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Weisshorn (Valais)
The Weisshorn (German, lit. ''white peak/mountain'') is a major peak of Switzerland and the Alps, culminating at above sea level. It is part of the Pennine Alps and is located between the valleys of Anniviers and Zermatt in the canton of Valais. In the latter valley, the Weisshorn is one of the many 4000ers surrounding Zermatt, with Monte Rosa and the Matterhorn. The Weisshorn was first climbed in 1861 from Randa by the Irish physicist John Tyndall, accompanied by the guides J.J. Bennen and Ulrich Wenger. Nowadays, the Weisshorn Hut is used on the normal route. The Weisshorn is considered by many mountaineers to be the most beautiful mountain in the Alps and Switzerland for its pyramidal shape and pure white slopes. In April and May 1991, two consecutive rockslides took place from a cliff above the town of Randa on the east side of the massif, below the Bis Glacier. Geography The Weisshorn is situated in the southern canton of Valais, about 25 km southwards from th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Swisstopo
Swisstopo is the official name for the Swiss Federal Office of Topography (in German language, German: ''Bundesamt für Landestopografie''; French language, French: ''Office fédéral de topographie''; Italian language, Italian: ''Ufficio federale di topografia''; Romansh language, Romansh: ''Uffizi federal da topografia''), Switzerland's national mapping agency. The current name was made official in 2002. It had been in use as the domain name for the institute's homepage, swisstopo.ch, since 1997. Maps The main class of products produced by Swisstopo are topographical maps on seven different Scale (map), scales. Swiss maps have been praised for their accuracy and quality. Regular maps * 1:25.000. This is the most detailed map, useful for many purposes. Those are popular with tourists, especially for famous areas like Zermatt and St. Moritz. These maps cost CHF 13.50 each (2004). 208 maps on this scale are published at regular intervals. The first map published on this scale ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Allen And Unwin
George Allen & Unwin was a British publishing company formed in 1911 when Sir Stanley Unwin purchased a controlling interest in George Allen & Co. It went on to become one of the leading publishers of the twentieth century and to establish an Australian subsidiary in 1976. In 1990, Allen & Unwin was sold to HarperCollins and the Australian branch was the subject of a management buy-out. George Allen & Unwin in the UK George Allen & Sons was established in 1871 by George Allen, with the backing of John Ruskin, becoming George Allen & Co. Ltd. in 1911 and then George Allen & Unwin in 1914 as a result of Stanley Unwin's purchase of a controlling interest. Unwin's son Rayner S. Unwin and nephew Philip helped run the company, which published the works of Bertrand Russell, Arthur Waley, Roald Dahl, Lancelot Hogben, and Thor Heyerdahl. It became well known as J. R. R. Tolkien's publisher, some time after publishing the popular children's fantasy novel ''The Hobbit'' in 1937, and its ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vispa
The Vispa is a river in the canton of Valais, located in the Visp area. It is essentially composed of two large branches: the Matter Vispa and the Saaser Vispa, converging at Stalden, then forming the Vispa proper, flowing for less than before converging with the Rhône at Visp. The Vispa is a left and major affluent of the Rhône, before it enters Lake Geneva. The Vispa collects the waters from the Mattertal (formed by the Matter Vispa) and the Saastal (formed by the Saaser Vispa), the two highest valleys in Switzerland and the Pennine Alps. Both valleys have mountains over above sea level, the highest being Monte Rosa, the Dom and the Weisshorn, and include numerous glaciers, large and small. As a result, the river is characterized by a glacial regime, similarly to the Massa, another nearby affluent of the Rhône. The Matter Vispa is the longest of the two branches. It is over long, from the mouth of the Gorner Glacier to Stalden. It comprehends small but numerous affl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Main Chain Of The Alps
The main chain of the Alps, also called the Alpine divide is the central line of mountains that forms the drainage divide of the range. Main chains of mountain ranges are traditionally designated in this way, and generally include the highest peaks of a range. The Alps are something of an unusual case in that several significant groups of mountains are separated from the main chain by sizable distances. Among these groups are the Dauphine Alps, the Eastern and Western Graians, the entire Bernese Alps, the Tödi, Albula and Silvretta groups, the Ortler and Adamello ranges, and the Dolomites of South Tyrol, as well as the lower Alps of Vorarlberg, Bavaria, and Salzburg. Main features The Alpine Divide is defined for much of its distance by the watershed between the drainage basin of the Po in Italy on one side, with the other side of the divide being formed by the Rhone, the Rhine and the Danube. Further east, the watershed is between the Adige and the Danube, before heading ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Randa, Switzerland
Randa is a municipality in the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It is located between the Weisshorn and the Dom in the Matter Valley. The village is accessible by road and rail, and it has a campsite which offers a taxi service to Zermatt, a car-free town. The Glacier Express train line also connects Randa to Zermatt. History Randa is first mentioned in 1305 as ''Randa''. In 1819, the village was almost totally destroyed by the blast from a huge avalanche that fell nearby. In 1991, a portion of the village was flooded following a large rockslide from a cliff above the town. Randa is a two-hour hike from the Charles Kuonen Suspension Bridge, the world's longest simple suspension bridge for pedestrians. It was opened in 2017 as part of the ''Europaweg'', the scenic hiking route between Grächen and Zermatt. Geography Randa has an area, , of . Of this area, 8.0% is used for agricultural purposes, while 9.9% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.6% ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Turtmanntal
