Richard Bangs' Adventures with Purpose

>> I'M RICHARD BANGS.

IF THERE IS ONE WORD THAT WRITERS THROUGH THE CENTURIES HAVE USED DESCRIBE THE GREAT PEAKS, THE GLACIERS, THE WATERFALLS, AND THE GRAND SCENERY OF SWITZERLAND, IT IS THE WORD "SUBLIME."

MANY CONSIDER SWITZERLAND THE BIRTHPLACE OF ADVENTURE TRAVEL, THE WELLSPRING FOR ECOTOURISM, THE SPUR FOR ORGANIZED TOURS INTO THE WILDS, BUT WHAT IS IT ABOUT THIS VAULT OF NATURE THAT MAKES IT SO SUBLIME?

IN FACT, WHAT EXACTLY DOES "SUBLIME" MEAN, AND WHAT ARE ITS SENSIBILITIES AND APPLICATIONS HERE AND NOW?

JOIN ME AS I EXPLORE THE ROOTS OF ADVENTURE TRAVEL AND DISCOVER HOW SWITZERLAND'S ALPINE BEAUTY INSPIRED TODAY'S ECOTOURISM.

>> SUPPORT FOR "ADVENTURES WITH PURPOSE" IS PROVIDED IN PART BY EXOFFICIO ADVENTURE TRAVEL APPAREL WITH BUILT-IN FEATURES SUCH AS UV PROTECTION; BUG REPELLENCY; WATER, STAIN, AND WRINKLE RESISTANCE.

EXOFFICIO--CLOTHES FOR THE ADVENTUROUS SPIRIT, ON-LINE AT EXOFFICIO.COM.

>> [CHANTING] >> "ADVENTURES WITH PURPOSE."

THEY NOT ONLY QUICKEN THE PULSE AND FIRE THE SYNAPSES, BUT ARE ALSO JOURNEYS OF ENLIGHTENMENT AND DISCOVERY, ODYSSEYS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

OUR GUIDE IS RICHARD BANKS, THE FATHER OF MODERN ADVENTURE TRAVEL, LEADER OF 35 FIRST DESCENTS OF RIVERS AROUND THE GLOBE.

A MOUNTAIN CLIMBER AND RENOWNED AUTHOR, RICHARD BRINGS A LIFETIME OF EXPERIENCE TO "ADVENTURES WITH PURPOSE."

>> MOUNTAINS FILL THE HUMAN SPIRIT WITH AWE AND WONDER.

THEY ABSORB THE IMAGINATION, OFFERING CHALLENGE, VENERATION, AND EXHILARATION.

IN EARLY WRITINGS, THEY'RE ASSOCIATED WITH THE DIVINE.

THEY ARE THE BACKBONE OF THE EARTH, RISING TO RIP THE SKY.

NO MATTER HOW ONE PERCEIVES THEM, MOUNTAINS HAVE POWER.

ENGLISH AUTHOR MARY SHELLEY WROTE, "THE MIGHTY ALPS, WHOSE WHITE AND SHINING PYRAMIDS AND DOMES TOWERED ABOVE ALL, AS BELONGING TO ANOTHER EARTH, THE HABITATIONS OF ANOTHER RACE OF BEINGS."

A FEW HUNDRED YEARS AGO, BRITISH WRITERS--FLEEING THE SMOGGY, COAL-BLACKENED CITIES THAT STIFLED THEIR IMAGINATIONS-- EMBARKED ON THE GRAND TOUR OF EUROPE.

WHEN THEY ARRIVED IN THE SWISS ALPS, THE WORD THEY CHOSE TO DESCRIBE THESE LANDSCAPES WAS "SUBLIME."

I'M OFF TO UNEARTH WHAT THIS WORD MEANT TO THOSE EARLY TRAVELERS AND WHAT SWITZERLAND HAS TO OFFER VISITORS TODAY.

I'M ALSO IN SEARCH OF THE ORIGINS OF ADVENTURE TOURISM AND HOW THE EXPERIENCES OF PAST ARTISTS AND WRITERS HAVE TRANSFORMED OUR NOTION OF TRAVEL.

LIKE MANY PEOPLE, I ALWAYS THOUGHT "SUBLIME" WAS JUST ANOTHER WORD FOR WONDERFUL, THE WAY ONE MIGHT DESCRIBE A BEAUTIFUL FLOWER OR DELICIOUS FOOD, BUT MY FRIEND, ALPINE CLIMBER JOHN HARLIN, SUGGESTS A DEEPER MEANING.

>> THE SUBLIME IS THIS APPRECIATION FOR NATURE IN ITS MOST AWE-INSPIRING SENSE.

IT'S SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO PUT YOURSELF INTO AND EXPERIENCE IT FOR YOURSELF.

THE BEST WAY TO DO THAT IS BY TRAVELING THROUGH SWITZERLAND, AND YOU MIGHT START MORE ON THE EASTERN END AND THEN TAKE THE TRAIN AND TRAVERSE THE LENGTH OF SWITZERLAND, STAYING AS CLOSE TO THE SPINE OF THE ALPS AS YOU CAN AND REALLY JUST PUT YOURSELF IN IT BECAUSE IT'S SOMETHING TO BE EXPERIENCED.

>> MANY TRAVELERS TODAY WANT TO PUT THEMSELVES IN IT AND HAVE MORE MEANINGFUL TRAVEL EXPERIENCES.

IT'S NO LONGER ENOUGH TO JUST TICK ANOTHER DESTINATION OFF THE LIST.

IT'S NO LONGER ENOUGH TO JUST CHECK IN, DO SOME SHOPPING, AND CHECK OUT.

SOME TRAVELERS ARE LOOKING FOR GREATER ADVENTURE AND A DEEPER CONNECTION WITH THE WORLD AROUND THEM.

THEY'RE HOPING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

THEY'RE LOOKING FOR ADVENTURES WITH PURPOSE.

OUR PURPOSE THIS TIME TAKES US TO THE MIDDLE OF WESTERN EUROPE AND THE SMALL COUNTRY OF SWITZERLAND.

WE'LL BEGIN IN LUCERNE, TRAVEL TO ST. MORITZ, AND BOARD THE FAMOUS GLACIER EXPRESS.

WE'LL TAKE A SIDE TRIP TO THE JUNGFRAU REGION AND HEAD TO ZERMATT AND THE RAPTURE OF A DEADLY MOUNTAIN THAT HELPED CHANGE OUR PERCEPTION OF NATURE.

