During the Ice Age, the Zermatt glacier extended up to 2,600 metres above sea level. At this altitude, it was around 700 metres thick and pushed against this rocky ridge.
Here, on the land called Biinelti, the hiking trail heads over a rocky ridge that has been polished smooth by a glacier leading far out of the valley. This smooth rock is the work of the Mutt Glacier. The last great Ice Age ended around 15,000 years ago. At that time, glaciers filled the whole valley and extended up to around 2,600 metres above sea level, so 700 metres above Biinelti.
Today, we have to walk five kilometres up the valley and climb 400 metres before we reach a delicate glacier tongue. The grooves going lengthways show the direction of flow. Next to these, there is part of an old path paved with stones known in the local dialect as “Bikki”.