Sawt Falasteen - Giant swing on Swiss peak aims to boost summer tourism as Alps warm

Perched on the mountaintop, at an altitude of 2,110 metres (6,923 feet), a towering V-shaped structure glistens in the summer sunshine, holding a giant swing that catapults visitors out over a gaping void with a breathtaking Alpine panorama stretching before them.

"I had a bit of a pit in my stomach" before getting strapped in, acknowledged Alexandra Henchoz, 37, who tested the new swing with her husband and 10-year-old daughter.

"But once it is happening, it is just incredible. You feel like a bird flying."

The Grand Chamossaire swing, which opened earlier this month, is the latest effort by Alpine ski resorts to attract off-season visitors and make use of ski lift infrastructure as snow becomes less reliable due to climate change.

"We are really trying to diversify our offering," Martin Deburaux, head of the Villars-Gryons-Diableret ski area, told AFP.

The new 12-metre-high swing "provides us with a source of attraction that can function independently of snow conditions", he said.

- Preparing for less snow -

Deburaux stressed that the resort had seen record numbers coming during the past two ski seasons, as visitors who usually skied lower-lying slopes sought higher ground and more snow.

"But we know we are facing climate change," he said.

"We are looking for substitutes to conserve jobs, the dynamism and the tourist economy built up around our ski lift facilities."

Currently, the resort draws more than 700,000 people during the winter season, but just 100,000 in summer.

It aims to triple its summer season numbers in the next couple of years, Deburaux said, adding that doing so would require offering a multitude of activities.

Nearby hikers filled the grassy paths, while mountain bikers sporting helmets and protective gear sped down a separate, steep dirt trail.

They wind past an ephemeral land art fresco painted by French artist Saype across an entire hillside showing a child drawing.

Deburaux said the new swing had intentionally been erected in a spot that had already been brimming with activity, while leaving other parts of the resort untouched to appeal to those seeking a pristine nature experience.

- Terrified -

The swing, which is accessible to anyone with a ski lift ticket, can take three people at a time.

Each person straddles a saddle affixed to a metal structure made to look like an Alpine Ibex, their hands clenching handlebars as they are strapped down tightly.

Then an elaborate system of cables and pulleys is used to draw them as far back as a 90-degree angle, leaving them suspended face down, perpendicular with the metal platform far below.

When the security cable is suddenly released, the swing plunges forward out over the sharp, jagged drop to exalted screams and a sprinkling of curses, before a spectacular view of the valley below against a dramatic backdrop of rocky and snow-dusted Alps rushes in.

"The feeling of hanging up there, and then being released, it's an amazing sensation," said Yannick Boudouin, 38.

"A mini free-fall and then nothing but fun," agreed his 31-year-old partner Anais Fougairolles.

Marc Truffer, 70, meanwhile said he was terrified, and then thrilled.

"It was so scary... I didn't even scream," he told AFP.

"It took my breath away going down, but then the view was magnificent."

P.AbuBaker--SF-PST