https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Switzerland in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Hiking is one of favourite summer pastimes for many people in Switzerland, but the country’s hilly and often rugged terrain can be treacherous as well. https://www.thelocal.ch/20230724/where-are-switzerlands-most-dangerous-hiking-trails Mon, 24 Jul 2023 18:36:04 +0200 where-are-switzerlands-most-dangerous-hiking-trails Many people living in Switzerland enjoy taking a trip to the countryside in the warmer months - but not everyone leaves forests how they found them and some even damage nature. https://www.thelocal.ch/20230417/explained-8-rules-nature-lovers-should-follow-in-the-swiss-countryside Mon, 17 Apr 2023 16:49:05 +0200 explained-8-rules-nature-lovers-should-follow-in-the-swiss-countryside There are some great one day hikes within easy reach of the Swiss city of Geneva but some are easier than others, writes Monty Pierce Jones. https://www.thelocal.ch/20240411/the-seven-best-hikes-around-geneva Thu, 11 Apr 2024 18:32:24 +0200 the-seven-best-hikes-around-geneva There have been several fatal incidents on the slopes of Mont Blanc during the summer of 2024 - a sign that the dangers facing the hundreds of mountaineers who attempt to climb the peak each year are increasing as the climate crisis worsens. https://www.thelocal.ch/20230710/why-is-climbing-mont-blanc-so-dangerous Mon, 10 Jul 2023 17:48:05 +0200 why-is-climbing-mont-blanc-so-dangerous Switzerland is a perfect place to go hiking with its thousands of marked trails. However, hundreds of people get into accidents while trekking every year, and sometimes they can be fatal. Here is what you need to know to be safe. https://www.thelocal.ch/20220808/how-to-keep-safe-and-avoid-problems-when-hiking-in-the-swiss-alps Mon, 08 Aug 2022 18:55:13 +0200 how-to-keep-safe-and-avoid-problems-when-hiking-in-the-swiss-alps Switzerland's mountainous terrain offers perfect hiking country for thousands of walkers each summer but this year over 600 trails have been forced to close after bad weather. And some may never reopen. https://www.thelocal.ch/20240725/hikers-in-switzerland-warned-as-hundreds-of-trails-close Thu, 25 Jul 2024 11:56:40 +0200 hikers-in-switzerland-warned-as-hundreds-of-trails-close Switzerland has only one national park but it is also home to 19 breathtaking nature parks that are well worth a visit. https://www.thelocal.ch/20231013/what-you-need-to-know-about-switzerlands-19-stunning-natural-parks Fri, 13 Oct 2023 16:04:27 +0200 what-you-need-to-know-about-switzerlands-19-stunning-natural-parks The number of foreigners involved in fatal incidents in the Swiss Alps reached a ten year high in 2023, a new report from the Swiss Alpine Club reveals. https://www.thelocal.ch/20240328/swiss-alps-deaths-involving-foreigners-reach-a-ten-year-high Thu, 28 Mar 2024 18:27:18 +0100 swiss-alps-deaths-involving-foreigners-reach-a-ten-year-high More than two dozen hikers and climbers have died so far in 2023 in the mountains of the Swiss canton of Valais, prompting police authorities to strengthen its rescue unit. Why are the Alps claiming so many lives? https://www.thelocal.ch/20230905/why-have-so-many-hikers-died-in-swiss-mountains-this-year Tue, 05 Sep 2023 16:33:02 +0200 why-have-so-many-hikers-died-in-swiss-mountains-this-year Six mountaineers have plunged to their deaths or been killed by rockslides in the  southern Swiss Alps in a matter of days, police have said. https://www.thelocal.ch/20230802/switzerland-two-climbers-killed-in-mont-blanc-range-rockslide Wed, 02 Aug 2023 10:35:00 +0200 switzerland-two-climbers-killed-in-mont-blanc-range-rockslide Fines for littering in agricultural areas need to be made ten to 100 times higher, a Swiss politician has argued. https://www.thelocal.ch/20191030/chf-4000-for-littering-new-fines-proposed-to-save-swiss-cows Wed, 30 Oct 2019 11:19:48 +0100 chf-4000-for-littering-new-fines-proposed-to-save-swiss-cows Local authorities in the Swiss resort of Zermatt have dismissed calls for the Matterhorn to be closed after a mountain guide said the peak was too dangerous. https://www.thelocal.ch/20190807/switzerlands-matterhorn-mountain-will-not-be-closed Wed, 07 Aug 2019 12:14:07 +0200 switzerlands-matterhorn-mountain-will-not-be-closed Two German mountaineers have fallen to their deaths while climbing one of the highest peaks in the Swiss Alps, the Dent Blanche, police said on Sunday. https://www.thelocal.ch/20190805/two-german-climbers-die-in-swiss-peak-fall-mountaineering Mon, 05 Aug 2019 11:31:41 +0200 two-german-climbers-die-in-swiss-peak-fall-mountaineering A climber from South Korea died on Monday after hitting bad weather on the iconic Matterhorn mountain. https://www.thelocal.ch/20190717/south-korean-climber-dies-on-switzerlands-matterhorn Wed, 17 Jul 2019 13:17:41 +0200 south-korean-climber-dies-on-switzerlands-matterhorn A Dutch man fell to his death on Wednesday while hiking in the mountains in the Swiss canton of Valais. https://www.thelocal.ch/20190704/dutch-walker-killed-in-swiss-hiking-accident-valais Thu, 04 Jul 2019 13:12:56 +0200 dutch-walker-killed-in-swiss-hiking-accident-valais Two young American tourists had to be rescued by helicopter from the Uetliberg mountain in Zurich on Tuesday afternoon, police have said. https://www.thelocal.ch/20190625/stranded-us-teens-rescued-from-zurichs-uetliberg-mountain Tue, 25 Jun 2019 22:39:51 +0200 stranded-us-teens-rescued-from-zurichs-uetliberg-mountain A 24-year-old British climber died on Monday while descending the Matterhorn mountain, police in the Swiss canton of Valais said. https://www.thelocal.ch/20190603/british-climber-dies-on-switzerlands-matterhorn-mountaineering-death-accident Mon, 03 Jun 2019 21:45:19 +0200 british-climber-dies-on-switzerlands-matterhorn-mountaineering-death-accident Heading up to the mountains is a national pastime in Switzerland but 2018 got off to a particularly deadly start and experts are worried the Alpine country is set for a record number of mountain fatalities this year. https://www.thelocal.ch/20180918/could-switzerland-see-a-record-number-of-mountain-deaths-this-year Tue, 18 Sep 2018 12:11:15 +0200 could-switzerland-see-a-record-number-of-mountain-deaths-this-year A 60-year-old hiker was rescued on Saturday after two other walkers carried out CPR on the man using instructions given out over his mobile phone by the Swiss Air-Rescue service Rega. https://www.thelocal.ch/20180618/hiker-saved-after-rescue-services-phone-in-cpr-instructions Mon, 18 Jun 2018 11:07:13 +0200 hiker-saved-after-rescue-services-phone-in-cpr-instructions Two men were thankful to be alive after spending six hours stuck on a ledge in the mountains on Sunday in -10C temperatures. https://www.thelocal.ch/20180118/hikers-saved-by-whatsapp-message-after-falling-in-swiss-mountains Thu, 18 Jan 2018 10:25:52 +0100 hikers-saved-by-whatsapp-message-after-falling-in-swiss-mountains