Overview

• The exposed remnants date to around 1970, when summer skiing on the Hallstätter Gletscher was still possible according to the cable-car operator.
• Operators report that the wooden components have now been removed and transported away for safety.
• Researchers document steep long-term losses, with about one-third of the glacier’s mass gone since 2006 and area shrinking from roughly 5.27 km² to about 2.22 km² since the 19th century.
• This season brought roughly two meters of snow instead of the usual eight to ten, which, combined with heat and heavy rain, hastened melt.
• Tourism managers are rerouting and securing trails, and they caution the Hallstätter–Schladminger connection could vanish within weeks while the ‘Eispalast’ may endure only four to five more years.