When it opens in November 2014, Glacier 3000 will be the world’s first suspension bridge linking two mountain peaks. It’s an adrenalin-charged bridge walk in the Swiss Alps, high above the resort towns of Villars-Gryon and Les Diablaret, both famous for their skiing. I’ve skied at both.
Villars is more family-friendly, with more gentle slopes for the less accomplished. Les Diablaret lives up to its name with devilish steeps and cirques.
Glacier 3000 also happens to be the second highest suspension bridge in Europe, so the view from the bridge is beyond mesmerizing. It is 107 meters long, or just over 300 feet, and named for its altitude. That would be 3,000 meters, or close to 10,000 feet. So your heart will be pounding from the altitude as well as the view.
Walking across Glacier 300 is not for the faint-hearted or those prone to vertigo, but it is FREE if you are staying at one of the local partner hotels. The local Free Access Card also includes more than 30 activities, from the rope park to scooter rides, plus free access to famous Swiss trains and cable cars.
Glacier 3000 is the latest of heart-pounding bridge walks.
The Glacier Skywalk opened recently in Jasper National Park, near Banff, Canada, 918 feet above the Sunwapta Valley floor. It’s a horseshoe-shaped skywalk that juts out around 100 feet from the cliff, with a see-through glass floor that lets you look down without getting too close to the edge. Or, look to the horizon for glimpses of the snow-capped peaks of the Canadian Rockies.
There’s also a museum at the entrance and interpretive stops about the environment, wildlife and Native Peoples history, on solid ground. Glacier Skywalk tours leave from the Columbia Icefields visitor center, so it’s easy to combine these two memorable outdoor adventures in one day, as I did recently, when I stayed in Banff. That’s amother one of my favorite places to ski. The Men’s World Cup run at Lake Louise is one of my personal ten best, most favorite runs anywhere in the world I have skied.
Find more daredevil bridgewalks on ShermansTravel. Full disclosure: ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter also writes for ShermansTravel. Follow this link to read my articles.
Photos courtesy Lake Geneva Region Tourist Office and Brewster Travel Canada
Leave a Reply