Swiss village lives in the shadow of an unstable mountain

Kandersteg is a village of around 1,300 people in the Swiss Alps, surrounded by steep valleys, glaciers and towering peaks. Above it sits Spitze Stei, an unstable rock formation large enough to trigger a landslide potentially twice the size of the one that buried parts of Blatten in May 2025.

Residents live with the risk rather than in fear of it. Leaflets set out evacuation routes and map the areas that could be affected, and the mountain is under constant monitoring — authorities say there would be at least 24 hours' warning before a major collapse.

"You are aware that it's happening, but not afraid," says resident Brigitte Jüni. "It's nature and you never know."

Rudolf Isler, born in the village, has watched rocks fall from the slope for years. "We are not afraid of the Spitze Stei rock," he says. "The problem here is about global warming and rising temperatures."

That is the underlying cause. As glaciers retreat and permafrost thaws, water seeps into cracks in the rock, and the frozen ground that once held slopes together loses its grip. Switzerland, home to more Alpine glaciers than any other European country, lost four per cent of its glacier volume in 2023, after a six per cent loss the year before.

The danger is not only falling rock. A collapse could strike Lake Oeschinen below, sending a wave towards the village.

Greenpeace climate expert Nathan Solothurnmann warns the problem will spread. "Maybe even one day we will have to abandon certain valleys, certain villages because it's becoming impossible to live there."

Watch the video above.