Permafrost Continues to Melt

4th July 2025

The permafrost in the Swiss Alps is warmer than at any time since coordinated measurements began 25 years ago.

Permafrost is permanently frozen ground that many structures including lifts and mountain buildings are built into.

It also helps keep the mountains stable and limiting rick falls.

In Switzerland 5% of the country’s surface area has permafrost.

In 2024, there were record values at practically all locations and in almost all measured categories, according to the Academy of Natural Sciences writes.

At 23 measuring locations, the temperature at a depth of 10m has risen by more than 0.8 degrees in some cases between 2014 and 2025.

The permafrost is warming the most in regions where annual average temperatures are below two degrees and where there is little ice, such as on rock faces above 3,500 meters.

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