Aletsch Glacier

To the north of Brig extends a magnificent glacier region. Between the Riederhorn (2,230 m/7,317ft) and the Eggishorn (2,937 m/9,636ft), a natural terrace exposed to the sun, from which the land falls steeply away, forms a transition to the Rhône valley. From Brig there are various routes to the Aletsch glacier which offer attractive day or half-day outings, with the help of cableways and lifts.

The Great Aletsch glacier is a unique feature of great magnificence - the largest stretch of firn (ice formed from snow ) in the Alps and in Europe (area 170 sq. km/66 sq. mi, length about 25km/16mi). Its catchment area extends from the south side of the Bernese Alps, around the Jungfrau, to the almost level Konkordiaplatz, where the ice is some 800 m/2,625ft deep, and from there southwards to the Aletschwald (nature reserve), one of the highest forests of stone pines in Europe.