Adamello Glacier

Access

To reach theupper Val Genova and the Malga Bedole area, then follow the SAT trail to the Mandron ‘Città di Trento’ mountain hut, situated at 2,442m and reachable in approximately 2h 30m. From the refuge, observe the glacier front and the moraine system of the Mandrone whilst following the glaciological trail; this route allows you to get close to the glacial environment without having to cross the glacier itself. To reach the Vedretta del Mandrone, Pian di Neve or the Rifugio ai Caduti dell’Adamello at Lobbia Alta directly, you must undertake a mountaineering route across the glacier, which is subject to crevasses and variable conditions. Use the appropriate equipment and, if you lack sufficient experience, consult a mountain guide.

Introduction

The Adamello Glacier covers the vast summit plateau of the Adamello-Presanella massif, between Lombardy and Trentino-Alto Adige. The glacier extends around Pian di Neve and feeds several tributaries flowing towards the Val Genova and the Lombard valleys of Adamè, Salarno and Miller. With a surface area measured in September 2023 at 12.87 km², it is the largest glacier in the Italian Alps. Its distinctive morphology as a plateau glacier with radial tongues, together with a long series of glaciological observations and accounts from the ‘White War’, makes it a key reference point for the study of the evolution of the Alpine environment.

Description

The Adamello Glacier is a temperate mountain glacier, fed directly by snowfall and characterised by varying exposure. It extends roughly between 2,560 and 3,420 metres in altitude; in the upper section of the Pian di Neve, situated at around 3,200 metres, the maximum ice thickness has been estimated at approximately 270 metres. The area measured in September 2023 is 12.87 km², just over half of the approximately 25 km² attributed to the glacier during the Little Ice Age. During the same period, the main glacier front retreated by a total of approximately 2.8 km. The morphology of the glacier is that of a vast glacial plateau from which the ice flows in several directions. To the north-east lies the Mandrone outlet, which flows towards the Val Genova and connects to the Sarca catchment; towards the Lombardy side lay the outflows of Adamè, Salarno, Corno Salarno and Miller, which are now greatly reduced and, in part, close to separating from the main body. The 1959–1962 Register of Italian Glaciers classified these units as distinct glaciers, identified by the numbers 600, 603, 604, 608, 609 and 639. The New Register of Italian Glaciers of 2015, however, classified the whole as a single glacial body, following the continuity of the ice cover around Pian di Neve. The first systematic cartographic descriptions of the massif were produced by Julius von Payer in the second half of the 19th century; monitoring of glacier front variations became a regular practice during the 20th century. During the First World War, Pian di Neve and the surrounding ridges were the scene of ‘White War’ operations, of which artefacts and remains—either encased in or dislodged by the ice—still remain. More recently, the area has been the subject of geophysical surveys and deep core sampling: in 2021, the ADA270 project extracted a 224-metre-long ice core from Pian di Neve, intended for the study of the climatic and environmental records preserved in the ice.

Information

Names: Adamello Glacier, Pian di Neve; the main outlet in Trentino is known as the Mandrone Glacier or Vedretta

CGI Cadastral Numbers: 600 Miller Superiore; 603 Corno Salarno; 604 Salarno; 608 Adamello or Pian di Neve; 609 Adamè; 639 Mandrone

Type: temperate mountain glacier

Form: plateau glacier with radial tongues

Feeding: direct

Exposure: variable

Minimum and maximum altitude: 2,560–3,420 m

Area: 12.87 km² in September 2023

Estimated maximum thickness: approximately 270 m in the Pian di Neve sector

Watersheds: Sarca–Adige on the Trentino side; Oglio–Po on the Lombardy side

Evolutionary status: significant reduction in area, thinning and progressive separation of outflows