In search of snow
Switzerland and snow have a very special history. It ranges from skiing to avalanche research. As the planet heats up the snow is melting, and it’s happening here in Switzerland as well. What has happened? And how will it snow in the future? A search for clues.
Hannes Mangold
Hannes Mangold is responsible for research partnerships at Schweizerische Mobiliar Genossenschaft. He creates exhibitions, books and projects at the intersection of science, art and history.
While natural snow is becoming a scarce commodity these days, until recently the mountain regions in particular suffered from the curse of too much snow. Up until the 19th century, snow held connotations of a barren, difficult time of year. The term “white hell” referred to the mortal danger it represented. The fact that dancing snowflakes and snowclad mountain peaks nowadays stir romantic feelings of enchantment and excitement is closely tied to the success of winter tourism. With snow sports, an English elite brought a welcome new source of income to the mountains in about 1900. This new wave of interest was actively promoted, and even before World War II the Swiss Alps had become established at home and abroad as a winter tourism destination par excellence. The masses of snow promised fun and amusement and also turned out to be white gold.
Avalanches
Then, in the winter of 1950 and 1951, overwhelming quantities of snow fell from the sky. There were scores of avalanches. Throughout the Alpine region, more than 250 people met a “white death”. The catastrophe prompted the authorities to start investing in snow research again. In addition to prevention, the focus was now also on emergency rescue. In the 19th century dogs were used to search for people buried by avalanches, but now technical solutions were used. The army in particular experimented with magnets and radio waves. In the 1960s, army technicians tested the first avalanche rescue beacons in practice. From 1975 onwards, these devices were sold by a private supplier under the product name “Barryvox”. The legendary St Bernard Barry finally became a museum piece.
Drill cores
Ice cores made these layers accessible. They provided a window into climate history that went back much further than any human record. With significant Swiss involvement, it became clear that the climate has been subject to much more rapid changes than previously thought. Since humans have been burning fossil fuels on a large scale, the temperature has been rising at an unprecedented rate. This new learning about snow, ice and glaciers has helped provide scientific evidence of global warming of human origin.
Forecasts
The snow of the future – Interview with Christoph Marty, Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (in German). YouTube / Swiss National Library
