Number of participants: Min 10, Max 25.
Booking: Send an email to info@iah2024davos.org

Cost: 750 CHF
Included: Travel, Hotel accommodation in single rooms, breakfast, entry fees, funicular ride, mountain top dinner
Not included: Lunch and dinner on Saturday (individual restaurant choices)

Friday, 13.9.2024, departure from Davos at 3pm

We travel from Davos via the Oberalp Pass (2044 masl) and the Gotthard Pass (2106 masl) to Airolo in the Italian speaking part of Switzerland. The Gotthard pass is a vital transit route between Northern and Southern Europe since the 13th century. Short stops along the way with hydro(geo)logical, scenic and historical significance.

Overnight stay in Airolo, Ticino

Saturday, 14.9.2024 – Over and under the Alpes

Morning: Visit of the Bedretto underground research facility

The BedrettoLab (www.bedrettolab.ethz.ch) is a unique research facility located 1.5 km below the Swiss Alps, dedicated to the study of fluid flow and coupled processes in crystalline rock masses. During your visit to the underground laboratory, you’ll not only get an overview of the laboratory’s current research activities, but also gain a unique insight into the heterogeneous distribution of fluid flow in crystalline and fractured rocks.

Afternoon: Glacier in the context of climate change and hydropower development

We travel over the Nufenenpass (2478 masl) to Gletsch and discuss the recent retreat of the Rhône Glacier. We then drive up to the Grimsel (2164 mals) in the crystalline core of the Alpes. The Grimsel region is the site of major alpine hydropower installations. We will visit the construction site of new hydropower dam.

Evening: Mountain top dinner on the Niesen with panoramic view

At the end of the afternoon, we take a historic funicular to the top of the Niesen mountain for dinner. In good weather, we will have panoramic views across a large part of Switzerland including some of the highest peaks in the Alpes, the Swiss plateau all the way to the Jura mountains. Afterwards, we travel to Bern, the capital of Switzerland.

Overnight stay in Bern

Sunday, 15.9.2024 – Groundwater supply of Bern

Morning: Groundwater supply of Bern capital region

Bern relies at least since the 13th century on groundwater for its water supply. We will explore how and for what reasons the utilised groundwater resources have changed over time. We will visit a historic well from around 1250, which is the oldest preserved monument in Bern combined with a tour of the UNESCO World Heritage listed historic town. We will then visit currently used wells at the outskirts of Bern and discuss how river engineering and revitalization influences groundwater use, a common challenge in Switzerland.

End of excursion:

After a joint lunch we travel to Zurich airport (arrival at 4pm). It is possible to take individually a direct train to Zurich airport earlier in the day to catch flights in early afternoon.