Our grandchildren may wonder what all the fuss was about when they visit the famous Aletsch Glacier, the biggest in the Alps.

By the end of this century it will be gone or a smattering of ice cubes predict various Swiss climate and mountain scientists.

This is based on an estimated three degree Celsius rise in average world temperature.

It means winters here will be warmer on average but the odd cold snap could be extreme, says Christoph Marty, researcher at the Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research.