After 25 years, there will be no glaciers in Titlis

“In 25 years there will probably be no more glaciers left on Klein Titlis,” says Urs Egli, 46, Head of Marketing and Titlis Bergbahnen, Hotels & Gastronomy management member. For Egli, the scenario that the glacier will “die” has been clear for years: “We have a slope glacier in Titlis. The feeding zone is below the summit of Gross Titlis, but is very small compared to the rest of the glacier. “This means we know the glacier will continue to shrink until it no longer exists,” he explains.

Detailed and expensive

However, the glacier is loved and cared for. Since 2012, part of the glacier has been covered with a fleece made of UV-resistant geotextile in the spring, and the glacier is removed again in the fall. What does this bring? This year, the difference in height between the exposed glacier and the cover was almost five meters – the difference has never been greater. “It was very hot all summer and temperatures stayed high until autumn,” says Egli.

The area covered was 14 football fields this year compared to 10 fields the previous year. This corresponds to about one-fifth of the entire glacial surface. Masking is time consuming and therefore expensive.

“The whiter and clearer the cover, the better the glacier underneath is protected. If the fleece is dirty, its reflectivity is reduced,” explains the marketing manager. In principle, the fleece with a thickness of eight millimeters can be used for several seasons. It does not need to be thrown away, as it is pure polyester, which can be easily recycled.

200 day season

Why does the Titlis cable car go to so much trouble and expense to protect the glacier? “Basically, not because we’re good, but because we’re sustainable because we’re worth it,” Egli says with a smile.

Concretely, the value means that, thanks to the cover, they don’t have to wait for the cold weather to get snow in the fall to be the first ski area to open in Central Switzerland. Thanks to the cover, there is enough snow in Titlis for a ski season from mid-October to mid-May. “We will close on May 7 this year so we can start reporting in a timely manner,” Egli says. It also has the advantage of being on the north side of the Titlis ski area. It used to be a disadvantage because there wasn’t enough sun – today it’s an advantage because snow stays on the ground better.

Thanks to Trübsee energy and water

It is worth noting that 46-year-old ski tourists also consider the sustainability of their favorite sport: “80 percent of guests think that we work as sustainably as possible, and 53 percent find it positive. It is already part of the purchasing decision”. .

Thanks to Trübsee, the region has renewable energy and can use the water from it to make snow. “We invest in modern systems because we can run them in a more environmentally friendly way, that is, with less electricity,” says Egli’s efforts. There are photovoltaic systems, but there is also a future without glaciers.

What’s next without a glacier?

Engelberg railways offers 450 jobs. And what should happen in 2048 when there are no more glacial caves to visit, and only rocks and an awe-inspiring panorama remain at the summit? A 50-metre tower built by Basel architect duo Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron will later become the center of attraction.

Egli still appreciates the glacier and considers it economically worthwhile to cover it with snow that comes together in the spring. Because: “We offer an artificially developed, basically natural product.”

You will get on your skis and go downhill to the glacier lift to show you how beautiful this descent is thanks to the glacier. Are we damaging glaciers with this? “No, on the contrary, the glacier will probably be around for another year or two thanks to the covering,” he says. Glacier protection as it is economically valuable.