Glacier conditions around Titlis – Summer 2022
The exceptionally hot summer of 2022 is leaving clear traces
The summer of 2022 will remain in the memory of many mountaineers for a long time. Following a winter with little snow and an exceptionally long period of heat, the glaciers in the Alps lost large amounts of ice within just a few weeks. The changes were also impressively visible around the Titlis.
During my tours in July and August 2022, I was able to document the condition of the main glaciers around Titlis. Most of the pictures were taken in early August 2022 and impressively show how much the landscape has already changed during a single summer.
The glaciers around Mount Titlis
The glacier landscape around Titlis consists of several individual glaciers that differ significantly in size, aspect and development.
Titlis Glacier (Steinberg)
The Titlis Glacier is the largest glacier in the region and shapes the famous Steinberg run as well as numerous high-altitude tours.
In the summer of 2022, many crevasses were already open early on. Snow cover disappeared unusually quickly, and large areas consisted of bare glacier ice as early as the beginning of August.
The changes were clearly visible even compared to previous years.
Galtiberg Glacier
The Galtiberg Glacier also lost a massive amount of mass in the summer of 2022.
Especially in the lower section, more and more rocks and moraines were exposed. The classic freeride descent via the Galtiberg leads directly across this glacier in winter and demonstrates anew every year how much the terrain is changing.
Firnalpeligletscher
The Firnalpeligletscher below the Grassen is one of the smaller glaciers in the region.
During high-altitude tours on the Grassen or in the Spannort region, the retreat is particularly clearly visible. New rock ribs are emerging and the access changes from year to year.
Wenden Glacier
The Wenden glacier south of the Titlis is known to many ski tourers from the Titlis circular tour.
In summer 2022 the ice was already bare early on. Numerous crevasses opened significantly earlier than usual and made the crossing towards the Grassenbiwak more difficult.
Little glacier
The small glacier field after the abseil point of the Titlis circular tour still bears its name, but is increasingly developing into a seasonal firn field.
The loss of ice is particularly striking here, as the changes can be easily observed within just a few years.
What does that mean for mountaineers?
The retreat of the glaciers is not only changing the landscape.
Even classic routes are constantly changing:
- Crevasses are opening earlier.
- Approaches are getting steeper.
- Rock is becoming less stable.
- New moraines and boulder fields are forming.
- Routing procedures must be adjusted regularly.
Anyone planning high-altitude tours or glacier crossings around Titlis should therefore always check the current conditions and adapt their route accordingly.
A historical document
The images in this post show the state of the glaciers in August 2022.
You are not an evaluation, but a documentation of the conditions at the time. Precisely such photographs become more and more valuable over the years because they make visible how quickly the high Alpine landscape is changing.
Over the coming years, I will continuously update this page and document the condition of each individual glacier.
Related articles
- Gross Spannort – High-altitude mountaineering tour
- Titlis round trip
- Engelberger Haute Route
- High alpine tours around Engelberg
- Mountain Knowledge: Safe on glaciers
