Meltdown, The Alps Under Pressure, February, 2006 National Geographic Magazine
The rugged terrain of the Alps shaped its inhabitants way of life for years. Today local cultures remain unique in isolated valleys, but as development spreads, man's impact is felt. Now a playground with ski resorts and shops contrasts rural charm and natural landscape beauty.
-
The Wild Ones don grotesque masks and suits of...
-
Glitz of St Moritz Skiers in colorful attire...
-
Athletes looking for challenges are drawn to...
-
Morning fog rises off mountain peaks near...
-
Brunnenkogel Ferner--(Austrian word for glacier...
-
Even dogs are well-dressed in St. Moritz where...
-
37th Engadin Ski Marathon at St. Moritz...
-
37th Engadin Ski Marathon at St. Moritz...
-
Marco Prezelj, reknown ice climber and mountain...
-
There are also weekend athletes away from their...
-
Skiers eat and sun at a restaurant in the Siusi...
-
Rural charm attracts spa goers who pay for...
-
Fashionistas dress for glamour and fun at a...
-
Men take showers after their shift and take...
-
St Moritz is famous for its glitzy après-ski...
-
A nun carries a cat that slipped into the...
-
Streets of Mendrisio are decorated in...
-
A somber procession of over 700 children...
-
Bachelors visit neighbors during Carnival in...
-
Friends share stories at a restaurant while...
-
Lorenzo Miriboch lives alone in a village that...
-
Tourists take the train up to see the...
-
St Bernard dogs that were bred in the Alps to...
-
Costumes of fur and bells are very old and...
-
Cleared forests also make mountain communities...
-
La Valle is made up of a Ladino culture where...
-
Bright colors highlight the Schleichers wearing...
-
Backstage at the children's fashion show at the...
-
The Italian Dolomites near Balzano are a unique...
-
Needle with No Name and other craggy peaks in...
-
![The mountain in southern Germany, the highest point (9,718 ft [2,962 m]) in the country. Zugspitze is part of the Wettersteingebirge in the Bavarian Alps, lying on the Austrian border. The mountain is approached on the west by an aerial tramway (built 1924-26) from the village of Eibsee, and on the northeast by a railway from the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, both in Germany. <br />
<br />
Weather recorder on top of the mountain:.Norbert Stadler from the city of Altenau, working on the Zugspitze since 1978. He climbs on the roof of his station and checks wind, barometric pressure, temperature and looks to see visibility (which was little on this snowy day).](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000E48BJlCYvgc/t/200/I0000E48BJlCYvgc.jpg)
The mountain in southern Germany, the highest...
-
Workers wrap Brunnenkogel Ferner with a...
-
Life on Steinbach, an Austrian alm where they...
-
The Inn River flows by picturesque Innsbruck,...
-
Skiers at the top of Aguille du Midi (12,602...
-
The Schleichers wear masks and hats weighing up...
-
A Ladin farmer drives his sled across the farm...
-
Irma and her brother, Andrea, dress up for...
-
The Italian Dolomites near Balzano are a unique...
-
Workers unwrapped rolls of the material and...
-
Two brothers and a sister Andrea, Irma and...
-
Austrian alm where they have cows, goats,...
-
Alfons Bour makes alpkese cheese by warming the...
-
Rural charm attracts spa goers who pay for...
-
Throughout the Alps, tunnels carrying fast...
-
Aiquille Verte and other craggy peaks in the...
-
Masks were hidden away for 40 years when...
-
Masks were hidden away for 40 years when...
-
Pust or Carnival.The people of old Europe...
-
A parade of bachelors at Carnival visit...
-
The Ladino village of Wengen in Lavalle perches...
-
On a holiday, Slovenians go walking to enjoy...
-
The ski slopes of nearby Sestriere are the site...
-
The Wild Ones gather for a parade in Austria...
-
Backstage at the children's fashion show at the...
-
A skier walks over exposed rocksi area in the...
-
Afternoon tea and preparations for a cocktail...
-
The Matterhorn, distinctive, steep pyramidal...
-
Mer de Glace, the "Sea of Ice" has melted over...
-
Workers wrap Brunnenkogel Ferner with a...
-
Workers wrap Brunnenkogel Ferner with a...
-
A Ladino man splits wood to warm the house he...
-
Looking out the window for her nephew, a Ladin...
-
Monika Vallazza helps her mother in the...
-
Monika takes her friends to the barn to see...
-
Contented cows munch hay while a Ladin farmer...
-
Young nephews watch their uncle milk cows in...
-
Life on Steinbach, an Austrian alm where they...
-
Winter views of the Ladino community of La...
-
Christ on the Cross adorns a tall, rugged...
-
Eleven nuns make their home behind closed...
-
Monday is laundry day at Val Mustiar is a...
-
Monday is laundry day at Val Mustiar is a...
-
Monday is laundry day at Val Mustiar is a...
-
Nuns practice singing "Happy Birthday" to...
-
Asian tourists flock to Zermatt taking a...
-
Fog lisfts over a craggy top of a mountain near...
-
Ski instructors play cards in the morning...
-
Throughout the Alps, tunnels carrying fast...
-
Grimsel radio active waste research site where...
-
Morning coffee before work begins at Grimsel...
-
Identical eqiupment is set up to measure...
-
Musical Ferme family plays traditional music on...
-
St Bernard dogs spend two months in this town...
-
Asian tourists flock to Zermatt to see a...
-
Tourists in the main plaza and on the street in...
-
Rain doesn't stop Japanese tourists who flock...
-
Needle with No Name and other craggy peaks in...
-
St Magdalena surrounded by vineyards is...
-
Lorenzo Miriboch carries water from the cattle...
-
The second most traveled route between Italy...
-
In 1657, the town of Mendrisio started this...
-
Perched over the town in a wintery, mystical...
-
Men take a break for coffee near a fire while...
-
Red stockings are part of the costume as actors...
-
Miners wait in the elevator to be taken up to...
-
200 townspeople participate in the drama that...
-
Needle with No Name and other craggy peaks in...