On Wednesday, July 24, the third Bernina Glacier Clean-Up Day took place on the Diavolezza near St. Moritz in Switzerland. A group of 90 volunteers, under the guidance of experienced mountain guides from the Pontresina Mountaineering School and the Go Vertical Mountaineering School, collected around 250 kilograms of garbage on the Pers Glacier and Morteratsch Glacier. The Bernina Glacier Clean-Up Day 2024 was organized and carried out by the Pontresina Mountaineering School and Go Vertical in cooperation with MortAlive, Heli Bernina and Diavolezza Lagalb AG.

This was the third Glacier Clean-Up Day and saw the largest turnout since the first initiative in 2022, when 60 volunteers showed up. In 2022, 740 kilograms of garbage were collected, and in 2023, 250 kilograms were collected. This shows how urgently these initiatives are needed. Switzerland has an incredible 1,400 glaciers, but they are shrinking at an ever-increasing rate, worrying scientists and the population alike. The Pers Glacier is located about 16 kilometers southeast of St. Moritz and used to flow into the Morteratsch Glacier. Due to glacier melt, it is now separated by rocks and debris. The Morteratsch Glacier is the most voluminous glacier in the Eastern Alps, but is melting at an enormous rate. Over the past 150 years, the glacier has lost two-thirds of its volume.

Compared to the previous year, the glacier cleanup at the foot of Piz Palü took place almost a whole month earlier. The hot summer and many thunderstorms have caused the snow cover on the glacier to melt, making it “the perfect time to start looking for plastic and other traces,” says Caroline Dwenger from the Pontresina mountaineering school.

Equipped with gloves and garbage bags, the volunteers started at the Diavolezza mountain station and made their way towards Morteratsch. In groups of around 20 people, the volunteers were led by an experienced mountain guide over the Pers Glacier and the Morteratsch Glacier into the Morteratsch Valley. Most of the items found were apparently items that the athletes had lost, such as old crampons or skis. Unfortunately, some carelessly discarded cigarette and candy wrappers were also found on the ice. “This rubbish doesn’t just disappear,” says Dwenger. “If the rubbish isn’t disposed of, it ends up in nature and becomes a problem for animals and people.”

Following the Bernina Glacier Clean-Up Day, the collected trash will be given a new purpose: it will be transformed into works of art that will be auctioned to raise funds for glacier conservation projects. Local wood sculptor Nora Engels creates these sculptures, which will be auctioned at the Diavolezza Glacier Race on March 15, 2025. Last year, around 9,000 francs were raised in this way.

“The cleanup campaign is not just about clearing the glacier of rubbish. We also want to draw attention to the effects of climate change on the glaciers and the water balance. Over the past two years, we have been able to reduce the amount of rubbish on the glacier summit and at the same time increase the number of volunteers. We are extremely pleased about this and would like to thank everyone who took part in this important campaign.”
— Nicolà Michael, Head of Marketing & Sales, Diavolezza Lagalb AG

The date of the next Clean-Up Day in 2025 will be announced on the Go Vertical website approximately one month before the event. Anyone who would like to make a contribution to the Swiss glaciers today can take part in the newly introduced Diavolezza Glacier Race. 25% of the entry fee will be donated to glacier protection.

Diavolezza is part of the Engadin St. Moritz ski area, which has joined the IKON Pass and will grant Ikon Pass holders access to the areas of this mountain cooperation for between five and seven days from the 2024/2025 season.

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