Swinging through Swiss Society

When planning my trip to Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland, I decided on a few outdoor “extreme” activities to do, nothing too insane but some to get a taste of what it was to be in the Alps. I planned to go whitewater rafting and canyoning (where you slide down small cliffs and waterfalls) both seemed like reasonable options nothing too scary but something to make my experience memorable. Turns out canyoning gets cancelled when it’s raining, and the only other option available is Canyon Swinging. Canyon swinging is basically where you a suspended on a swing between two very narrow cliffs 125 meters from water rapids, you jump off and free fall for five whole seconds at 80 miles per hour. To get an idea of what I’m talking about take a look at this link:

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=47953244 A little extreme for my taste, but as I looked around and out of the 12 friends in my group 10 were willing to do it, so of course if they are all jumping off a cliff I clearly am too.

Once I arrived at canyon near “Jungfrau” a mountain that is 13,642 feet tall known as the “top of Europe” http://www.isyours.com/e/guide/berner_oberland/jungfrau.html which includes some of the most scenic areas in all of Switzerland, one that is part of the crest of three different mountains the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau. All of these mountains and glacial rivers and geographic features make for a haven of “extreme sports” and tourism kiosks and planned activities. I got to thinking about all different countries that have different divides which decide how people work, live, eat ect, and I thought to myself, what makes Switzerland Unique? Is it that the currency the Franc? Is it that its not affiliated with the European Union? I finally came to see that it was not only those two key components but the landscape itself, its uniqueness is the river of the Weisse Lutschine that runs through Lauterbrunnen, the U-shaped valley that goes south and than west five miles, with intense steepness, the waterfall descending from the mountains that makes Switzerland one of a kind, a source of its nationalism. For a panoramic video view of the geography go to this link: http://www.panoramicearth.com/753/Jungfrau/Lauterbrunnen

As I actually stood on the fragile metal platform, getting ready to canyon swing with my guide from New Zeeland that I was apparently trusting to harness me in and basically push me off into a canyon; I stopped for a minute collecting myself and thought “just don’t think” I walked slowly forward, looked down 125 meters, took a huge breathe and free fell into the abyss. It felt like no feeling I’ve ever felt before like I was swallowing so much air I couldn’t even scream, like I was going to pass out with no where to put my feet, nowhere to get my barrings that very second, I was praying for the rope to snap. It did. I bunged through the canyon region of Jungfrou, the beautiful sandstone canyons filled with flora and under me a glacial stream flowing. This experience helped me to see that this geography is what makes Switzerland what it is a country that thrives on tourism because of its extreme sports and outdoor activities. This “tourism” is a part of the regionalism of Switzerland, which has the geographic features and beauty to provides these services. Thomas Bieger states that the number one motivator for traveling to Switzerland was “nature” 47% of people deemed it “very important.” (For the article) http://jtr.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/41/1/68 This is true; I’ve been to a place and been so taken aback and been in awe of its picturesque, majestic beauty. I am homesick for Switzerland, not because of what I had to offer but only due to the physical structure and beautiful it contains.