From fog to fun: The Oberaar experience
On the weekend of the 26th to the 28th of September 2025, students visited the Oberaar Glacier as part of the course GEO851 to measure its surface mass balance, meaning accumulation and ablation. Sadly, only ablation was measured in the end. Challenging weather conditions, hard work to drill holes into the ice, inspiring discussions and lots of fun made this a fulfilling field experience – and left us feeling like ‘real scientists’.
On our way to the Oberaar mountain lodge, where we would be staying for the weekend, bad weather was already looming as the clouds gathered and the surrounding scenery darkened. Some students were motivated enough to hike all the way up from the pass to the lodge, but not all of us. As we stared into the grey void from the gondola lift, we could see nothing but the first flakes of snow and wondered whether we would ever see the glacier with our own eyes.
After our arrival, we started with preparations for the next two days. We were instructed on our gear, safety and how to behave responsibly on the glacier. Furthermore, we were separated into groups and got to know each other’s names. It turned out that 1/5th of the whole group was named Michael (or at least 5): Swiss Michael senior and junior, Irish Michael, Scottish Michael and American Michael (we apologize if we forgot any Michaels). In the end, we were a bunch of snow-covered and freezing people, happy to go back inside where dinner was waiting for us.
From glacier holes to publication goals
That evening, Michael White, editor at Nature, who joined us on the glacier, gave an inspiring talk about science, writing, and curiosity. He reminded us that good research isn’t just about drilling holes in ice, but also about asking the right questions and telling the story well. His enthusiasm was contagious, pretty impressive, considering most of us were mainly excited about playing cards.
Hot water, no tea and plenty of snow
The following morning, the sound of our alarm clock woke us up early for this academic adventure. We looked out the window and realised it must have been snowing the whole night. After breakfast, we prepared all the gear, put on at least seven layers of clothes and went outside to collect additional materials that we would use for the measurements. It was still snowing as we started our hike on the dam and continued on the hiking trail or at least where we thought it was. Despite the weather conditions, the non-existent view and our socks which slowly got soaked the mood was still great and we were excited to get on the glacier as it was the first time for some of us. Even after everyone fell at least once into the snow or slipped, it did not stop our great mood. At least we all had hot water to keep us warm (the lady from the lodge forgot to put the tea bag inside our bottles).
Ablation Nation: Lessons from the melting ice
The main goal of this field trip was to measure yearly surface mass balance of the Oberaar Glacier. As the groups before us had done in the previous years, we put stakes of max 10-meter length into the ice to know in the next year how much would be exposed due to the ice melt. For this we had to drill holes in the ice and got to know two different methods: First, the Heucke which could be worn like a backpack and made the person carrying it look like the main character in a new Ghostbusters movie. This steam-driven ice drill works by heating water with gas to produce steam, which is then sent through a hose directly onto the ice surface, allowing a hole to be created. It is impressive how quickly this method can melt several meters of ice within just a few minutes once it’s preheated.
The other method was the mechanical drill which made everybody smile as we were given the chance to do the drilling ourselves and feel like true scientists. We were told to be careful around the drilling holes because even though they were very small, somehow a lot of stuff manages to fall in and be swallowed by the ice masses and never to be seen again.
Further, we of course had to measure the melting in the previous 12 months, for which we checked how much the stakes from last year were exposed at the surface. It was astonishing to see with one glance how fast the ice is melting. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find all the stakes, showing that in the field not everything always works out. While we were doing all the work, suddenly, the sun appeared like a sign of life in the sky and our good mood became even greater, although at this point, we all were soaked to the point of no return. We also carried the flag of the campaign Keep Swiss Glaciers Cool, a petition-driven initiative demanding stronger climate protection in Switzerland to preserve our glaciers.
Our evenings were filled with feedback and discussions about the fieldwork but mostly by passionate card games. Card games with tired students seem to be the perfect combination for a chaotic and fun evening.
We came, we drilled, we got stuck
The second morning, the sun blessed us with its presence, and we went to the glacier a second time to do a few more holes and set measuring stakes for the next year further down the glacier. We were drilling three holes with the drilling machine but the rocks in the ice would not let us reach our goal of drilling a 10-meter hole. It ended with us giving up, admitting defeat, and letting the Heucke do its work.
Real scientists, not tourists
Overall, this field experience was truly fulfilling for everyone. We learned a lot and appreciated the opportunity to see with our own eyes how glaciers are being impacted by ongoing climate change, though, unfortunately, the only accumulation we measured was the snow piling up on our backpacks. Despite the harsh weather conditions that would have kept any professional fieldworker indoors, we kept going, proving we weren’t just tourist fieldworkers after all. The exceptional teamwork and support from our field leaders made it an even better experience.
Michèle Baumann, Lea Stoffl, Alisa Tarnovskaya, Amélie Chatelain, Kaspar Lengacher