LUCERNE, GATEWAY TO CENTRAL SWITZERLAND, RESTS ON THE LAKE OF THE SAME NAME, A BODY OF WATER THAT WIDENS LIKE A HORN BETWEEN STEEP-SIDED MOUNTAINS.

200 YEARS AGO, BRITISH TRAVELERS ON THE GRAND TOUR BECAME INFATUATED WITH THIS AREA, AWED BY ITS WILD MAGNIFICENCE AND SIMPLE AUTHENTICITY.

THEY WROTE GLOWINGLY OF THEIR JOURNEYS, SPREADING THE WORD TO EUROPE'S ELITE.

PAINTERS AND WRITERS SUCH AS JOSEPH TURNER AND LORD BYRON FOUND INSPIRATION IN THE MOUNTAIN SCENERY AND ATTEMPTED TO CAPTURE IT ON CANVAS AND IN POEMS.

PERCY SHELLEY SAID THE ALPS INSPIRED IN HIM "ECSTATIC WONDER NOT UNALLIED TO MADNESS."

>> THE MAIN IDEA OF THE SUBLIME IS THAT IT'S AN EXPERIENCE THAT PRODUCES PLEASURE, BUT IT'S WHAT THEY CALLED IN THE 18th CENTURY A NEGATIVE PLEASURE.

SO, BOTH THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE SUBLIME PRODUCE PLEASURE, BUT IN THE CASE OF THE SUBLIME, IT'S THIS PLEASURE THAT'S ALWAYS CONNECTED WITH FEAR OR AWE OR HORROR OR DANGER.

THE SUBLIME IS SOMETHING THAT'S JUST TOO LARGE FOR THE MIND TO COMPREHEND.

>> FOR CENTURIES, EUROPEANS SAW THE WILDERNESS AS A DANGEROUS PLACE TO BE APPROACHED WARILY UNTIL TAMED BY HUMAN SETTLEMENT, BUT THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT BROUGHT A NEW APPRECIATION OF NATURE, AND WHEN POETS, NATURALISTS, AND PAINTERS OF THE 19th CENTURY BEGAN TO SEE THE ALPS IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT, CURIOSITY REPLACED FEAR, AND TOURISM IN SWITZERLAND WAS BORN.

RISING OVER LUCERNE, THE SNOWY SUMMIT OF MOUNT PILATUS WAS LONG REGARDED WITH SUPERSTITION AND DREAD.

BEFORE THE ROMANTICS, MOUNTAINS SUCH AS PILATUS WERE MERELY BARRIERS AND IMPEDIMENTS TO AGRICULTURE.

THE OLD SWISS PEASANT NAME FOR THE ALPS IS GEISSBERGEN, LITERALLY "GOAT MOUNTAINS," LAND THAT IS PURPOSEFUL ONLY FOR PASTURING TOUGH MEAT.

NOW, THOUGH, PILATUS DRAWS THE EYE AND THE TRAVELER WITH WONDER, AND THOUSANDS SEEK ITS JAGGED PEAKS AND DIZZYING VIEWS.

SWITZERLAND IS ANYTHING BUT NEUTRAL WHEN IT COMES TO LANDSCAPES, AND A BOAT TRIP ACROSS THE GLACIAL-FED LAKE LUCERNE TO THE BASE OF PILATUS IS ALL THE PROOF NEEDED.

IT WASN'T JUST MOUNTAINS THAT INSPIRED THE ROMANTIC POETS, BUT ALSO PROFOUND BODIES OF WATER.

PONDERING ONE SWISS LAKE, LORD BYRON PENNED, "HOW MUCH MORE, LAKE OF BEAUTY!

DO WE FEEL, IN SWEETLY GLIDING O'ER THY CRYSTAL SEA."

THE TRAIN THAT SCALES MOUNT PILATUS IS THE STEEPEST COGWHEEL RAIL TRACK IN THE WORLD, MAKING THE SACRED GEOMETRY OF TURMOIL ACCESSIBLE TO ALL.

IT WAS RAIL THAT REVOLUTIONIZED EUROPEAN TRAVEL.

THE GRAND TOUR, A TRAVEL ITINERARY THAT FLOURISHED FROM ABOUT THE MID 1600s TO THE MID 1800s, USUALLY INVOLVED WEALTHY YOUNG BRITS TRAVELING A CIRCUIT THROUGH EUROPE TO STUDY CLASSICAL CULTURE AND ART.

AFTER SOAKING IN PARIS AND GENEVA, THEY MADE THE ARDUOUS JOURNEY OVER THE ALPS TO ITALY.

AT FIRST, THEY CLOSED THE CURTAINS WHEN PASSING THROUGH THE INTIMIDATING LANDSCAPES, BUT EVENTUALLY, THEY PULLED BACK THE VIEW AND WERE THRILLED BY WHAT THEY SAW.

SOME WROTE POEMS THAT BECAME POPULAR BACK HOME.

THEN, WHEN RAILROADS IN THE 19th CENTURY MADE MASS TRANSIT POSSIBLE, THE JOURNEY WAS SUDDENLY AVAILABLE TO JUST ABOUT ANYONE...

BUT DIALING BACK TO AN EARLIER ERA, MEDIEVAL EUROPE VIEWED NATURE AND THE ALPS WITH SUPERSTITION.

PEOPLE CREATED STORIES TO COPE WITH THEIR FEARS AND EXPLAIN NATURAL PHENOMENA.

IT'S SAID THAT DRAGONS INHABIT THE CAVES AND ROCKY CREVICES OF MOUNT PILATUS.

LEGEND HAS IT THAT IF DISTURBED, THE DRAGONS SEND FIREBALLS AND STORMS DOWN THE MOUNTAIN.

OTHER LEGENDS SAY THAT THE DRAGONS POSSESS MAGICAL HEALING POWERS.

IN ONE STORY, A WOODWORKER WAS FORAGING ON THE MOUNTAIN WHEN HE FELL INTO A DEEP BLACK VOID AND LOST CONSCIOUSNESS.

>> AND THEN WHEN HE WOKE UP, HE LOOKED AROUND, AND HE SAW TWO BIG DRAGONS, SO HE BECAME VERY SCARED, AND HE WAS THINKING, "OH GEE, WHAT DO I DO?"

