| Oberaletsch Glacier | |||||
| Other Name: | Oberaletschgletscher | ||||
| Location: | Valais, Switzerland | ||||
| Coords: | 46.4189°N 7.9575°W | ||||
| Length: | 9 km | ||||
| Map: | Switzerland#Alps | ||||
| Label Position: | top | ||||
| Embedded: |
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The Oberaletsch Glacier (German: Oberaletschgletscher, meaning Upper Aletsch Glacier) is a valley glacier on the south side of the Bernese Alps, in the canton of Valais. It had a length of 9km (06miles) with an average width of just under 1km (01miles) and an area of about 22km2 in 1973.
The Oberaletsch Glacier system consists of two approximately equal arms. The eastern one takes its starting point on the south western flank of the Aletschhorn at around 3700m (12,100feet), and joins the western arm (Beichgletscher) in the valley at the foot of the Nesthorn. Then the glacier flows to the south-east towards the Aletsch Glacier without reaching it. The glacier tongue ends at around 2150m (7,050feet). During the Little Ice Age in the middle of the 19th century the glacier was part of the Aletsch Glacier.
The Swiss Alpine Club Oberaletschhütte (2640m (8,660feet)) is above the junction of the two glacier arms and has been accessible to hikers since 2005 with a new trail from Belalp.
The area of the Oberaletsch Glacier, along with the Aletsch Glacier, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in December 2001.