The United Nations has declared 2025 as the year of glaciers. Here’s how to visit safely

2025 was chosen as the International Year of Preservation of Glaciers as the glacier disappeared at an incredible rate. Here’s how and where to look responsibly before it’s too late.

On a very warm July day of 2022, certified mountain guide Andrea Milani took a lunch break from rock climbing near the Italian dolomite Passo Fedea Ascenten. The helicopter swiveled as he ate pizza with two friends, and the ambulance sirens cried out into the distance. A huge block (80m wide and 25m high) just broke the nearby Marmorada Glacier, causing an avalanche of ice, snow and debris. Milani’s two friends were lucky enough to finish the descent hours before they met him. The 11 climbers tragically died that day.

“More than ever, climate change makes glacial travel even more dangerous. The rising temperature means that snow covers crevass and shellac is less reliable and increases the risk of hidden danger,” says Milani, who leads hikers at all levels in Northern Italy with Dolomite Mountains Tours.

The reality is that a third of glaciers could disappear from climate change by 2050. It’s 2040 for Marmorada. This is why the United Nations declared 2025 the year of glaciers to be preserved. It is also set on March 21, 2025, in collaboration with UNESCO and the World Weather Organization as the first annual world day for the glacier. The initiative aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and implement climate adaptation strategies to implement climate adaptation strategies as the planet warms faster than ever before.

“Global and human-focused climate change has melted so much ice from glaciers, and since 1900, meltwater has raised global sea level by 8cm,” said Patrick Gonzalez, former leading climate change scientist at the U.S. National Park Service and assistant director of climate and biodiversity at the White House office of Science and Technology Policy.

Sadly, scenes like Marmorada have unfolded many times on Earth. Over the past 20 years, Bolivia’s 18,000-year-old Chakaltaya Glacier, once the world’s best ski resort, is completely melting. Italy and Switzerland were forced to redraw their shared borders last fall due to the melting of Zermatt’s Matterhorn. Also, on the Muir Glacier in Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park, climate change melts ice layers as high as New York’s One World Trade Center.

The slow, rapidly dense, dense mass of ice, snow and rocks that have accumulated in mountains for centuries on all continents except Australia are clear evidence of the existence of anthropogenic climate change. If all glaciers melt today, the sea level will increase by 0.5 metres, leaving the entire city in the water, destroying ecosystems and taking away 2 billion people of drinking water.

However, travelers still have the opportunity to safely visit glaciers like Marmorada. They just need to know how to do that. In fact, research shows that looking at glaciers in nature can encourage planets to be protected. Glaciers are now symbolic of their vulnerability and are a reminder that they can help limit global warming through simple cost-effective solutions such as walking, cycling, solar and wind energy.

91% of the glacier are located in the Antarctic, but many can be found in more accessible parts of the world, so visit one. It’s easier than ever. Please be careful to proceed.

Mountaineers, skiers and nature lovers around the world flock to the Canadian Rockies for their fascinating alpine terrain, including Colombian ice fields. Spanning Majestic Banff and Jasper National Park on the continent, it is all the rest of the ice block that once enveloped most of the mountains in western Canada. Take the Ice Explorer train to the Athabasca Glacier and walk along the glass-floored Columbia Ice Field Skywalk and enjoy views of waterfalls coming from the famous goats coming from the glacier observatory along the Sunwapta Valley glacier and cliffs.

If you’re bold enough to climb a glacier, check out our experienced Yamnuska Mountain Adventure Guide. Learn about glacier dynamics, route discovery and risk management in one of North America’s largest ice fields. Yamnuska Mountain Guide Jesse de Montigny is an adventure that demands respect and preparation.

“The main danger is crevasses, especially when covered in snow, there are deep hidden cracks in the ice,” says De Montinny. “Weather conditions change rapidly and create whiteout conditions that make navigation difficult. Suitable rope systems, glacial travel techniques, and crevass rescue knowledge are essential to mitigate risk in these environments.”

Mendenhall is one of over 100,000 glaciers, what is appropriately referred to as “glacial state.” Juneau’s ice fields are located in the Tongas National Forest, 19 km from Juneau along the Alaska-Canada border in southeastern Alaska. It is also one of the only glaciers in Alaska that can be reached to see by car or shuttle. Start your adventure at Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Centre.

It’s been overly melting in recent years, so you’ll need to take a helicopter tour and get more than you can see the glacier. Try the Alaska Shore Excursion to hike (or fly) it. (Glacier ice caves are no longer accessible safely.)

Note: As of March 13th, despite the tourist season that began in April, the majority of Glacier Forest Service park rangers and staff were fired due to federal cuts. Meanwhile, Juneau Ice Field melts five times faster than in the 1980s.

It is worth overcoming the fear of the height of the “Queen of Dolomite” located within 12 interconnected Dolomitispar ski resorts in Northern Italy. Whether you lift a cable car and put a glacier on or ski, stop by the European Supreme Museum to learn about World War I, which was dug by Austro-Hungarian soldiers who lived in the glacier “Ice City” for months.

If you have a brave decision to climb or climb, be sure to hire a guide. Miliani always tells the Dolomite Mountains Tour group to read with awareness of the environment. “Glacier climbers aren’t just about skills, they’re about preparation, experience and respect for the environment. His advice is to move from the next climber (8-12m) at a steady pace along the rope, avoiding sudden movements that can unleash balance or satellite phones.

“Crevasses are mean and hidden beneath a thin layer of snow, so it’s important to know how to find them and test them,” he adds. “If you’re crossing a snow bridge (an arc formed with snow across the crevass), make sure it’s stable before stepping into it. And don’t forget about shellac or avalanche zones. Don’t stroll around for longer than you need.”

It’s now easier to visit Mel de Grace (also known as Montenverber) in Chamonix. In the Alps it is the second largest size to the Ales Glacier in Switzerland. This rainbow ice aqua glacier – transmits blue wavelengths and absorbs all other colors – is becoming more difficult to see after losing 6m thick per year.

However, since last year, visitors can see the Mer de Glace via a new gondola from the 1,913m high panoramic platform. There are onsite restaurants, coffee shops, museums and even ice caves that visitors can still pass through. Cut into glaciers by High Mountain Guide in 1992, and now we’ve re-ducked them in the summer as the glacier is constantly moving like an iceberg. From the centre of Chamonix, climb the mountain and take a train to access the gondola.