Aim

IWICs are a series of workshops dedicated to the study of ice caves, held biannually since 2004. The first workshop was organized in Căpuș (Romania), in 2004, and subsequent ones were held in Demanovská Dolina (Slovakia, 2006), Perm (Russia, 2008), Obertraun (Austria, 2010), Grigna-Milan (Italy, 2012), Idaho Falls (USA, 2014), Postojna (Slovenia, 2016), Picos de Europa (Spain, 2018), Liptovský Mikuláš (Slovakia, 2022) and Werfenweng (Austria, 2024). The main aim of the workshops is to offer a venue for sharing discoveries, questions and ideas related to the past and present occurrence of (perennial) ice in caves. For the first time, in 2026 the workshop will also feature work that addresses other, lesser-studied components of the global cryosphere, under threat by climate changes: rock glaciers, ice-cored moraines, mountain permafrost and glacierets and cold-adapted biologic communities.

Venue

The 11th IWIC will be held in Ghetar hamlet, Transylvania, Romania, in the vicinity of Scarisoara Ice Cave. The hamlet can be reached directly by car or by plane to the nearest airport (150 km) at Cluj-Napoca. The organizers will arrange transport by car from Cluj-Napoca to the venue (on February 8) and back (on February 14). We have reserved Pensiunea Scarisoara for the workshop and accommodation and additional rooms at the nearby Cabana Ghetari. The two places are 100 m from each other, and 25 minutes away (on foot) from Scarisoara Ice Cave.

Travel

We encourage participants to use the most environmental-friendly means of transportation.