Kandersteg faces landslide risk from unstable rock mass

The Swiss village of Kandersteg, located in the Bern canton, faces a potential catastrophic landslide due to the instability of the Spitze Stei rock formation. Experts estimate the unstable mass contains between 15 and 20 million cubic meters of rock.

Scientists link the increasing instability to climate change, specifically the thawing of permafrost and retreating glaciers. Markus Stoffel, a professor at the University of Geneva, explains that ice acts as a ‘cement’ in mountains; as temperatures rise and this ice melts, slopes become increasingly unstable.

The threat recalls a May 2025 disaster in the nearby Lötschental valley, where a rock and ice collapse buried much of the village of Blatten. While residents of Kandersteg report feeling calm due to local precautions and monitoring via radar and drones, the geological risk remains significant as Alpine glaciers continue to lose volume.