Grimsel and Furka Pass

The Hotel Belvédère sits high above the valley floor, emphasising the remoteness and inhospitable nature of this highest of mountain climbs. Photographed extensively by just about everyone who ever climbed this epic mountain, including cyclists, as it signifies almost the top of the climb.

Built originally for visitors to the Rhône Glacier, which can be seen to the left of the hotel in the picture. The Rhône Glacier has shrunk dramatically due to climate change since around 1900 when the glacier reached the valley bottom. Giving a visual example of the changing climate. The Rhône River, the largest river in France, rises from the Rhône Glacier and feeds firstly into Lake Geneva before supplying water to a large part of Eastern France and its wine-producing regions.