A mountaineer died Thursday, July 2, after falling into a crevasse on the Trift Glacier while ascending toward Weissmies above Saas-Grund, Switzerland, according to the Valais/Wallis Cantonal Police. The accident occurred on Thursday morning at approximately 10:30 a.m. local time. Two people were climbing toward Weissmies when, for reasons that remain under investigation, one of the climbers slid down an icy slope before falling into a crevasse on the Trift Glacier. Saas-Grund, together with Saas-Fee and Saas-Almagell, forms the Saas-Fee ski area — one valley over from world famous Zermatt in the canton of Wallis/Valais. Like Zermatt, Saas-Fee is a car-free village and one of Switzerland’s most celebrated high-alpine destinations.
Rescuers from the Valais Rescue Organization (KWRO 144) responded immediately alongside a helicopter from Air Zermatt. After locating the victim inside the crevasse, rescue teams were only able to recover the climber deceased. Swiss authorities have not yet released the victim’s identity, pending formal identification and notification of family members. The public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accident.
Standing 4,017 meters (13,179 feet), Weissmies is the tallest mountain between the Saas Valley, the Simplon region and the Italian Valli d’Ossola. The peak was previously marked as 4,023 meters but six meters of altitude were lost during dramatic melting of the summit cap, which is entirely glaciated. Weissmies is considered one of the more accessible 4,000-meter peaks in the Swiss Alps and is a popular backcountry tour for experienced mountaineers. The standard ascent from Saas-Grund follows the Hohsaas lift system before continuing across the Trift Glacier toward the mountain’s southwest ridge.
While considered one of the easier 4,000-meter summits, the route crosses heavily glaciated terrain, which can pose serious risks. The Trift Glacier is about 2.5 kilometers (1.55 miles) long and has long been one of the key glacier crossings on the Weissmies ascent. The glacier has many hidden crevasses, snow bridges, and steep icy sections, which require rope travel and glacier rescue skills. During the summer climbing season, hundreds of mountaineers use the area’s lift infrastructure to access the high-alpine routes, making it one of the busiest alpine climbing regions in the Alps.
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The investigation into Thursday’s fatal accident is ongoing.
