Birth in Ice

The Rhône begins its journey at the Rhône Glacier in the Swiss Alps, a birthplace that grows more poignant each year as climate change visibly retreats the ice. Where once the glacier touched the valley floor, visitors must now hike ever higher to find its source. This retreat tells the story of our changing world more eloquently than any scientific report.

"My grandfather brought me here in 1960," recalls Jacques Bertrand, a mountain guide from Chamonix. "The glacier was immense, like a frozen river filling the valley. Now when I bring my granddaughter, we must explain where the ice used to be. The Rhône is born differently now—from waterfalls rather than from ice. It changes everything downstream."

This transformation at the source ripples through the entire river system. The Rhône's flow patterns, temperature, and seasonal rhythms all shift as its icy cradle melts. Communities that have lived by the river's patterns for generations must adapt to a new, less predictable Rhône.