Dear authors,
This manuscript received three very positive reviews that highlighted the novelty of modelling the glaciation of the Alps and specifically the consideration and implications of the taken dynamic approach and in deoth comparison with geological/geomorphological records. The reviewers also agree in that the manuscript provides substantial conclusions that are well supported by the undertaken experiments, but also that this modelling is an excellent start and will provide basis for further more detailed modelling sensitivity studies (more complex forcing, basal sliding,….).
An additional interactive-comment by G. Monegato with general points concerning the Italian side of the Alps has been posted.
The minor comments of all referees have been carefully addressed by the authors and the figures have been improved where necessary. The somewhat more substantial comments on the choice of EPICA-forcing, trimlines and uncertainties in the model in context of geomorphological records have also been integrated and addressed throughout the manuscript. The authors chose not to add a substantial additional parameter study on basal sliding but justify well why they have not done so. On this aspect perhaps they could also refer to the Phd-work of Becker which included a very preliminary such sliding parameter study, although mostly for steady state situations (see detailed comments below).

Thus, this manuscript is very close to publication and there are only a couple of minor editing/language issue I spotted that need addressing (see list below).
I congratulate the authors for their very interesting paper and also would like to thank them for their excellent handling of the revision process.

Best regards
The editor, Andreas Vieli, 10 Aug 2018

Very minor technical issues:
p. 1 line 14-17: somewhat odd phrasing: '…cause …to be modelled…', maybe '…produces in the model…' or similar would be better

p. 3 line 4: 'it still remains incompletely known' is awkward phrasing, maybe better say: '…knowledge remains incomplete…'

p. 3 line 7-8: the added sentence starting with 'Additional…' seems slightly out of place here (or the flow is someaht disrupted). Maybe better move it to end of nextz paragraph (p. 3 line 14).

p. 3 line 9: starting a paragraph with a 'But…' is awkward, maybe change back to 'Here we…' in particular when you move the sentence before.

p. 3 line 32: would 'different' instead of 'distinct' not be more appropriate.

p. 4 line 8: 'In the SIA, topographic roughness using a bed smoother range of 5 km (Schoof, 2003).' I really do not understand this sentence (what is message), nor its connection to the sentence before.

p. 4 line 24: '…without horizontal transport…'?

p. 4 line 25: maybe simplify to '…is assumed to drain instantaneously and is removed….'

p. 7 line 3: 'above average' of what? What is reference?

p.14 fig. 4: are the surface contours really in 200m intervals?, that would make the ice surface only a bit over 1200m high. Or do you leave some out?
You should add some labels to the surface contour lines so one can judge the surface elevation better.

p. 13 line 30 to p. 14 line 3: but jouvet (TC) claims (based on tracking erratics) that north south contrast in in precip is needed. Is this still consistent with this work? Maybe should be included. This is mentioned on next page but would be relevant here as well.

p.14 caption in fig. 4: for '(b)' it should say what the vertical black line (time of max extent in (a) at 24.57 ka???) refers to.

p.15 line 31: 'simulation' (not sumulation)

p. 16 line 12: 'Fig. 5' has nothing to do with 'reviews', what do you mean with 'Fig. 5 for reviews'???

p.19 line 15-19: in this context of sensitivity to basal sliding parameter (and lacking exploration) maybe some reference to the Phd-thesis of Becker which includes at least some preliminary (mostly steady state) sliding investigation could be made.

p. 21 line 19: 'last major Alpine reliefs' …? Do you mean the 'last foothills' of the alps? Clarify

p. 23 line 1: is it not rather 'glacier physics' as the till is not ice (or ice and glacier physics).