BUT THESE DRAGONS WERE VERY FRIENDLY GUYS AND TALKED TO HIM AND SAID, "YOU KNOW WHAT?

IT'S TOO DANGEROUS FOR YOU TO GO BACK DOWN, AND YOU STAY WITH US THIS WINTER, AND IN THE SPRING WE BRING YOU BACK TO THE CITY."

>> THE TOWNSPEOPLE THREW A PARTY TO WELCOME THE MAN HOME, AND THEY BEGGED HIM TO TELL THE STORY OF HIS RESCUE OVER AND OVER.

>> AND THEY SAY THE DRAGONS ARE PROTECTIVE ANIMALS WHO WATCH THE PEOPLE IN LUCERNE, VERY FRIENDLY CREATURES.

>> THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT MOVED FROM MYTHS AND AWAKENED CONSCIOUSNESS AS NEVER BEFORE, AND PEOPLE BEGAN TO LOOK AT MOUNTAINS IN A NEW WAY.

PHILOSOPHER JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU'S IMPACT WAS ENORMOUS.

HE WROTE THAT MANKIND'S GOAL WAS TO GET BACK TO NATURE.

HIS MANY FOLLOWERS WANTED TO EXPERIENCE FIRSTHAND THE SCENERY HE DESCRIBED WHEN HE WROTE, "I NEED BROOKS, ROCKS, PINE TREES, DARK FORESTS, ROUGH WINDING PATHS, AND ABYSSES."

ROUSSEAU'S WORKS FED POPULAR APPRECIATION OF SWITZERLAND AS A BEAUTIFUL, ACCESSIBLE PLACE WHERE ONE COULD TOUCH AND BE TOUCHED BY NATURE.

AT 4,500 FEET, THE PILATUS TRACK IS THE LONGEST SUMMER TOBOGGAN RIDE IN SWITZERLAND.

IT'S ALSO A WHITE-KNUCKLE RUSH.

THE SLED CAREENS THROUGH STEEP CURVES, DRAGON HOLES, AND MEGA JUMPS THAT FIRE THE SENSES.

ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON DESCRIBED SWISS TOBOGGANING THIS WAY.

"YOU ARE SPEEDING LIKE THE WIND AND SPINNING ROUND A CORNER WITH CLOSE-SHUT TEETH AND BEATING HEART.

THIS TEACHES THE PULSE AN UNACCUSTOMED TUNE AND ADDS A NEW EXCITEMENT TO THE LIFE OF MAN UPON HIS PLANET."

LUCERNE'S ACCESSIBLE LAKE AND STRATEGIC MOUNTAIN PASSES MADE THIS AN EARLY CENTER OF TRADE AND COMMERCE, BUT WHAT REALLY PUT LUCERNE ON THE MAP WAS TOURISM.

OVER THE YEARS, THE CITY HAS WELCOMED A STEADY STREAM OF CELEBRITIES.

>> AMONGST OTHERS, WE HAD RICHARD WAGNER, LEO TOLSTOY, MARK TWAIN AS OUR GUESTS, AS WELL AS SOME OTHER NOTORIETIES OF ACROSS EUROPE, AND FROM KINGS AND QUEENS IN DAYS GONE BY, WE NOW HAVE B.B.

KINGS AND VAN MORRISONS AS OUR GUESTS.

>> IT'S NOT HARD TO APPRECIATE RICHARD WAGNER'S SENTIMENTS WHEN, IN 1866, WRITING TO KING LUDWIG II, HE PROCLAIMED, "I DO NOT KNOW OF A MORE BEAUTIFUL SPOT IN THIS WORLD.

NOBODY WILL GET ME OUT OF HERE AGAIN."

LUCERNE'S TRANSPORTATION MUSEUM IS A GREAT ANTEROOM TO WILDERNESS.

SINCE ANCIENT TIMES, THE ALPS SERVED AS A NATURAL BARRIER BETWEEN NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN EUROPE.

THE SUBLIME, BY NATURE, WAS DIFFICULT TO REACH, AND FOR MUCH OF HISTORY, THE ALPS WERE DIFFICULT TO REACH AND EVEN HARDER TO CROSS, BUT WHEN, IN THE 19th CENTURY, RAILROADS MADE MASS TRANSIT POSSIBLE, THE ALPINE WORLD WAS NO LONGER SOMETHING TO BE FEARED AND DREADED, BUT INSTEAD BECAME SOMETHING THAT WAS WONDROUS AND INSPIRING.

THE PIONEER OF MODERN MASS TOURISM WAS ENGLISHMAN THOMAS COOK, WHO, IN 1841, ORGANIZED THE FIRST PACKAGE TOUR IN HISTORY WHEN HE ARRANGED FOR AN ENGLISH RAIL COMPANY TO TRANSPORT A GROUP OF TEMPERANCE WORKERS.

KNOWN AS THE NAPOLEON OF EXCURSIONS, COOK IMMEDIATELY SAW THE POTENTIAL OF A CONVENIENT HOLIDAY TOUR THAT INCLUDED EVERYTHING FOR ONE PRICE.

HE WENT ON TO ORGANIZE TRIPS TO SWITZERLAND AND THE ALPS, WHERE MEN AND WOMEN WOULD SPORT AMONG THE GLACIERS, AND NATURE TOURISM WAS BORN.

THE LEGEND OF WILLIAM TELL PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLE IN DRAWING EARLY TOURISTS TO SWITZERLAND.

VISITORS CAME TO MEET THE DESCENDENTS OF THE STORIED HERO AT THE PLACE THAT INSPIRED THE BIRTH OF A NATION.

PART OF SWITZERLAND'S APPEAL TO 19th-CENTURY ROMANTICS WAS AN IDEALIZED VISION OF SWISS DEMOCRACY.

A MEANDERING HIKING TRAIL KNOWN AS THE SWISS PATH RUNS ALONG THE LOWER PART OF LAKE LUCERNE THROUGH RUTLI MEADOW.

THIS TRAIL PAYS TRIBUTE TO THE EARLY DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT HERE.

>> WE BELIEVE, THAT ACCORDING TO LEGEND, SWITZERLAND WAS FOUNDED THERE, AND THAT'S WHERE THE HEART OF THE NATION IS.

>> THE PATH COMMEMORATES THE 700th ANNIVERSARY OF THE RUTLI OATH, WHERE 3 CANTONS SWORE MUTUAL SUPPORT AND A COMMITMENT TO FREEDOM.

