A giant mountain swing at the Villars ski resort in Switzerland is sending thrill-seekers soaring over a cliff edge 2,110 metres above sea level. The Balanc'Air swing, which opened earlier this month, is a 12-metre-high attraction that can carry up to three people at a time.
Riders are strapped into saddle-style seats fixed to a structure resembling an Alpine Ibex, hauled backwards to a 90-degree angle, and then released high above the valley below.
Riders describe the experience
Alexandra Henchoz, 37, admitted she was nervous before testing the attraction with her husband and 10-year-old daughter. She said she had “a bit of a pit in [her] stomach” before being strapped in. “But once it is happening, it is just incredible. You feel like a bird flying,” she added.
Marc Truffer, 70, said the experience left him both frightened and amazed. “It was so scary… I didn’t even scream. It took my breath away going down, but then the view was magnificent.”
Boosting summer tourism
The swing is part of the resort’s efforts to attract more visitors outside the traditional ski season as Alpine destinations adapt to climate change. Martin Deburaux, head of the Villars-Gryons-Diableret ski area, said: “We are really trying to diversify our offering.” The 12-metre swing “provides us with a source of attraction that can function independently of snow conditions,” he said.
Although the resort has enjoyed record winter visitor numbers over the past two seasons, Deburaux said warmer conditions meant planning for the future was essential. “But we know we are facing climate change. We are looking for substitutes to conserve jobs, the dynamism and the tourist economy built up around our ski lift facilities.”
The resort currently welcomes more than 700,000 visitors during winter but around 100,000 over the summer. It hopes the new attraction will help draw more visitors outside the ski season.
