Valais is one of 26 cantons that together form Switzerland. More importantly, it encompasses one of the highest sections of the main chain of the Alps and is home to many glaciers.
From the Great St. Bernard pass in the west to the Simplon pass in the east, Valais encompasses eighty kilometers of pure alpine landscapes with dozens of ‘four-thousanders’. The deep valleys in between the mountain ridges are only accessible from the Rhone valley in the north. Crossing the border with Italy in the south is possible by foot or skies over steep mountain passes.
About six main valleys cut into the Valaisian mountains. They all have different atmospheres: while the Turtmann Valley is downright remote, the Hérens Valley has picturesque villages and the Matter Valley is crowded. The latter valley hosts the town of Zermatt, world famous for its views on the pyramid-shaped Matterhorn and the Monte Rosa, Switzerland’s highest mountain. To facilitate skiing in summer, cable cars lead all the way up to the glaciers at a whopping 3880 meters. Nowhere in the Alps can you get this high without doing anything.
With so many high mountains, Valais is home to famous glaciers. Most notably the Gornergletscher, Switzerland’s second largest glacier. While the Gorner glacier is still impressive, others are hardly recognizable. The Lower Arolla glacier has retreated completely from the valley and the Turtmann glacier literally collapsed in 2020. Also smaller glaciers, often used by alpine tours to go from one valley to the other, are downwasting. Besides less attractive, this also makes Valais less accessible.
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