The
Gries Glacier (German:
Griesgletscher) is a 5 km long glacier (2005) situated in the
Lepontine Alps 
in the canton of
Valais 
in
Switzerland 
. In 1973 it had an area of 6.23 km2. In 2008 it had an area of 5.26 km2.
History
Griesgletscher as well as the many surrounding Swiss Alpine glaciers have played an important role in the cultural and economic development of the
Swiss Alps 
. During the Second World War owing to its proximity to the Swiss/Italian frontier the Swiss Army constructed a series of look-out posts and foxholes to reinforce this relatively undefined border area and as part of Switzerland hydro-electric building programme. A dam was built in front of the glacier, however the resulting dam contributed to the increased retreat of the glacier thanks to the glacier becoming decoupled from the bedrock as water levels in the dam increased.