The High Alps are those parts of the Alps

Alps

The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....

 unsuitable for habitation or seasonal transhumance

Transhumance in the Alps

Transhumance in the Alps, or seasonal migration between valley and high pastures is a traditional practice that has shaped much of the landscape in the Alps, as without it, most areas below 2000 m would be forests.While tourism and industry contribute today much to Alpine economy, seasonal...

. This includes all regions higher than 3,000 m above sea level, as well as most regions between 2,500 m and 3,000 m (Juf

Juf

Juf is a village in the municipality of Avers in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. At above sea level, it is the highest village with permanent residents in Switzerland and in Europe. Juf has a population of about 24 inhabitants divided over 6 families in a concentrated settlement. They were...

 at 2,126 m is the highest permanently inhabited village in the Alps. Alpine pastures are typically below 2,400 m but may exceptionally be located as high as 2,800 m.).

The High Alps have tundra or ice cap

Ice cap climate

An ice cap climate is a polar climate where the temperature never or almost never exceeds . The climate covers the areas around the poles, such as Antarctica and Greenland, as well as the highest mountaintops. Such areas are covered by a permanent layer of ice and have no vegetation, but they do...

  climate rather than the Alpine climate

Alpine climate

Alpine climate is the average weather for a region above the tree line. This climate is also referred to as mountain climate or highland climate....

 eponymous of the Alpine region at 1,800-2,500 m, above the tree-line but still amenable to transhumance economy.

Exploration of the High Alps

Exploration of the High Alps

The higher region of the Alps were long left to the exclusiveattention of the men of the adjoining valleys, even when Alpine travellers began to visit these valleys. It is reckoned that about 20 glacier passes were certainly known before 1600, about 25 more before 1700, and yet another 20 before...

 began in the 18th century, with Horace-Bénédict de Saussure

Horace-Bénédict de Saussure

200px|thumb|Portrait of Horace-Bénédict de Saussure Horace-Bénédict de Saussure was a Genevan aristocrat, physicist and Alpine traveller, often considered the founder of alpinism, and considered to be the first person to build a successful solar oven.-Life and work:Saussure was born in Conches,...

. The first ascent of the highest peak of the alps, Mont Blanc

Mont Blanc

Mont Blanc or Monte Bianco , meaning "White Mountain", is the highest mountain in the Alps, Western Europe and the European Union. It rises above sea level and is ranked 11th in the world in topographic prominence...

, dates to 1786.

All important mountain passes in Switzerland are below 2,500 m (with Nufenen Pass

Nufenen Pass

Nufenen Pass is the highest mountain pass in the Swiss Alps. It lies between the summits of Pizzo Gallina and Nufenestock ....

 as high as 2,478 m) but there are a few minor foot passes above 3,000 m: Schöllijoch

Schöllijoch

The Schöllijoch is a high mountain pass in the Pennine Alps, connecting Gruben and St. Niklaus in the canton of Valais in Switzerland...

 at 3,343 m, Theodul Pass

Theodul Pass

The Theodul Pass is a high mountain pass across the eastern Pennine Alps, connecting Zermatt in the Swiss canton of Valais and Breuil-Cervinia in the Italian region of Aosta Valley.The pass lies between the Matterhorn on the west and the Breithorn on...

 at 3,301 m, Zwischbergen Pass

Zwischbergen Pass

The Zwischbergen Pass is a high mountain pass across the eastern Pennine Alps, connecting Saas Almagell and Zwischbergen in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.The pass lies between the Weissmies on the north and Portjengrat on the South....

 at 3,268 m, and others. Of historical interest is the Schnidejoch

Schnidejoch

The Schnidejoch is a pass in the Bernese Alps, at 2,756 m above sea level, cutting across the ridge connecting the Schnidehorn and the Wildhorn....

 at 2,756 m which appears to have served as a pass since prehistoric times. In other Alpine countries there are higher road passes, such as the Col de la Bonette

Col de la Bonette

Col de la Bonette is a high mountain pass in the French Alps, near the border with Italy. It is situated within the Mercantour National Park on the border of the departments of Alpes-Maritimes and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence...

 in France and the Stelvio Pass

Stelvio Pass

The Stelvio Pass , located in Italy, at 2757 m is the highest paved mountain pass in the Eastern Alps, and the second highest in the Alps, slightly below the Col de l'Iseran .-Location:...

 in Italy.

The alpine line of perpetual snow

Snow line

The climatic snow line is the point above which snow and ice cover the ground throughout the year. The actual snow line may seasonally be significantly lower....

 is not fixed. The occurrence of favorable meteorological conditions during several successive seasons can increase the extent of the snowfields and lower the limit of seemingly permanent snow, while the opposite may cause the limit to rise higher on the flanks of the mountains. In some parts of the Alps the limit is about 2,400 m elevation, while in others it cannot be placed much below 2,900 m. As very little snow remains on rocks angled more than 60°, this is soon removed by the wind, some steep masses of rock remain bare even near the summits of the highest peaks, but as almost every spot offering the least hold for vegetation is covered with snow, few flowering plants are seen above 3,350 m..

The climate of the glacial region has often been compared to that of the polar region

Polar region

Earth's polar regions are the areas of the globe surrounding the poles also known as frigid zones. The North Pole and South Pole being the centers, these regions are dominated by the polar ice caps, resting respectively on the Arctic Ocean and the continent of Antarctica...

s, but they are very different. Here, intense solar radiation by day, which raises the surface when dry to a temperature approaching 27°C, alternates with severe frost by night. There, the Sun, which never sets is only able to send feeble rays that maintain a low temperature, rarely rising more than a few degrees above the freezing point. Hence the upper region of the Alps sustains a far more varied and brilliant vegetation.

relief map of the Alps with altitudes above 2,500 m highlighted

See also

• Climate of the Alps
  Climate of the Alps
  The climate of the Alps is the climate, or average weather conditions over a long time, of the exact middle Alpine region of Europe. As air rises from sea level to the upper regions of the atmosphere the temperature decreases...
  
  
• Geography of the Alps
  Geography of the Alps
  The Alps cover a large area. This article describes the delimitation of the Alps as a whole and of subdivisions of the range, follows the course of the main chain of the Alps and discusses the lakes and glaciers found in the region....
  
  
• Alpinism
• Main chain of the Alps
  Main chain of the Alps
  The Alpine divide is the central line of mountains that forms the water divide of the range. Main chains of mountain ranges are traditionally designated in this way, and generally include the highest peaks of a range; the Alps are something of an unusual case in that several significant groups of...
  
  
• List of Alpine four-thousanders
• :Category:Alpine Three-thousanders
• Retreat of glaciers since 1850
  Retreat of glaciers since 1850
  The retreat of glaciers since 1850 affects the availability of fresh water for irrigation and domestic use, mountain recreation, animals and plants that depend on glacier-melt, and in the longer term, the level of the oceans...
  
  
• List of glaciers in Switzerland