skis down, after this meditative experience, nothing can get me off my feet.

    Season until 27 May

    You can still ski and snowboard on the Titlis until 27 May. Provided nature cooperates, it will be relatively easy to get to the cave by then. If there is not enough snow to ski the Steinberg route, it is also possible to walk back up to the Icefliyer valley station.

    NOTE: Glaciers are dangerous! Apart from the usual risks associated with descents such as the Steinberg route, the undertaking described here involves additional dangers. Seracs, glacier gates, caves, accessible crevasses and similar structures can change quickly and even collapse. Independent risk assessment necessary!

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    This article has been automatically translated by DeepL with subsequent editing. If you notice any spelling or grammatical errors or if the translation has lost its meaning, please write an e-mail to the editors.

    Show original (German)

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