Monday 26 January 2015

Giant ice maker - Zinal Glacier

The perfect G n T made with glacial ice and a slice
How far will you go to put some ice in your drink? Well the other day we headed off to search for the most perfect lump of frozen water we could find -  layers of snow, crushed over hundreds of years into a beautifully clear lump of turquoise ice. This natural ice maker was the snout of the Zinal Glacier.

A 5km walk from Zinal following the Navisence towards the Pointe de Zinal 
The ice caves at the snout of the Zinal Glacier
Inside the ice caves
Five icy masses - the Glacier du Cornier, Bouquetins, Durand, L'Obergabelorn and Mountet - creep down from the head of the valley and merge together to become the Zinal glacier. From the village, it's a 5 km walk south, following the Navisence river to its source - the turquoise blue ice caves at the snout of the glacier. These days it's 1.7 km further than it was 120 years ago, but the extra walk is definitely worth it.
Fifty shades of blue
The most perfect lump of ice