THE OATH WAS POPULARIZED IN AN 1804 PLAY BY FRIEDRICH SCHILLER FEATURING ROMANTIC HERO WILLIAM TELL.

WHEN FORCED TO SHOOT AN APPLE OFF HIS OWN SON'S HEAD, TELL PERSONIFIED SKILLED MARKSMANSHIP AND INSPIRED PATRIOTIC FERVOR AMONG HIS COUNTRYMEN.

>> IT GAVE A SIGNAL TO ALL THE REGION HERE, AND THE PEOPLE DECIDED WE'LL STAND TOGETHER.

THEY CAME TOGETHER ON THE RUTLI MEADOW.

THEY SWORE AN OATH TO PROTECT EACH OTHER AND TO STAND TOGETHER AGAINST FOREIGN JUDGES, AND THEN THEY GOT RID OF THEM.

>> THE TALE ATTRACTED TOURISTS THROUGHOUT EUROPE AND BEYOND, THOSE WHO WANTED TO MEET THESE FABLED PEOPLE LIVING FREE IN A STORIED AND IDYLLIC LAND.

THIS INDEPENDENT SWISS SPIRIT STILL SHINES IN A SMALL GROUP OF PEOPLE KNOWN AS THE WEATHER SNIFFERS.

THEY ARE EXCEPTIONALLY TUNED INTO NATURE AND PRACTICE THE ART OF PREDICTING WEATHER BASED ON THE LANGUAGE OF THE ENVIRONMENT.

>> [SPEAKING GERMAN] >> PETER SUTER HAS LIVED IN THIS VALLEY FOR MORE THAN 80 YEARS.

>> [SPEAKING GERMAN] >> HE LOOKS FOR THE PATTERNS OF SCURRYING ANTS, THE DIAGRAMS OF CLOUDS, PERFUME OF PLANTS, AND OTHER SUBTLE SIGNS OBLIVIOUS TO THE REST OF US.

>> [SPEAKING GERMAN] >> THIS WEATHER SNIFFER WORRIES THAT YOUNG PEOPLE TODAY WALK THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS WITHOUT REALLY SEEING.

HE WISHES THAT THEY WOULD LEARN TO STUDY AND INTERPRET THE SIGNS OF NATURE AND HELP KEEP THIS SKILL ALIVE.

SWITZERLAND, BY NATURE, HAS ALWAYS SOUGHT WAYS TO BALANCE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HUMANS AND THE LAND.

TO THE SOUTHWEST OF LUCERNE, THERE IS HIDDEN VALLEY CALLED ENTLEBUCH WHERE AN EXPERIMENT IS TAKING PLACE, AN ATTEMPT TO PROVIDE WAYS FOR PEOPLE TO BENEFIT FROM THE ENVIRONMENT WITHOUT DAMAGING IT.

>> [SINGING IN GERMAN] >> HERE IN THESE 240 MILES OF ROLLING ALPINE HILLS, TRADITIONAL FARMING PRACTICES RULE.

THE VALLEY HAS BEEN NAMED SWITZERLAND'S FIRST UNESCO BIOSPHERE RESERVE.

BIOSPHERE RESERVES PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PEOPLE AND NATURE.

SINCE FARMING ECONOMIES APPEARED CENTURIES AGO, THE WORLD'S POPULATION HAS GROWN MORE THAN 10,000-FOLD, AND THIS SURGE HAS PUT ENORMOUS PRESSURES ON ALL ECOSYSTEMS.

CAN SUSTAINABLE FARMING PRACTICES WORK IN OUR MODERN WORLD?

ENTLEBUCH'S EXPERIMENT AIMS TO SEE IF THEY CAN.

ITS ORGANIC FARMS--WHICH AVOID SYNTHETIC FERTILIZERS, PESTICIDES, AND LIVESTOCK FEED ADDITIVES--ARE AN IMPORTANT INGREDIENT.

IT'S HERE I MEET THE CHEF WHO CONJURES SOME OF THE WORLD'S MOST ORGANIC DISHES--STEFAN WEISNER.

SO, WHAT'S YOUR MOST FAMOUS DISH?

>> IT'S THE HAY SOUP.

>> THE HAY SOUP?

>> YES.

>> WOW.

WELL, LET'S GO MAKE SOME HAY.

LET'S GO HAVE SOME SOUP.

HE GATHERS EVERYTHING HIMSELF AND LEAVES NO STONE UNTURNED AS HE ROOTS AROUND THE BIOSPHERE.

HIS INGREDIENTS--ANTS, COAL, STONES, SNOW, HAY, SILVER, GOLD, MOSS, FERNS, PEAT, ALPINE ROSES, TREE BARK, AND WHISKEY.

HIS MENU SEEMS A DEMONIC OFFERING THAT LAYS SOMEWHERE BETWEEN BETWEEN ABSURDITY AND TRANSCENDENCE.

THE SOUP EVEN HAS A HAY NEST FOR GARNISH.

>> ENJOY YOUR MEAL.

>> THANK YOU, STEFAN.

MM.

WHAT AN EXPLOSION OF FLAVOR.

THERE ARE 49 DIFFERENT HERBS THAT ARE IN THIS HAY SOUP, AND STEFAN PICKS THEM PERSONALLY.

OH... AMID THE HIGH HILLS OF ENTLEBUCH IS A PORTAL TO SUBTERRANEAN ADVENTURE.

HERE WE GO, INTO THE GROUND.

HA HA!

WE'RE ENTERING INTO ONE OF THE THOUSANDS OF KARST CAVES THAT INFILTRATE SWITZERLAND'S NETHER REGIONS.

>> WE'RE STANDING UNDER THE FARM.

>> UNDER THE FARM?

>> YES.

THE COWS ARE HERE NOW.

>> REALLY?

>> YES.

>> KARST CAVES ARE FORMED WHEN MILDLY ACIDIC WATER SEEPS THROUGH SOLUBLE ROCK, SUCH AS LIMESTONE.

>> IT'S VERY SMOOTHLY, SO PLEASE DON'T TOUCH.

IT GIVES SUCH MANY BREAKS.

THAT'S VERY BAD.

>> THEY OFTEN SHELTER CURIOUS FORMATIONS AND PREHISTORIC WONDERS.

