What to Know Before Visiting a Glacier

Visiting a glacier can be thrilling, but there are some real risks we don’t always consider

Jungfaujoch in Switzerland bills itself as the top of Europe. A trip to a glacier can be beautiful, but there can be risks to touring glaciers.

Courtesy Kevin and Gina Rich

Gina Rich,

AARP

Published December 17, 2024

In summer 2024, my family traveled to see the Matterhorn Glacier and Aletsch Glacier in Switzerland. The snow-covered mountaintops and sparkling ice caves were stunning and breathtaking. But as we explored one cave, I felt the mild stirrings of panic. “This thing isn’t going to collapse on us, right?” I said, stepping gingerly on the slick floors. The question floated in the chilly air while my husband continued snapping photos and our teenagers took turns racing down a nearby ice slide.

Glacier tourism is a way to explore nature during a time when older adults are increasingly turning to the outdoors. According to a 2022 report by the Outdoor Foundation, a nonprofit organization that encourages outdoor activities to promote health, the number of people 55-plus participating in outdoor recreation has risen more than 14 percent since 2019.

But we don’t always consider the risks of visiting glaciers. In August 2024, an American tourist died when an ice cave collapsed at Iceland’s Breiðamerkurjökull glacier.

Here’s what experts say about the risks of touring glaciers and how to prepare for a visit.

Ice on the move

“Glaciers inherently are dangerous because of their instability,” says Shaun Marcott, an associate professor in the Department of Geoscience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who is an expert in glacial geology and paleoclimatology. Glaciers gain mass each winter through snowfall, then lose mass in summer as the ice melts, he says. Because of climate change, glaciers are melting more than in the past; many are shrinking.

Meltwater – the liquid flowing off a glacier – can cause conditions to change rapidly. “In the early part of the morning, when it’s the coldest, there’s not much melt coming off,” Marcott says. “By about mid-afternoon, the glacier is shedding.” He often hears of tourists who cross a shallow stream in the morning and return hours later to find the stream has tripled in size and depth, leaving them stranded.

Another reason glaciers are unstable is that they’re constantly moving forward, Marcott says. Some glaciers in Greenland, for instance, are moving by miles annually.

Over time, fractures develop in the ice, sometimes creating caves large enough for people to enter, explains Andrew Jones, a graduate student who researches glaciers and climate change in the Department of Geoscience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Jones has walked near the cave that collapsed in Iceland and says such accidents are “exceedingly rare.” Still, it’s difficult to predict when ice might break apart, particularly at lower elevations where a lot of melting happens, he adds.

If you’re risk-averse, Jones says, you can still appreciate a glacier’s beauty by getting close enough to view and perhaps take a few steps on the ice. You also can visit an ice cave that’s located at a higher elevation, meaning a place covered in snow year-round. “This is where the ice is forming, way high up; that’s going to be more stable,” Jones says.

Be ready for conditions on glaciers

If you’re not used to walking on slippery, uneven terrain, it’s a good idea to practice before your visit by going on some hikes, says Christopher Minson, professor of human physiology at the University of Oregon. Strengthening your legs and core muscles, wearing shoes with good soles, and carrying a walking stick for balance will also help you navigate glacier terrain, he says.

With the chilly temperatures on glaciers, our physical responses can range from an allergic reaction called cold urticaria to more serious conditions such as frostbite and hypothermia, says Cheyenne Falat, M.D., an emergency medicine physician at the University of Maryland Medical Center. She recommends dressing warmly and in layers, and ensuring you’re hydrated and well-nourished. “Shivering actually takes a significant amount of your body’s energy,” she adds.

Sunscreen is essential, as glaciers reflect a lot of solar radiation. “Sunburns are very, very common, even if it’s cold or hazy,” says Minson.