A Swiss village is threatened by a massive landslide due to melting glaciers
The unstable Spitze-Steig cliff looms over the Alpine village of Kandersteg; if it collapses, it could trigger a massive landslide and a wave from the lake. Global warming is causing glaciers and permafrost to melt, increasing the instability of mountain slopes.
Kandersteg is a village with a population of about 1,300 in the Swiss Alps, surrounded by steep valleys, glaciers, and high peaks. Towering above it is the Spitze-Steig, an unstable rock formation large enough to trigger a landslide potentially twice the size of the one that buried part of Blatten in May 2025, the publication reports.
Residents live with the risk, not in fear of it. Evacuation routes are listed on leaflets, and areas at risk are marked on maps; the mountain is under constant surveillance—authorities say a warning of a major landslide will be issued at least 24 hours in advance.
“You know it’s happening, but you’re not afraid,” says local resident Brigitte Juni, adding, “It’s nature, and you never know what might happen.”
Rudolf Isler, who was born in this village, has watched rocks fall from the slope for years. “We’re not afraid of the Spitz-Stein cliffs,” he says. “The problem here is global warming and rising temperatures,” he added.
This, the publication writes, is the main cause. As glaciers retreat and permafrost thaws, water seeps into cracks in the rocks, and the frozen soil that once held the slopes together loses its grip, the publication notes.
Switzerland, which has more Alpine glaciers than any other European country, lost 4% of its glacier volume in 2023, following a 6% loss the previous year.
The danger lies not only in falling rocks. A landslide could affect Lake Eschenen below, sending a wave toward the village.
Greenpeace climate expert Nathan Solothurnmann warns that the problem will worsen. “We may even have to abandon some valleys and villages someday because it will become impossible to live there,” he said.
This was reported by Euronews.
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