The Lauterbrunnen Valley in Switzerland is designated as a USESCO World Heritage site with many a good reason. A high, secluded valley almost untouched by time and civilization, it is a dream come true for nature lovers and hikers. But it is also a favoured spot for avid skiers who wish to pursue their avocation during the summer months.
For many of these, the preferred means of transportation to the mountaintops is a helicopter.
On any sunny spring morning there may be dozens of skiers waiting for one of the flights to the heights, and helicopters take off every five minutes, with the noise reverberating off the sheer rock faces of the mountain.
Both residents in the valley and all the environmental groups in the country are now urging the government to restrict or ban the use of helicopters for “unnecessary” trips. Esther Hegglin of Mountain Wilderness, one of the environmental groups decrying the practice of heli-skiing, said that a ban on landing pads in protected wilderness areas would be at least a good first step in reducing the impact of traffic and noise on the peaceful silence of one of the last remaining ‘uncivilized’ spots on Earth. Of the 42 landing sites in Switzerland and France, about half are in protected areas.
There is much controversy regarding the issue, with helicopter companies insisting that heli-skiing is an important part of their business and good for the local economy, and various rescue operations and other interests stating that helicopters are a ‘fact of life’ in many remote areas.
They are useful for delivering food and building supplies (often for new ski resorts) and often essential for rescuing hikers and skiers. This is true, but the argument from protesters makes the point that helicopters are not the only way for skiers to reach their take-off altitude. The attitude is that if it’s worth doing it’s worth some effort, so why not walk?
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