Swiss Ski Resort Lays Down 3.2 Acres of Plastic To Protect From Glacial Melt

Andermatt Gotthard Sportbahnen (AGS) has once again laid down their massive ice blanket to preserve the Gurschenfirn Glacier from the annual summer melt off. AGS is the company that runs the cable car up to the glacier and have been footing the bill for the past 22 years to cover up approximately 13,000 square meters of glacier surface. The barely half a centimeter thick protective covering is kept in place by 1,300 sandbags. 25 people were involved in this operation intended to sustainably protect the glacier and the infrastructure around the station.

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For over 40 years, this patch of snow has served as starting point for ski runs across the Gurschen glacier, providing a livelihood for the ski town of Andermatt. Wrapping it in the special ultra violets ray resistant polyester has proved quite effective at slowing its recession. The blanket will be removed in the fall and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology scientists will access how well it slowed the glacier’s retreat. 

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