BONES DISCOVERED NEAR HERE PROVE CAVE BEARS ONCE ROAMED THESE RECESSES.

THE CAVE BEAR BECAME EXTINCT AT THE END OF THE LAST ICE AGE, ABOUT 20,000 YEARS AGO.

WE'RE LOOKING AT FOSSILS FROM AN ANCIENT SEA BED, TENS OF MILLIONS OF YEARS OLD.

THIS IS LOOKING AT THE INNER EARTH, THE BEGINNINGS OF TIME, THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE ON EARTH.

THE BEDROCK HERE WAS THRUST FROM AN OCEAN FLOOR, AND THE CAVE IS NOW A CHAMBER OF THE EARTH'S EARLIEST TREASURES.

>> OK.

PLEASE SWITCH OFF YOUR LIGHTS AND HAVE A LOOK INTO THE DARKNESS.

>> ENTLEBUCH IS BUT ONE EXAMPLE OF AN ECO SENSIBILITY THAT HAS BEEN A HALLMARK OF SWITZERLAND AND CONTINUES IN ALL QUARTERS, FROM DINNER TABLES TO TRANSPORTATION.

SWISS INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES PROVIDES TRAVELERS A CARBON OFFSET PROGRAM THAT DONATES TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS, AND TRAINS, TRAMS, AND SMART CARS ARE EVERYWHERE.

IT USED TO BE THAT WHEN AUTUMN'S CHILL TURNED FRIGID, IT WAS TIME TO LEAVE THE ALPS, BUT IN THE 19th CENTURY, THAT MINDSET CHANGED.

WHEN THE WHITE CAT OF WINTER COVERS THE MOUNTAINS, THE FASHIONABLE CROWD HEADS TO THE EXTREME SOUTHEAST OF SWITZERLAND, TO THE ENGADINE VALLEY.

HERE, SYBARITIC MIXES WITH ETHEREAL IN ST. MORITZ.

ENGADINE OPENS TO A PANORAMA OF CHILLING BLISS.

THE VALLEY, FLOCKED IN THICK FORESTS, RUNS FOR 60 MILES ALONG A SOUTHERN TERRACE OF THE ALPS.

ISOLATED FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS BY A SHIELD OF SHEER, ROCKY SUMMITS AND DEEPLY FOLDING LOUNGING IN THE ENGADINE ARE SEVERAL ELEGANT HOLIDAY RESORTS, INCLUDING GLITZY ST. MORITZ.

LONG CONSIDERED AN EXCLUSIVE WINTER GETAWAY FOR THE ELITE, ST. MORITZ IS LEGENDARY FOR ITS DRY, SPARKLING-CHAMPAGNE CLIMATE.

THE SUN SHINES HERE AN AVERAGE OF 322 DAYS A YEAR, AND A FLURRY OF OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, SOME QUITE DANGEROUS, PULSES AND INVITES.

ATTRACTED BY NATURAL MINERAL SPRINGS, THE INTREPID HAVE VENTURED TO THIS SPOT FOR SOME 3,000 YEARS SEEKING SOLACE IN THE HEALING MOUNTAIN WATERS.

THIS IS THE FOUNT FOR ALL TOURISM IN ST. MORITZ.

IN THE 16th CENTURY, A GERMAN DOCTOR PRAISED THE WATERS HERE AS THE BEST IN ALL OF EUROPE, AND FROM THAT POINT ON, PEOPLE FLOCKED FROM AROUND THE WORLD TO ST. MORITZ.

CELEBRITIES SUCH AS ALFRED HITCHCOCK, BRIGITTE BARDOT, CHARLIE CHAPLIN, AND THE KENNEDYS ALL FOUND PLEASURE HERE IN THE ECHO OF ITS FORMIDABLE AVALANCHES.

ST. MORITZ IS ALSO CONSIDERED THE BIRTHPLACE OF WINTER TOURISM.

IT ALL STARTED IN SEPTEMBER OF 1864, WHEN A LOCAL HOTEL PIONEER, JOHANNES BADRUTT, MADE A BET WITH 4 OF HIS ENGLISH GUESTS THAT IF THEY STAYED THE WINTER, THEY WOULD FIND THE EXPERIENCE MORE AGREEABLE THAN DREADFUL.

THIS WAS BACK IN THE DAYS WHEN STAYING IN THE MOUNTAINS BEYOND THE SHORT SUMMER SEASON WAS CONSIDERED SUICIDAL.

THE STRATEGY PAID OFF, AND THE GUESTS STAYED ALL THE WAY THROUGH EASTER.

AS WORD SPREAD, EVER-LARGER NUMBERS OF PATRONS CAME TO ENJOY THE BRACING WINTER SPORTS AND WHAT THE ROMANTICS CALLED "THE AGREEABLE HORROR."

LORDING OVER ST. MORITZ IS THE REGAL BADRUTT'S PALACE HOTEL.

SET AMID THE LUMINOUS WHITE ALPS, THE HOTEL HAS RECENTLY GONE DISTINCTLY GREEN.

A NEW ENERGY-EFFICIENT PUMP SYSTEM THAT USES WATER FROM LAKE ST. MORITZ IS NOW THE MAIN HEAT SOURCE.

>> WE USED TO HAVE AN OIL HEATING SYSTEM, AND THIS NEW SYSTEM ENABLES US TO SAVE OVER 400,000 LITERS OF OIL PER YEAR, AND THIS REDUCES THE CARBON EMISSIONS BY ABOUT 80%.

>> THE PUMP TECHNOLOGY IS A LITTLE HARD TO GRASP, BUT ESSENTIALLY, WHEREVER THE TEMPERATURE IS HIGHER THAN ZERO, AS IN LAKE ST. MORITZ, THERE IS SOME HEAT THAT CAN BE EXTRACTED.

THE PUMP COMPRESSES THAT HEAT SO THAT WHAT WAS ONLY SLIGHTLY WARM BECOMES HOT.

SO, IT'S ONE OF THE REASONS THAT THIS IS SO CLEAN AND BLUE AND PRISTINE.

>> THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT, TO KEEP THIS NATURAL BEAUTY AND HERITAGE OF SWITZERLAND AND THE ENGADINE VALLEY.

>> TODAY ST. MORITZ HAS A VILLAGE-WIDE INITIATIVE TO INSTALL HEAT PUMPS IN ALL NEW BUILDINGS.

