A year after glacier collapse, Blatten residents rebuild lives in Swiss Alps

WILER, Switzerland - Hotel Momentum stands above Switzerland's Loetschen Valley as a symbol of recovery, a year after a collapsing glacier destroyed the village of Blatten.

Built in just 105 days near the neighbouring town of Wiler, the wooden hotel is one of the clearest signs of how displaced residents are rebuilding their lives after the disaster.

"The past is no longer, the future is not here yet, life is here and now," a wooden sign reads in German at the reception - a message that has come to define the outlook of many who lost their homes.

From the hotel's windows, guests can look out across jagged ridges to where Blatten once stood - now a grey stretch of debris and a pool of turquoise water, with the tips of submerged houses still visible.

The destruction followed days of warnings. Authorities evacuated the village's 300-plus residents after rockfall destabilised the Birch glacier above. On May 28, 2025, a cascade of rock, soil and ice roared down the mountainside in a vast cloud of dust, burying much of Blatten.

Experts have said the collapse was linked to climate change in the Alps. Thawing permafrost weakens rock once permanently frozen - raising questions about how communities like Blatten can be safely revived.

Nevertheless, plans aim to rebuild the village by around 2030. In the meantime, former residents like hotel owner Lukas Kalbermatten have had to start again.

Kalbermatten lost the Hotel Edelweiss, both his home with his wife and a business run by his family for three generations. After evacuating safely, he opened the Hotel Momentum with another Blatten hotel owner.

STARTING OVER

Nearly a year on, Kalbermatten compares the experience to grief.

"In the grieving process, there's always that first time, isn't there? For us, it was the first church service, then the kids' first St. Nicholas Day that wasn't spent at home, then the first Christmas," he said. "And now this anniversary is coming up, and I think then we've made it once around, right?"

Hosting guests again has brought mixed emotions. "Now you're welcoming them back in a different place and it's difficult," Kalbermatten said. "Some of them are very sad themselves, still almost in shock."

Inside Momentum, small details nod to Blatten - throw blankets recreated to resemble those from the lost village - but the building itself is designed to be temporary. Stairway walls have been left unfinished, and the structure is intended as a five-year solution, after which it could be dismantled and reused elsewhere.

RECONSTRUCTION 'WILL TAKE TIME'

Officials say progress towards rebuilding Blatten is on track. A road began to be rebuilt last month and, if all goes to plan, residents whose homes were not destroyed could begin returning as early as this year. By 2029, key milestones should allow a broader return.

Manfred Ebener, construction project lead of the Blatten 2030 coordination group, said the priority is ensuring the village can endure for future generations, even if not all residents return.

"Rebuilding Blatten will take time before the village can return to a size similar or the same as what it was before. We realise that some of us may not live to see that happen," he said.

As threats from climate change rise, nearby peaks, like those around Kandersteg, are being closely monitored. A few kilometres from Blatten itself, isolated break-offs from the Oigschtchummun glacier prompted precautionary road closures earlier this month.

But experts say the collapse that destroyed Blatten was unusual. Matthias Huss, head of the Swiss glacier monitoring network, told the media outlet Swissinfo that the Birch glacier collapse was driven by an exceptional build-up of rock, and cautioned against drawing direct parallels.

MOVING BACK?

For Daniel and Karin Ritler, rebuilding has meant reshaping their livelihood.

Before the disaster, their work ranged from sheep farming to glamping tents and catering. One month after their world was upended, they began planning a new future.

They are now opening a new hotel in the Loetschen Valley, saying more beds are needed - not only for tourists, but also for displaced residents. Until April, they were still living in temporary accommodation.

The couple has since moved into an apartment in the new hotel, set to open later this year under the name Zeitlos, or "timeless".

Though no official figures are available, Kalbermatten estimates around 80% of Blatten's former residents are still living in the valley. Children from the village continue to attend the same schools in Wiler.

While rebuilding plans move forward, the stability of the mountainside can no longer be taken for granted, and the future of Blatten remains uncertain.

"We're not saying we will never go back to Blatten, and we also can't say we will be back in Blatten at this or that time. That will have to unfold," Daniel Ritler said.

For others, the decision is clearer.

"Personally, we will certainly go back. That's not really up for debate for us," said Kalbermatten.

(Reporting by Marleen Kaesebier, Denis Balibouse and Cecile Mantovani;Editing by Ros Russell)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 2:10 AM.