Trient Glacier, Alpine glacier in Valais, Switzerland

Trient Glacier is a 4.3 km long glacier in the Mont Blanc Massif, Valais, Switzerland. Its upper part forms the Plateau du Trient, a 2 km wide accumulation zone at 3,000–3,200 m with ice 100–150 m thick, bordered by the Aiguille du Tour, the Aiguilles Dorées and the Pointe d'Orny. Below the plateau, the 600 m wide glacier descends a 50% slope into a narrow north-facing valley, ending at 1,800 m below Vésevey, where it gives rise to the Trient river.

From 1865 to 1893, ice from the Trient Glacier was harvested commercially: about thirty workers cut it, and 20 to 30 tonnes were carried daily to Martigny, then shipped weekly by train to France. In 1930, German aviator Ernst Udet landed several times on the glacier during a film shoot with actress Leni Riefenstahl, the first landing on a glacier in Valais.

The glacier's name comes from the village of Trient in the valley below. Its ice was harvested commercially between 1865 and 1893: about thirty workers cut blocks, and 20 to 30 tonnes a day were carried down to Martigny, then shipped weekly by train to France. In the first half of the 20th century, meltwater fed a bisse that irrigated local crops.

Visitors should have mountain experience and be prepared for challenging conditions and steep terrain. The better season for reaching higher sections is during warmer months when snow and ice conditions are more stable.

Between 1865 and 1893, ice from the Trient Glacier was cut commercially: about thirty workers sent 20 to 30 tonnes a day down to Martigny, then by train to France. In 1930 the German aviator Ernst Udet landed several times on the ice for a film with Leni Riefenstahl, the first glacier landing in Valais.