Turtmann (French: ''Tourtemagne'') is a former municipality in the district of Leuk in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. The municipalities of Turtmann and Unterems merged on 1 January 2013 into the new municipality of Turtmann-Unterems.Amtliches Gemeindeverzeichnis der Schweiz published by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office accessed 2 January 2013 History Turtmann is first mentioned in 1050 as ''Curtmannonis''. In 1210 it was mentioned as ''Torthemanei'' and ''Tortemagny''. Until 2003 Turtmann had a military airfield which was used by |
Val D'Anniviers
The Val d'Anniviers (old name in German ''Eifischtal'') is a Swiss Alpine valley, situated in the district of Sierre in Valais, which extends south of the Rhône Valley, on the northern slopes of the Pennine Alps. The valley was home to six municipalities: Ayer, Chandolin, Grimentz, Saint-Jean, Saint-Luc and Vissoie. The citizens of those municipalities agreed on November 26, 2006, to merge into one, which was named Anniviers. The merger took place in January 2009. Toponymy The name of the valley has changed little during its history: "''vallis Annivesii''" before 1052, then "''de Anivesio''" in 1193, "''Annivies''" in 1215, "''Anives''" in 1243 and "''Annevié''" in 1253. The origin and meaning of the name "''Anniviers''" are uncertain and have been interpreted in different ways from Latin. According to the sociologist Bernard Crettaz, it would find its origin in the seasonal migration of its inhabitants between the mountain and the plain: the etymology would refer to "''Ann ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Visp
Visp (french: Viège) is the capital of the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. Geography Visp lies in the Rhône valley, at the confluence of the Vispa and the Rhône, west of Brig-Glis. Visp has an area, , of . Of this area, 17.0% is used for agricultural purposes, while 59.7% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 19.5% is settled (buildings or roads) and 3.9% is unproductive land. The proposed merger of the municipalities of Eggerberg, Ausserberg, Bürchen, Baltschieder, Visp and Visperterminen was rejected by the residents.Amtliches Gemeindeverzeichnis der Schweiz published by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office Retrieved 17 February 2011 Coat of arms The |
Sierre
Sierre (; german: Siders, ; frp, Siérro, ) is the capital municipality of the district of Sierre, located in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. It has a population of 16,332. Sierre is nicknamed City of the Sun (french: Cité du Soleil) for its average of 300 days of sunshine a year. It is the last official French-speaking city in Valais before the French–German language border of the canton located at the forêt de Finges, a few kilometres after the town. A German-speaking minority lives in Sierre, counting for around 8% of the population. History Sierre was first mentioned around 800 as ''Sidrium'', though a 12th-century document refers to the village being founded in 515. In 1179 it was mentioned as ''Sirro'' and in 1393 as ''Syder''. Prehistory The area around the modern town, especially Gerunden hill, was settled very early. Archeological sites on the Gerunden hill have produced neolithic objects and grave goods (including a polished stone ax), Bronze Age weapons ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Randa Rockslides
In April and May 1991, two consecutive rockslides occurred from a cliff above the town of Randa in the Matter valley of Switzerland. The rockslides released a cumulative volume of approximately 30 million cubic meters of debris, with each of the rockslide stages occurring over several hours. Slide debris buried key regional transportation lines including the road and railway leading to Zermatt, and dammed the Mattervispa river which eventually flooded a portion of the town of Randa upstream. There were no fatalities resulting from either of the rockslide events, though livestock, farmhouses and holiday homes were destroyed. Geological situation The Matter valley in the region of Randa exhibits classical morphology of glacial erosion, with steep rock walls and a wide valley bottom creating the common U-shaped form. Cliffs adjacent to the valley are exceptionally high, rising vertically some 800 m, while the nearby peaks of the Weisshorn and Dom sit 3000 m above the town of Ra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alpine Club (UK)
The Alpine Club was founded in London in 1857 and is the world's first mountaineering club. The primary focus of the club is to support mountaineers who climb in the Alps and the Greater Ranges of the world's mountains. History The Alpine Club was founded on 22 December 1857 by a group of British mountaineers at Ashley's Hotel in London. The original founders were active mountaineers in the Alps and instrumental in the development of alpine mountaineering during the Golden Age of Alpinism (1854–1865). E. S. Kennedy was the first chairman of the Alpine Club but the naturalist, John Ball, was the first president. Kennedy, also the first vice-president, succeeded him as president of the club from 1860 to 1863. In 1863, the club moved its headquarters to the Metropole Hotel. The Alpine Club is specifically known for having developed early mountaineering-specific gear including a new type of rope. The goal was to engineer a strong and light rope that could be carried easily ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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