Giant swing on Swiss peak aims to boost summer tourism as Alps warm

As the chairlift nears the Grand Chamossaire peak at the Villars ski resort in the Swiss Alps, screams of terror and delight suddenly pierce the air.

Perched on the mountaintop, at an altitude of 2,110 meters, a towering V-shaped structure glistens in the summer sunshine, holding a giant swing that catapults visitors out over a gaping void with a breathtaking Alpine panorama stretching before them.

The Grand Chamossaire swing, which opened earlier this month, is the latest effort by Alpine ski resorts to attract off-season visitors and make use of ski lift infrastructure as snow becomes less reliable due to climate change. Currently, the resort draws more than 700,000 people during the winter season, but just 100,000 in summer.