by Lena Hellman
Girls on Ice Switzerland was realized in a shorter version this year since we had to cancel our regular expedition due to COVID-19. However, we could offer a great alternative three-day program from the 07th-09th of August on the Plaine Morte glacier in the Valais. The accommodation in the Wildstrubelhütte allowed us to adhere to COVID guidelines and have more time for the activities without the logistics of a campsite! Following distancing guidelines and wearing masks when distancing was not possible, we tried to offer a unique experience for the girls despite the special situation and to give them new insights in science, art, and mountaineering.
The first day started in Sierre (Valais, Switzerland) with a short presentation round and the distribution of equipment, before we travelled up to Crans-Montana. From there, we took the cable car to Pointe de la Plaine Morte with the first view on the beautiful plateau glacier.
The three days offered educational activities about glaciers, glaciology, landscape reading, maps and orientation, geology, as well as sketching and drawing. A small ablation experiment showing an ice melt of about 1 cm per day illustrates the high dynamics of glaciers. Our team consisted of a mixture of experienced alpinists and girls who walked on the glacier for the first time in their lives. The participants learned how to put on crampons and how to rope up. Profound glacier moulins made the walk over the glacier unforgettable.
Besides the beautiful sunsets and -rises, the highlight of the weekend was probably the visit of Laurence Piaget-Dubuis and Martina Barandun. Laurence as a professional artist fascinated us with her passionate talk about art and science and made us rethink our presumptions. Her input combined with the personal thoughts of the participants led to a very inspiring discussion about arts and sciences in the evening. Martina showed us the work of a glaciologist and the investigation of ice-cores. The process of taking an ice core by hand and seeing the magnificent ice crystals was as impressive as the information about the research possibilities regarding paleoclimate.
We had inspiring exchanges between the German- and French-speaking participants since we did not separate the two groups language-wise. After some shy initial moments, the participants appreciated the diverse input from different cultures and in the end they managed to communicate no matter which language they spoke.
The most difficult part was the end that came too soon! With such a group of impressive young women, we would have loved to stay an entire week at the glacier and get deeper into the world of sciences and art.
