KANDERSTEG, Switzerland (AP) 鈥� An unstable mountain rock formation looming above the Swiss village of Kandersteg threatens a landslide that could rival the disaster that last year, a collapse scientists linked to thawing permafrost and glacier dynamics.
The 1,300 residents of Kandersteg, in Switzerland鈥檚 Bern canton, live amid a quintessential Alpine landscape of sharp peaks, white glaciers, steep green valleys and the distant sound of cowbells.
But a catastrophe looms over the quiet village: a mountainside rock formation called Spitze Stei, part of a mountain landscape increasingly affected by thawing permafrost, threatens to collapse into the valley in a massive landslide.
鈥淵ou are aware that it鈥檚 happening, but not afraid,鈥� said Brigitte J眉ni, an inhabitant of Kandersteg. She said authorities took all the precautions they could.
鈥淏ut then it鈥檚 nature. It鈥檚 nature and you never know,鈥� J眉ni added.
As glaciers and permafrost 鈥� the frozen soil sediment and rock that acts like a glue holding mountains together 鈥� melt due to higher temperatures caused by climate change, the threat of landslides is rising in the Swiss Alps.
In May 2025, a huge mass of rock and ice from a glacier thundered down the mountainside in the nearby Loetschental valley, sending plumes of dust skyward and coating with mud nearly all of Blatten, which had been evacuated earlier as a precaution.
Markus Stoffel, professor for climate change and natural risks at the University of Geneva, said climate change leads to the melting of both glaciers and permafrost.
鈥淚n the mountains and in the unconsolidated debris, there is lots of ice,鈥� Stoffel said. 鈥淥nce this ice is melting, it acts like a cement. These mountain slopes will become increasingly unstable.鈥�
Locals in Kandersteg say their situation is different from Blatten and that preparations made already allow them to live calmly.
鈥淭his isn鈥檛 the same case as in Blatten. It鈥檚 a different situation,鈥� said local resident Rudolf Isler. 鈥淲e are not afraid of the Spitze Stei rock. It鈥檚 been many years seeing stones falling from up there. The problem here is about global warming and rising temperatures.鈥�
If the entire unstable section of the Spitze Stei 鈥� estimated at roughly 15–20 million cubic meters 鈥� were to collapse, it would trigger a massive natural disaster. But the rock is under constant monitoring, evacuation plans are prepared and experts say the rock is more likely to break down gradually than in one huge chunk.
Nathan Solothurnmann, a climate and energy expert for Greenpeace Switzerland, says that climate change means landslides or avalanches will become more common.
鈥淢aybe even one day we will have to abandon certain valleys or certain villages because it鈥檚 becoming impossible to live there,鈥� Solothurnmann said. 鈥淥r the measure you will need to take to protect infrastructure is so expensive, the efforts are so big, that it鈥檚 not worthwhile anymore living there.鈥�
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