Ice Caves in the Alps
Here you will find a selection of images on the topic of ice caves and glacier photography.
Ice cave within a glacier in the winter of 2023/2024. Through the lateral crevices, the first winter storms blew snow into the interior of the ice cave, creating a winter wonderland inside. Never before and never again have I seen anything like this in a glacier cave.
The first snow of winter creates a unique winter landscape inside the ice cave.
At the entrance area of a glacier cave.
The cave is reflected in the frozen water on the ground.
Sometimes safety tools are necessary to venture deeper into the cave.
Climbing down the little ice fall leads deeper into the glacier.
From the opposite side, a magnificent scene with an ice waterfall reveals itself.
In some sections, tunnels extend several hundred meters deep beneath the ice.
Sometimes, tunnels open up agin deeper inside the glacier.
Deep inside the glacier some of the roof has come loose and crashed on the ground.
Inside an ice tunnel in Switzerland, a marvelous ceiling structure is revealed, formed by the layering of individual snow layers.
Natural light falling into the tunnel enlightens some part of the wall.
The first rays of the sun paint the top of the iconic Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps in golden light.
A huge cavern opens up inside a glacier. The cold winter temperatures have
created a frozen waterfall.
Indirect light reveals the wonderful structures of the frozen waterfall.
Icicles hanging from the ceiling illuminated by the spotlight.
Sometimes ice caves open up again further inside and reveal huge rooms
that feel like being in a cathdral of ice.
The ice at the entrance to an ice cave glows blue.
The color of the ice makes everything shine blue.
Mother Nature creates entire sculpture parks out of ice.
In summer, ice caves are very dangerous and usually in danger of collapsing. But in winter, the world freezes into a wonderful, bizarre landscape that can then be explored.
Small lakes can also form inside an ice cave.
A flashlight and the residual light that falls into the cave bring light into the darkness.
Sometimes the entrances to the underworld are spectacular and impossible to miss.
In winter, ice caves can be reached on touring skis or snowshoes.
A bird's eye view of the entrance to an ice cave.
Sometimes the entrance looks like the entrance to an ice palace.
But this impression is deceptive. Here it goes down another ten meters until you reach the bottom of the cave.
Sometimes the entrance is rather inconspicuous.
But the wide angle shot close to the entrance shows the full beauty of the ice cave.
The view outside is also quite spectacular.
Frozen water on the ground creates additional reflections making the ice cave shine.
A glacier mill above a frozen waterfall inside an ice cave.
Light shines into the cave from the outer world.
About 200 meters deep in the glacier, a cave branches off to the side.
Ice caves in the Alps can be found in Austria, Switzerland, Italy and France.
Germany only has four glaciers left and these currently have no ice caves.
But there is the “Eiskapelle” at lake Königsee.
This is a so-called permanent ice field, which consists more of old snow than glacier ice. As it can collapse at any time, it is life-threatening inside.
In this case, the images in the "Eiskapelle" were taken with a drone.
Ice caves are subject to constant change.
The light shines through several glacier mills from above. In this case, the ceiling was so low that the image was composed of nine single wide angle shots.
The view upwards through the glacier mill is wonderful.
In autumn, the ice is not yet covered by snow and the light colors a hall inside blue. Following the meltwater, it goes even deeper into the glacier.
First, the safety of the ceiling is examined and you carefully make your way
into the cave.
A double cave entrance forms an ice arch.
Further down, ceiling slabs in danger of collapsing prevent even
deeper exploration of the cave.
Each ice cave is different. This one right underneath the Matterhorn and the glacier itself
will soon be gone due to global warming and climate change.
Amazing places like this then only exist in the images of the past.
In summer it is dangerous to access ice caves due to melting processes.
In this case drone photography helps to take pictures inside caves.
From the outside the cave looks rather dirty. Due to summer rain and warm temperatures the cave can collapse at any time. It would be too dangerous to go inside in person. But ...
... a drone shot from the inside reveals the beauty of the ice cave.
Wonderful patterns and abstract natural art can be discovered inside the ice caves.
Air bubbles from centuries past are trapped in the ice.
Layers of Sahara dust trapped in the ice.
Ice of different densities and sediments create different colors and
combine to form a work of art.
Deep inside a glacier in a tunnel, nature creates abstract shapes and patterns.
Sliding and deformation processes create all kinds of
different structures.
In winter, the ice at the outside freezes again and the surface becomes as clear as glass.
Together with the light, a wonderful play of light unfolds.
What looks like an explosion in the ice is actually the result of
extremely slow movement processes in the glacier ice.
The golden autumn sun bathes the surface of the ice in warm light.
The stronger the pressure in the ice, the clearer and more transparent
the ice becomes over time.