The platform for Alpine themes

Whether it’s a critique of consumerism, notions of sustainability, or a lifestyle choice – we take a look at what lies behind the trend for doing repairs and what that means for mountain sport. In the Lost and Found Memories Office you can see how maintenance and repair are part of mountaineering’s history. What’s important when it comes to mending outdoor gear? And what stories do these repaired and broken objects have to tell? Be inspired by designers, tailors, minimalists, and researchers and discover some astonishing facts about outdoor materials with respect to their repair, maintenance, manufacturing, and safety.

You too can get involved by coming to the Video Box, where you can tell us the story of how you repaired your favourite object. Together we can collect tips and tricks that extend the life cycle of our own equipment. In our workshop you’ll find out how particular sewing techniques can improve the appearance of that very special item, and in the exhibition you’ll get the opportunity to put together your own personal mobile repair kit.

For the first time ever, ALPS is providing an glimpse into the original diaries and films of legendary mountaineer Erhard Loretan. In this exhibition, visitors can (almost) physically experience the preparation and feats of strength undertaken by this “maniac” on the mountain, while also learning about the opportunities and limits of what people are prepared to commit to. It includes an online tool to select and trace individual routes.

Erhard Loretan was the first Swiss to climb all fourteen of the world’s eight-thousanders and the second person to do so without supplemental oxygen. His lightweight style – climbing without a backpack – also influenced subsequent generations and made him one of the most important and influential high-altitude mountaineers. After Loretan died in a mountain accident in 2011, his family handed over his mountaineering archive to the Swiss Alpine Museum in 2014. A legacy from René and Alice Lauber has now made it possible to work through his extensive collection of photos, film footage, audio recordings, and diaries.

Rapidly melting ice sheets, booming tourism, three new airports under construction, ever-larger waste heaps, international investors in search of mineral resources, and a confident Greenland developing its Indigenous identity and independence. Greenland’s transformation is intense, turbulent, and contradictory. But what do the people there think of it all? What does this teach us about the world we live in? How do we deal with the dilemmas and contradictions? What scares us about it and what opportunities are at stake? This moving film installation is accompanied by an original Greenlandic soundtrack.