On a summer evening in 2019, Zach Sheldon stood watching massive chunks of ice break off Alaska’s Valdez Glacier, crashing into the lake below. The next morning, as the experienced tour guide led his group to a crest on the glacier to observe the aftermath, something in the ice-strewn water caught his eye. Cautiously, he instructed the tourists to stay back.
Two bodies clung to a canoe, while a third was about 150 feet away. They had been painfully close to the glacier’s edge and to safety, but ice, slush, and debris had trapped them, Sheldon recalled. The victims, later identified as two Germans and an Austrian, had been boating on Valdez Lake. Drawn by the striking blue color of the glacier, they likely didn’t realize that the vivid hue was a warning sign that the glacier was about to calve.
The three individuals who lost their lives in Alaska are among the growing number of people who have perished while visiting the world’s rapidly vanishing glaciers. Though the total number of fatalities remains relatively small, each tragic incident highlights the increasingly hazardous nature of these shifting landscapes.
In recent years, glacier tourism has surged in popularity, drawing visitors for various reasons: fulfilling bucket-list dreams, experiencing a natural wonder, or seeking adventure. But increasingly, another motivation is at play—the desire to see these glaciers before they disappear.
This phenomenon is known as “last-chance tourism,” according to Jackie Dawson, an associate professor at the University of Ottawa who has studied the trend. Historically, tourism has focused on being the first to conquer a peak or explore uncharted waters. Now, it’s about witnessing the last moments of these majestic ice formations, she told CNN.
Glaciers have become iconic symbols of last-chance destinations. These massive rivers of ice have shaped the planet’s landscapes, but many are now retreating, caught in a “death spiral” as fossil fuel consumption accelerates global warming. Even in the best-case scenarios for climate action, up to half of the world’s glaciers could vanish by 2100.
As glaciers melt, they become more accessible, but also increasingly dangerous. Melting ice becomes more mobile, causing glaciers to become unstable, with more rock, sediment, and faster-growing crevasses posing risks.
“They are complex places to visit,” said Garðar Hrafn Sigurjonsson, a mountain guide representing the Association of Iceland Mountain Guides. “The landscape changes so quickly that you can see the difference year to year.”
While most tour guides prioritize safety, Sigurjonsson emphasized, “you’re still dealing with a very unstable element.”
Last month, an American tourist died in a tragic ice cave collapse at Iceland’s Breiðamerkurjökull glacier. The incident sent shockwaves through the country, where tourism is a major industry. In response, companies suspended summer ice cave tours, and authorities are now considering stricter safety regulations.
Even with the best safety measures in place, more accidents and fatalities are inevitable as glaciers become less predictable, said Jackie Dawson.
In 2018, two people lost their lives in separate glacier-related incidents on the same day in Alaska. A 32-year-old woman was killed by falling ice chunks from Byron Glacier, while a 5-year-old boy tragically died after being struck by loose rock on Worthington Glacier near Valdez.
In July 2022, a massive 64,000 metric tons of water, rock, and ice broke off from the Marmolada Glacier in northern Italy, resulting in an ice avalanche that claimed the lives of 11 hikers on a well-traveled trail.
Matthias Huss, a glaciologist at ETH Zürich, explained that unusually warm spring and summer temperatures had caused significant melting at higher altitudes, filling a hidden crevasse with water. The buildup of pressure led to the ice collapse. “An event like this had never occurred on the Marmolada Glacier before,” Huss told CNN, underscoring how quickly conditions are changing in the mountains. “Glaciers once thought to be stable are now becoming dangerous.”
While advancements in technology are improving the ability to monitor glacial hazards and establish early warning systems, identifying which locations may turn hazardous remains a significant challenge, Huss added.
For glacier guides, adapting to a rapidly changing landscape is a constant challenge.
A few decades ago, summer skiing on glaciers was common, said glaciologist Matthias Huss. Today, almost all glacier ski resorts are closed during the summer due to melting. In Alaska, Zach Sheldon used to rely on stable ice walls for climbing throughout the summer. Now, the melting glaciers mean a climbing spot might only last two or three weeks before he has to find a new location.
“I can’t get over how fast it’s disappearing,” Sheldon said. Yet even as glaciers shrink, tourist interest grows. Demand for Sheldon’s tours increases by 20% to 30% annually, he added.
Despite the increasing risks, tourists aren’t deterred, said Stefan Gössling, a professor of tourism research at Linnaeus University in Sweden. “The risks have definitely increased. But do people heed the call? I’m not really sure,” he told CNN. Many tourists believe the dangers are manageable, though Gössling called this a “rather naive understanding.”
Beyond safety concerns, tourism itself poses a significant threat to glaciers. Air travel, a primary means of reaching these destinations, is a major contributor to planet-warming pollution. A study showed that each metric ton of carbon pollution melts about 30 square feet of Arctic ice. For example, a round-trip flight between New York and Anchorage in Alaska can result in the loss of around 70 square feet of ice.
“Most people don’t make the connection that they themselves are contributing to the disappearance of these attractions,” Gössling said.
However, for some, the value lies in showing visitors firsthand what’s being lost. One of the most common questions Sheldon hears as a glacier guide is, “Do you really believe in climate change?” When he shows them glaciers like the Valdez Glacier, which retreated a mile in a single year in 2020, it often sparks an “awakening” about the reality of climate change.
As glaciers continue to recede, glacier tourism will inevitably change as well, said Sheldon. “I figure we only have six to 10 years left with iceberg tours,” he remarked. “The glacier calves differently now.”