IT'S NOT A TRENDY THING.

IF ALL DON'T TAKE A HAND IN ARRESTING CLIMATE CHANGE, THEN THE SNOW AND GLACIERS HERE WILL BE GONE, AND ST. MORITZ WILL MELT INTO HISTORY.

>> I THINK NOWADAYS EVERYBODY IS CONCERNED WITH CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE ENVIRONMENT AND NATURE, AND BEING A TOURISM MANAGER, YOU KNOW THAT NATURE IS OUR MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE OFFER-- THE SCENERY, THE LANDSCAPE, THE WATER.

YOU CAN DRINK THE WATER ALL OVER SWITZERLAND RIGHT FROM THE TAP.

>> THIS IS ALSO KNOWN AS AN ADVENTURE TRAVEL CAPITAL, SO WHAT KIND OF ADVENTURE SPORTS CAN YOU DO HERE?

>> WELL, MORE OR LESS ALL OF THEM.

YOU SEE I JUST BROKE MY THUMB... >> WHAT HAPPENED HERE?

>> BY SNOWBOARDING.

>> YOU PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH.

>> YES, AS A MATTER OF FACT, YES, A QUESTION OF CREDIBILITY.

>> REFLECTING UPON THE ALPS, PERCY SHELLEY WROTE, "DANGERS WHICH SPORT UPON THE BRINK OF PRECIPICES HAVE BEEN MY PLAYMATE."

FOR SKIERS TODAY, THE SWISS ALPS ARE SYNONYMOUS WITH THRILLING RUNS, A CHANCE TO EXPERIENCE THE GLORIOUS INTENSITY OF WINTER'S STING, SO SKIING HERE IS A MODERN EXAMPLE OF AN AGREEABLE KIND OF HORROR.

YOU CAN GET AS CLOSE TO THE EDGE AS YOU DARE.

THE ROOTS OF SKIING DATE BACK TO THE LATTER HALF OF THE 19th CENTURY.

BEFORE LIFTS EVEN HAD BEEN IMAGINED, BRAVE, ENERGETIC INDIVIDUALS MADE THE EXHAUSTING TREK UP THE MOUNTAIN FOR THE REWARD OF GLIDING BACK DOWN.

THE FIRST SWISS SKI SCHOOL WAS FOUNDED HERE IN 1929.

DURING THE THIRTIES, ALPINE SKIING BECAME A POPULAR EUROPEAN PASTIME, AS NEWLY-INVENTED SKI LIFTS ELIMINATED THE LABOR OF MOUNTAIN CLIMBING.

TODAY, SOME 60 MODERN LIFTS OFFER OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE SIMULATED SUBLIME, A SENSE OF SURRENDERING TO FORCES OUTSIDE ONE'S CONTROL.

JOHN RUSKIN--PHILOSOPHER, WRITER, AND PAINTER OF NATURE-- ONCE REMARKED, "I HAVE MADE UP MY MIND.

THE FINEST THINGS ONE CAN SEE IN SUMMER ARE NOTHING COMPARED TO THE WINTER SCENERY AMONG THE ALPS.

>> [SINGING IN GERMAN] >> ONE ARTIST DEEPLY LINKED TO THESE MOUNTAINS IS GIOVANNI SEGANTINI.

HE PAINTED MANY OF HIS GREATEST LANDSCAPES AND ALLEGORICAL IMAGES IN A HUT THAT HANGS ABOVE THE ENGADINE VALLEY.

SEGANTINI WAS BORN IN THE FOOTHILLS OF THE ALPS AND WAS DRAWN TO THE GRAND AND TERRIBLE AND LUMINESCENT THEMES OF LIFE AND DEATH IN THE MOUNTAINS.

HE SPENT LONG HOURS OF SOLITUDE IN DRAWING.

HIS PAINTINGS ARE FILLED WITH THE SENSE OF THE HUMAN NEED TO IDENTIFY WITH A SPECIFIC PLACE, AN ARCHETYPAL LANDSCAPE TO WHICH ONE RETURNS TIME AND AGAIN.

FOR HIM, MOUNTAINS HAD THE POWER TO RELEASE US FROM EVERYDAY LIFE.

ST. MORITZ BECAME A CORRECTIVE TO THE ILLS OF THE BIG CITIES, BUT ANOTHER APPEAL WAS ITS MULTICULTURALISM.

BEING CLOSE TO THE BORDERS OF ITALY, AUSTRIA, AND GERMANY, IT'S A LAND OF MANY LANGUAGES, INCLUDING THE ANCIENT TONGUE OF ROMANSH.

>> [SPEAKING ROMANSH] >> ROMANSH IS SPOKEN BY LESS THAN 1% OF THE SWISS, BUT MANY OF ITS NATIVE SPEAKERS ARE CONCENTRATED IN THIS REGION.

BUN DI.

CO VAI?

>> BAIN.

>> MM, BUN.

IT'S THOUGHT TO HAVE DESCENDED FROM A STRAIN OF LATIN SPOKEN BY ROMAN SOLDIERS WHO ONCE OCCUPIED THE AREA.

>> [SINGING IN ROMANSH] >> THE SWISS IN THIS CANTON, CONCERNED THAT LANGUAGE IS IN DANGER OF DYING OUT, REQUIRE IT BE TAUGHT TO LOCAL SCHOOL CHILDREN HERE.

>> [SINGING ENDS] >> BUN.

[APPLAUSE] >> OUR SEARCH FOR THE SUBLIME NOW TAKES US ABOARD THE FAMOUS GLACIER EXPRESS.

WE'LL FOLLOW A SIDE TRACK TO THE BERNESE OBERLAND AND THEN TRUNDLE ON TO ZERMATT.

IF THERE IS A TRAIN JOURNEY THAT QUALIFIES AS SUBLIME, IT'S THE GLACIER EXPRESS.

DUBBED THE SLOWEST EXPRESS IN THE WORLD, IT TAKES 7 1/2 HOURS TO TRAVEL JUST 169 MILES, MAXIMIZING THE HEART-STIRRING VIEWS.

>> [SPEAKS JAPANESE] >> [SPEAKS JAPANESE] >> HEY, YOU SPEAK JAPANESE.

>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

>> HERE IN SWITZERLAND, WE'RE RIDING A PRECISION INSTRUMENT THAT IN OTHER COUNTRIES IS KNOWN AS A TRAIN, AND THE TERRAIN WE TRAVERSE IS A TRIUMPH OF THE SENSES OVER REASON.

