ren’s beauty and location.” At first, he genuinely wondered how anyone could have thought of settling in such a precarious spot. He has now got more used to that aspect at least. Paragliding, which he did for a while, gave him a similar feeling. He was petrified when he first floated out over the edge and saw the huge drop between his feet and the valley floor. “But it was nothing special 40 flights later.” Likewise, the new cable car. He says the ride is spectacular, but it is a good while since he last stood by the window. “Only visitors do that.” Nevertheless, he is fascinated by the actual rock face. Whenever friends are visiting, he likes to take them on the Via Ferrata – a cabled traverse down the cliff on which you are secured at all times. “You have to see it to believe it,” he says. The route goes past a base-jumping platform. Von Arx’s views on base jumping are similar to Huggler’s. “When I see them leap, I wonder how on earth anyone could do it.” ents about everything they did. Huggler tells the story of a dare that involved hanging upside down from a tree trunk over the edge. Just the thought is enough to make you feel queasy. He plays it down. Nothing bad ever happened, he insists. Maybe this was also thanks to their parents, who told them that there was a little fellow with a hook dwelling in the rock face who pulled children down and ate them. Listen to Huggler and you begin to understand that he relates to risk in a way that only people born in the mountains can. He has climbed peaks all his life. “I would never negotiate a difficult route without safety gear.” What he thinks of base jumping goes without saying. You have to judge danger when you live in the mountains. Families need each other. “No one can afford their next of kin dying.” Huggler laughs about another aspect of living near the rock face. “We used to simply tip our rubbish over the edge.” Hardly any of it was plastic, at least back then. There was no green waste either. “We fed that to the pigs.” It was mainly empty food tins and all sorts of large items. Once they even threw half an ice-cream maker down the cliff. It originally belonged to a hotel. “That was a sight to behold!” The rubbish never tumbled all the way to the bottom; it would come to a standstill on a ledge and was later filled in. “They should dig the pile up – then you really would learn a lot about Mürren,” he grins. “You have to see it to believe it” Sven von Arx, 30, a building services technician and a member of the local council, was in awe of the place when he moved into the village six years ago. “I am still amazed by MürSven von Arx arrived in Mürren six years ago. He is still in awe of the village’s location. Photo: Dölf Barben The village of Mürren (visible to the right) is perched around 800 metres above the floor of the Lauterbrunnen Valley. Its inhabitants are used to living in this spectacular spot. Photo: Wikimedia Below is a vertical rock face that is overhanging in places. The drop below is dizzying. The Mürren Via Ferrata Swiss Review / July 2026 / No. 3 17
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