The next IASC Network on Arctic Glaciology meeting and Workshop on the dynamics and mass budget of Arctic glaciers will be held in Obergurgl, Austria, between 26-28 January 2026!

The two-and-a-half-day in-person meeting will be held at the University Center, which also offers accommodation during and around the meeting. The meeting will start on Monday January 26 (around 9:00) and finish around noon on Wednesday January 28. The recommended arrival date is Sunday January 25. A limited number of rooms in the University Centre are available from January 25-29. There is no registration fee for the meeting. Furthermore, thanks to IASC we can offer travel support for a selection of early-career scientists!

Keynote speakers:

• Matthias Huss (ETH Zurich, Switzerland): Glacier-related hazards in the Alps - a mountain range in transition
• Steph Matti (Iceland): Managing glacier-related risks

Contributions

We welcome contributions on all aspects of glacier mass change and dynamics in the Arctic, including the Greenland Ice Sheet, using a broad range of methods, including field observations, remote sensing and  modelling. In addition to this, the meeting will include a special cross-cutting activity on “Arctic Glacier Hazards” (more details below).

Contributions in the form of oral presentations and/or posters are welcome. Oral presentations will be 15 minutes, including discussion.

Presentations will also be live-streamed, but we do not accept online contributions and interaction with the audience in Obergurgl is limited/absent.

Please register for the meeting and submit your abstract here [deadline 28 November]: https://forms.gle/yd4TWDGBkj8fYtjr5

Cross-cutting activity on Arctic glacier hazards

Glaciers and their retreat can lead to major hazards with large consequences for people and infrastructure. Such risks are exacerbated as human activities increasingly expand into regions prone to glacier hazards, such as the Arctic (Hock and Truffer, 2024). In our activity, we focus particularly on glacier hazards that are relevant for communities, infrastructure, tourism and industry in the Arctic, such as floods (e.g. glacier outburst floods and collapsing ice-dammed lakes), retreat-induced landslides and rockfalls, iceberg calving and drift, and glacier surges. With this theme, we aim to bring together glaciologists, social scientists, atmosphere scientists, terrestrial researchers, and Arctic (Indigenous) community stakeholders. We aim to: 1) identify key glacier hazards, 2) analyse the physical processes involved, 3) establish future research directions, 4) discuss exposure and vulnerability of Arctic society in a present and future climate, and 5) identify adaptation and mitigation solutions in high-risk areas. Confirmed keynote speakers: Matthias Huss and Steph Matti.

This cross-cutting activity is endorsed and supported by the Cryosphere, Atmosphere, Terrestrial, and Social & Human working groups of IASC (link). The activity will include two or more presentation sessions, followed by a discussion session.

Accommodation & half-board

We encourage participants to book a room with half-board at the University Center during the meeting. Double rooms with half-board can be booked for the period January 25-29. A few rooms are available a day longer on both ends.

Daily daily rates per person including half-board:

€162 for a shared room (student rate: €125)

€217 for single occupancy (student rate:  €180)

Breakfast and dinner at the University Center are included in the prices above, lunches are not. Breakfast includes a comprehensive buffet; dinner includes a choice of 2-3 main dishes, soup, salad and desert).

You book a room at the University Center through the registration & abstract submission form. You will be prompted to choose the type of room (shared or not), a room-mate (if you already have someone in mind) and your dates of arrival and departure. There is no need to contact the University Centre yourself to reserve a room.

This year we unfortunately have slightly fewer rooms than usual at the University Center. We will apply a first-come-first-serve principle, i.e. those who register first will get the rooms. To accommodate as many as possible at the University Center, we strongly encourage to share rooms! If you are looking for a rooming partner, please add your name to this Google sheet.

If all rooms are fully booked, this will be noted in the registration form (possibly with a short delay), and you will need to seek alternative accommodation yourself. There are several hotels and Airbnbs within short walking distance. If you stay at a different hotel, you can join the dinners at the University Center for a fixed price.

How to get there

More details on how to get to the University Center in Obergurgl by car, train, bus and plane can be found here: https://www.uibk.ac.at/uz-obergurgl/kontakt/

By plane, Obergurgl is best accessed via Innsbruck, Austria, or Munich, Germany, followed by a combination of train and bus to reach Obergurl via the village Ötztal. The train from Innsbruck to Ötztal takes about ½ hour (runs frequently), the train from Munich airport takes about 2 hours. The bus from Ötztal up a winding road along the narrow valley takes about 1.5 hours. For train and bus connections visit https://tickets.oebb.at/en/ticket. Some may find it convenient to share a rental car (3-hour drive from Munich to Obergurgl).

Financial support for early-career scientists

We have some financial support from the IASC Cryosphere, Atmosphere, Terrestrial and Social & Human working groups to enable early career scientists to participate in the meeting and cross-cutting activity. Eligible for the funding will be early career scientist who meet the following criteria:

• are within 5 years after finishing their PhD
• are affiliated with an institution in an IASC member country (Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, India, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, USA)
• have submitted an abstract for the workshop
• have a research background relevant to the meeting
• have not yet received IASC travel support more than three times within the five years prior to January 2026.

The financial support is limited and will usually not cover all expenses for those granted. If support is granted, reimbursement will be after the meeting through the IASC Office. Detailed information will be provided to those selected for the travel support.

To apply for the early-career financial support, please complete the separate form here latest by November 28: https://forms.gle/dRani95MooKTHiVN8. A decision on the funding will be taken in the days after the deadline. The selection of participants receiving funding will be based on several criteria including geographic diversity and gender.

Skiing

The Obergurgl-Hochgurgl ski-resort is a beautiful snow-secure skiing area between 1800 and 3080 m a.s.l. with 25 lifts and 112 km of slopes. Skiing is possible during afternoon breaks (~12:00-15:30) and before and after the meeting.

For more details about the skiing opportunities and ski passes, please visit the website https://www.gurgl.com/winter.html.