IN THE 1920s, RAPTUROUS REPORTS FROM ALPINE ADVENTURERS DREW TRAVELERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD ANXIOUS TO EXPERIENCE THE MAJESTY OF THE MOUNTAINS AND THE PROFOUND FEELINGS THEY PROVOKED.

THE GLACIER EXPRESS RAN THE FIRST TIME IN 1931, STITCHING A LINE ACROSS THE ALPS FROM ZERMATT TO ST. MORITZ.

SEATED IN ELEGANT SALON CARS A SAFE DISTANCE FROM THE SCENERY, THE GUESTS WERE AWED BY WHAT THEY SAW.

THE SWISS RAIL SYSTEM IS, WITHOUT A DOUBT, THE BEST WAY TO GET AROUND THE COUNTRY.

TRAINS ARE CLEAN, RELIABLE, AND FREQUENT.

VIRTUALLY ALL RAILWAYS IN SWITZERLAND ARE ELECTRIC, WHICH MINIMIZES POLLUTION.

THIS COUNTRY IS TAKING ENVIRONMENTAL WARNINGS SERIOUSLY.

A RECENT REPORT OUT OF MAJOR UNIVERSITIES RANKED SWITZERLAND AT THE TOP OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE INDEX.

SWITZERLAND PERFORMED ESPECIALLY WELL IN THE AREAS OF CONSERVATION AND RENEWABLE ENERGY.

THE SWISS GOVERNMENT ALSO OFFERS STRONG INCENTIVES FOR RECYCLING.

AT THE STATION IN ANDERMATT, THE GLACIER EXPRESS CONNECTS TO A TRAIN TO THE BERNESE OBERLAND AND JUNGFRAU REGION.

ONE IS SEIZED BY A SOBER INTOXICATION FROM THE SIGHT OF THE ICE-DIPPED MOUNTAINS OF THE BERNESE OBERLAND.

CROWNING THE AREA ARE 3 POWERHOUSE PEAKS--THE EIGER, THE MONCH... AND THE JUNGFRAU.

LEGEND HOLDS THAT THE MONK PEAK IS PROTECTING THE YOUNG FRAU FROM THE NEARBY OGRE, AN APT MIX OF HORROR AND ILLUMINATION.

MARK TWAIN, VISITING IN 1891, WROTE, "IT IS A GOOD NAME, JUNGFRAU--VIRGIN.

NOTHING COULD BE WHITER; NOTHING COULD BE PURER; NOTHING COULD BE SAINTLIER OF ASPECT."

THE TERRAIN PROVIDES A DRAMATIC RECORD OF THE IMMENSE GEOLOGICAL SHIFTING THAT FORMED THE ALPS MANY MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO.

THE CAR-FREE VILLAGE OF WENGEN SITS ON A SHELTERED, SUN-SOAKED TERRACE HIGH ABOVE THE VALLEY FLOOR.

CENTURIES AGO, THE SWISS SHUNNED THE SURROUNDING MOUNTAINS.

>> IT WAS ACTUALLY ENGLISH EXPLORERS WHO WANTED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE ALPS, GLACIERS, MOUNTAINS, AND THEY CAME HERE TO GO UP THESE MOUNTAINS WITHOUT SWISS GUIDES AT THE TIME, BUT AFTER A SHORT TIME, THE SWISS, FIRST, NOTICED THAT THERE WAS NO DANGER AND NO DEVIL, AND, SECOND, THEY FOUND OUT THEY CAN MAKE SOME EXTRA MONEY WITH THESE FOREIGN PEOPLE COMING HERE AND WANTING TO GO UP THESE MOUNTAINS.

>> IT WAS HERE LORD BYRON WAS INSPIRED TO WRITE HIS LITERARY GOTHIC NOVEL "MANFRED."

>> IT JUST TAKES YOUR EMOTIONS, AND YOU JUST FEEL THAT YOU'RE IN A SPECIAL PLACE AND IT'S NOT JUST A REGULAR PLACE.

>> TOURISTS BEGAN TO ARRIVE IN THIS AREA IN THE EARLY 1800s.

ONE OF THE FIRST WAS ROMANTIC COMPOSER FELIX MENDELSSOHN.

AN ENTHUSIASTIC HIKER, HE TRAMPED THE STAGGERING PEAKS AND JAGGED EDGES OF GLACIERS TO AN AWAKENING SENSE OF WONDER.

HE EVEN WROTE SEVERAL SYMPHONIES TO HONOR THEM.

FOR SHELLEY AND WORDSWORTH, THE ALPS WERE SYMBOLS OF ETERNITY, BUT WHILE POETS WERE CONTENT TO CONTEMPLATE THE SCENERY, TODAY'S VISITORS WANT TO PUT THEMSELVES IN IT.

AN EFFICIENT SERIES OF TRAIN AND GONDOLA CONNECTIONS GIVE EASY ACCESS TO THE HEADY BLEND OF PLEASURE AND TERROR THAT THESE VAULTS AND PRECIPICES ALLOW.

FROM KLEINE SHEIDEGG, THE JUNGFRAU RAILWAY COILS UP THE MOUNTAIN TO THE HIGHEST RAILWAY STATION IN EUROPE.

THE RAIL, WHICH DRILLS ITS WAY THROUGH 3 MASSIVE MOUNTAINS, WAS THE BRAINCHILD OF ADOLF GUYER-ZELLER, A SWISS ENTREPRENEUR AND RAILWAY PIONEER.

IN 1896, GUYER-ZELLER LAUNCHED HIS PLAN, WHICH INCLUDED DIGGING A 4 1/2-MILE TUNNEL THROUGH SOLID ALPINE ROCK.

HUNDREDS OF LABORERS WORKED ROUND-THE-CLOCK SHIFTS WHILE TECHNICAL HURDLES AND FINANCIAL PROBLEMS MOUNTED.

SEVERAL WORKERS LOST THEIR LIVES, AND IN ONE NOTORIOUS ACCIDENT, 30 TONS OF DYNAMITE WENT OFF IN A BLAST THAT WAS SAID TO HAVE ECHOED ALL THE WAY TO GERMANY'S BLACK FOREST.

