Blaueis
Encyclopedia
The Blaueis is the northernmost glacier
in the Alps
and lies within the municipality of Ramsau
in the Bavaria
n part of the Berchtesgaden Alps
. The glacier lies on the exposed north-facing slopes in the upper Blaueis cirque
, nestling between the rock faces of the Blaueisspitze (2480 m), Hochkalter
(2607 m) and Kleinkalter (2513 m), which ring the glacier in a horseshoe shape.
Because of its relatively low elevation, the Blaueis has been particularly affected by glacial retreat which is common amongst Alpine glaciers. Since the mid-1980s, rocks in the middle of the Blaueis have become increasingly free of snow and the upper part of the glacier is now more or less completely separated from the lower field of what is now dead ice. The thickness of the ice as determined by ground-penetrating radar was only up to 13 feet in 2007, and the average thickness of the ice was less than four metres; giving a volume of around 0.4 million m³.. This means that the remaining ice mass is smaller than the mass lost in the last decade of the 20th century.
The base for ascents of the glacier is the Blaueis Hut at 1,680 m high in the Blaueis cirque below the glacier. The hut may be reached from Ramsau or Hintersee in just over three hours walking. Above the glacier, which in its upper section is up to 55° steep, is a climbing path to the Blaueis gap (2,400 m), from which there is an easy climb of grade II
(UIAA) to the Hochkalter summit. The best time of the year is usually the second half of June, when snow still facilitates the climb and snow bridges often allow a simple crossing of the gully (Randkluft) below the saddle. In late summer and autumn, the gully is wide and often difficult to cross. At that time of the year there were sometimes fatal falls in the past caused by black ice.
A popular climbing tour is the so-called Blaueisumrahmung (Blaueis circuit). It runs without touching the glacier from the Blaueis Hut over the Schärtenspitze, Blaueisspitze, Hochkalter, Kleinkalter and Rotpalfen back to the start. The main difficulty is conquering the Blaueis north arête, which is at least a UIAA grade IV climb.
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
in the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
and lies within the municipality of Ramsau
Ramsau bei Berchtesgaden
Ramsau is a German municipality in the Bavarian Alps with a population of around 1,800.It is located in the district of Berchtesgadener Land in Bavaria, close to the border with Austria, 35 km south of Salzburg and 150 km south-east of Munich....
in the Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n part of the Berchtesgaden Alps
Berchtesgaden Alps
The Berchtesgaden Alps are a mountain range of the Northern Limestone Alps, named after the market town of Berchtesgaden located in the centre...
. The glacier lies on the exposed north-facing slopes in the upper Blaueis cirque
Cirque
Cirque may refer to:* Cirque, a geological formation* Makhtesh, an erosional landform found in the Negev desert of Israel and Sinai of Egypt*Cirque , an album by Biosphere* Cirque Corporation, a company that makes touchpads...
, nestling between the rock faces of the Blaueisspitze (2480 m), Hochkalter
Hochkalter
At , the Hochkalter in the Berchtesgaden Alps is the highest peak in the massif of the same name and therefore one of the highest mountains in Germany. The massif is also called the Hochkaltergebirge, Hochkalterstock or Hochkaltermassiv....
(2607 m) and Kleinkalter (2513 m), which ring the glacier in a horseshoe shape.
Because of its relatively low elevation, the Blaueis has been particularly affected by glacial retreat which is common amongst Alpine glaciers. Since the mid-1980s, rocks in the middle of the Blaueis have become increasingly free of snow and the upper part of the glacier is now more or less completely separated from the lower field of what is now dead ice. The thickness of the ice as determined by ground-penetrating radar was only up to 13 feet in 2007, and the average thickness of the ice was less than four metres; giving a volume of around 0.4 million m³.. This means that the remaining ice mass is smaller than the mass lost in the last decade of the 20th century.
The base for ascents of the glacier is the Blaueis Hut at 1,680 m high in the Blaueis cirque below the glacier. The hut may be reached from Ramsau or Hintersee in just over three hours walking. Above the glacier, which in its upper section is up to 55° steep, is a climbing path to the Blaueis gap (2,400 m), from which there is an easy climb of grade II
Grade (climbing)
In rock climbing, mountaineering and other climbing disciplines, climbers give a climbing grade to a route that concisely describes the difficulty and danger of climbing the route...
(UIAA) to the Hochkalter summit. The best time of the year is usually the second half of June, when snow still facilitates the climb and snow bridges often allow a simple crossing of the gully (Randkluft) below the saddle. In late summer and autumn, the gully is wide and often difficult to cross. At that time of the year there were sometimes fatal falls in the past caused by black ice.
A popular climbing tour is the so-called Blaueisumrahmung (Blaueis circuit). It runs without touching the glacier from the Blaueis Hut over the Schärtenspitze, Blaueisspitze, Hochkalter, Kleinkalter and Rotpalfen back to the start. The main difficulty is conquering the Blaueis north arête, which is at least a UIAA grade IV climb.