Vanishing glaciers on Germany’s highest mountain resulted in demolition of another Alpine ski lift.
Europe is losing hundreds more to global warming.
“The glaciers in Bavaria will inevitably melt away, as they can no longer survive in the face of climate change,“.
A ski slope on Zugspitze mountain has been dismantled because the glacier beneath it melted away
Global warming is reshaping the Alps in a number of ways as the region heats about four times faster than the rest of the planet. Among the most economically painful is the closing of ski runs and entire results. The latest high profile loss is a ski slope down the Schneeferner glacier on the Zugspitze mountain, which has been demolished as the glacier beneath it disappeared for good. The life has been in operation for 50 years. The peak of Zugspitze is 9,700 ft. high, located in the Wetterstein massif along Germany’s border with Austria.
HUNDREDS OF EUROPEAN RESORTS CLOSING OR THREATENED BY CLIMATE CHANGE
Across Europe and especially in France, warming temperatures are forcing ski resorts to close permanently or abandon traditional operations, with 186 resorts in France closing the in the past several years. Up to 98% of European resorts face severe snow shortages. While many are filling in with artificial snow, there is a limit to that process, which also uses huge amounts of energy.
Related: What is a GLOF?
Related: What is a GLOF
Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF) are not new, but the incidents of these startling events are ramping up as mountain glaciers melt. Several recent incidents have had catastrophic results in Alpine regions around the world.
As glaciers melt at a frenetic pace, new lakes back up behind newly ice dams in the Andes, Alps and Himalayas. When these dams break, massive torrents rush downstream, often in a cataclysmic flood. These floods have become more common as global warming causes rapid melting of glaciers around the world.
Update: 2026 Early Spring Climate Events
Summary of extreme and catastrophic global warming events including record floods, wildfires and droughts, plus alarming trends that are not likely to reverse for thousands of years. Link here.
Related: Himalayas’ glacier loss threatens water supplies for 2 billion
Accelerating glacial retreat in the Himalayas over the past decades is threatening over 2 billion people in the region who depend on meltwater from the “water tower of Asia” for their daily needs. Glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region have been losing ice at twice the rate since 2000, with smaller glaciers shrinking more rapidly than larger ones. New research shows this is not a a future problem, it’s a now problem.