Slovenia loses its last glacier as ice patch on Triglav vanishes

New photographs taken before and after snowfall this month confirm that the final ice patch on Mount Triglav has disappeared. The images show only bare rock on the mountainside, ending the existence of Slovenia's only remaining glacier.

The loss follows a period of extreme heat across Europe. The last five years include the three hottest on record, and the resulting temperatures reduced the ice to isolated pockets. By the end of summer, the main body of the glacier measured just a few metres in size.

Matija Zorn, director of the Anton Melik Geographical Institute, first began measuring the glacier in 2001. He noted that the rate of change was faster than anticipated even during the two decades when the ice defied expectations of early demise. Zorn described the shrinking process as incredible. In 2002, he extracted an ice core that was five metres deep. The following year, he stood on the exact same spot and found only rock beneath his feet.

The glacier had already lost 93% of its surface area between 1983 and 2003. Historical records indicate it covered about 40 hectares in the mid-1800s. By 1946, the first formal measurements recorded an area of just 14 hectares. Zorn said the location holds a central place in Slovenian national identity and that its disappearance represents a major loss for climate data.

The retreat of the ice has exposed new shafts and caves beneath the peak, where scientists have found remaining ice. A second glacier on Skuta Mountain has also thinned, but that patch is better shaded and is expected to persist for several more years. Zorn said he was shocked every year by how much less ice remained on the mountain.

The local impact is felt deeply by residents and workers. Miha Pavšek, a glaciologist and mountain guide, said people are not yet taking the changes seriously. Pavšek has a photograph of his parents on the glacier from 1957. He stated that a part of him is going away with the melting ice, noting that glaciers are not eternal.

The loss is part of a wider regional trend. Swiss glaciologists found that nearly a fifth of the country's ice disappeared in the last five years. The volume of ice in Switzerland dropped by 5.5% in 2026. Western Europe suffered its hottest summer on record this year, resulting in an estimated 50,000 heat deaths. Scientists are currently assessing the damage to local ecosystems.

Triglav is the highest peak in Slovenia. The country expects its skiers and climbers to climb the mountain at least once. The vanishing glacier serves as a visible indicator of climate change for a population that has long viewed the peak as a cultural touchpoint.