Monitoring Continues on Mountain Above Swiss Village Threatened by Landslide
19th August 2026
The village of Kandersteg in the Bernese Oberland is threatened by the collapse of the Spitze Stei rock formation. The area 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. NEW
1,300 people live in the village and there are concerns it could suffer the same fate as nearby Blatten that was buried by a huge rock and mud slide in May 2025.
- Swiss village buried by landslide as glacier collapses
- After Blatten landslide what is future of Swiss village?
As glaciers and permafrost melt due to higher temperatures caused by climate change, the threat of landslides is rising in the Swiss Alps.
Permafrost is the frozen soil sediment and rock that acts like a glue holding mountains together.
“In the mountains and in the unconsolidated debris, there is lots of ice,” said Markus Stoffel, professor for climate change and natural risks at the University of Geneva.
“Once this ice is melting, it acts like a cement.
“These mountain slopes will become increasingly unstable.”
Nathan Solothurnmann, a climate and energy expert for Greenpeace Switzerland, says that climate change means landslides or avalanches will become more common.
“Maybe even one day we will have to abandon certain valleys or certain villages because it’s becoming impossible to live there,” Solothurnmann said.
“Or the measure you will need to take to protect infrastructure is so expensive, the efforts are so big, that it’s not worthwhile anymore living there.”
Related Articles:
- Swiss villages threatened by melting glaciers
- Another Swiss village evacuated due to landslide threat
- Monitoring rockfalls in the Alps
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