9 YEARS BEHIND SCHEDULE AND 5 MILLION FRANCS OVER BUDGET, THE JUNGFRAUBAHN OPENED TO AN ENTHUSIASTIC PUBLIC.

TODAY MORE THAN 500,000 VISITORS A YEAR MAKE THIS JOURNEY AND EAGERLY ASCEND THE FINAL ELEVATOR THAT TAKES THEM TO SCENES THAT STEAL ONE'S BREATH AND EXCITE POWERFUL, ALMOST OVERWHELMING EMOTION.

AT MORE THAN 11,300 FEET, THE JUNGFRAU STATION PROVIDES TRANSCENDENT VISTAS.

YOU CAN SEE ALL THE WAY TO FRANCE, GERMANY, AND ITALY.

EDMUND BURKE WROTE IN THE 18th CENTURY THAT "TERROR IS A PASSION THAT ALWAYS PRODUCES DELIGHT WHEN IT DOES NOT PRESS TOO CLOSE."

THE SWISS EARLY ON UNDERSTOOD THIS APPEAL, AND, BY CREATING A SAFE WAY TO THIS DANGEROUS LOFT, HAVE ENABLED MILLIONS OF VISITORS TO BE DAZZLED AND DELIGHTED IN THE THIN AIR.

IT WAS HERE THAT ONE OF THE MOST PROFOUND REVOLUTIONS IN THOUGHT EVER OCCURRED--THE TRANSITION FROM FEAR TO CELEBRATION OF NATURE, AND HERE, THEN, IS THE HEART OF ONE OF OUR MOST POWERFUL YEARNINGS--THE CRAVING TO FIND IN NATURE A CONSOLATION FOR OUR OWN MORTALITY.

OK. OOP--SORRY.

THIS IS EUROPE'S HIGHEST WEATHER STATION AND HOME TO AN INTERNATIONAL GROUP OF SCIENTISTS WHO HAVE A UNIQUE CONNECTION WITH THE NATURAL FORCES THAT PUMMEL THESE MOUNTAINS.

THEY LIVE AT THE JUNGFRAU STATION AND TAKE ENVIRONMENTAL READINGS ON A DAILY BASIS.

HAVE YOU OR YOUR TEAM NOTICED ANY CHANGE IN THE ENVIRONMENT OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS?

>> OH, CERTAINLY.

SOME OF THE RESEARCH TEAMS WORKING HERE HAVE BEEN ACTIVE FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS, AND THERE ARE CHANGES.

ESPECIALLY WHEN WE HAVE A LOOK AT THESE GLACIERS HERE, WE SEE SOME CHANGES IN LENGTH AND IN THICKNESS, AND ALSO, IF WE RECORD THE LONG-TERM TREND IN TEMPERATURE, THERE IS AN EFFECT.

>> ALL OF SWITZERLAND'S GLACIERS--THERE ARE MORE THAN A HUNDRED--HAVE LOST ABOUT 15% OF THEIR SURFACE IN JUST THE PAST 20 YEARS.

ONE SKI RESORT HAS EVEN WRAPPED PART OF ITS GLACIER IN A GIANT BLANKET TO TRY TO REDUCE THE SUMMER MELT.

ACCORDING TO ESTIMATES, IF THE TREND CONTINUES, 3/4 OF SWITZERLAND'S GLACIERS WILL HAVE MELTED IN 30 TO 40 YEARS.

BELOW THE JUNGFRAU STATION, THERE SHIMMERS A BLUE WORLD KNOWN AS THE ICE PALACE.

THIS FROZEN HALL WAS ORIGINALLY CARVED ABOUT 50 YEARS AGO BY TWO MOUNTAIN GUIDES USING ICE PICKS AND SAWS.

THE ARCHES AND TUNNELS NOW MUST BE CONTINUALLY RECARVED AND CORRECTED AS THE GLACIER SLOWLY MOVES DOWN THE MOUNTAIN... AND EACH YEAR, A LOCAL ICE ARTIST PAINSTAKINGLY CARVES NEW SCULPTURES, WINTERY CREATURES THAT FLOAT IN A FROZEN WORLD.

IMMERSING ONESELF IN THE RARIFIED WORLD OF THE ALPS CAN BE AS SIMPLE AS SLEDDING DOWN A FROST-COATED HILLSIDE.

IN 1793, GERMAN TRAVEL WRITER JOHANN EBEL COMPOSED THE FIRST COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO SWITZERLAND.

HE WROTE, "IT CAN RELIABLY BE SAID THAT THERE IS NO COUNTRY, NO PART OF OUR EARTH, WHICH WOULD BE SO CURIOUS AND INTERESTING IN AS MANY RESPECTS AS SWITZERLAND."

EVERYTHING THAT IS GREAT, SUBLIME, TERRIBLE, AND DREADFUL; EVERYTHING THAT IS ROMANTIC, GENTLE, CHARMING, CHEERFUL IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD OF NATURE SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN UNITED HERE IN A SMALL SPACE IN ORDER TO MAKE THIS COUNTRY INTO THE GARDEN OF EUROPE.

IT'S A SHORT GONDOLA RIDE FROM WENGEN TO THE TOWN OF MURREN.

MANY SKIERS GET OFF AT THIS POINT TO SKI DOWN OR STROLL THE QUINTESSENTIAL SWISS VILLAGE.

[CHILDREN SPEAKING GERMAN] OTHERS WAIT FOR A CABLE CAR THAT CLIMBS TO A HIGH PEAK CALLED THE SCHILTHORN.

THE LONG AERIAL CABLEWAY MAKES EASY WORK OF THE CRAGGY FACE THAT CAPS WITH THE SCHILTHORN.

PERCHED ATOP THE SCHILTHORN IS A ROTATING ARCHITECTURAL ACHIEVEMENT--THE PIZ GLORIA RESTAURANT.

AS JAMES BOND FANS WILL SURELY REMEMBER, PIZ GLORIA WAS USED AS THE LOCATION FOR SUPERVILLAIN BLOFELD'S HEADQUARTERS IN THE 1969 FILM "ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE."

NOW, YOU CAN COME AND HAVE A JAMES BOND BREAKFAST HERE OR JAMES BOND SPAGHETTI.

WHEN IT WAS BUILT, THE ROTATING PANORAMIC RESTAURANT WAS CONSIDERED A PIONEERING TRIUMPH OF THE ILLUSION OF HAZARDS COMBINED WITH CHEESE AND WINE.

DINERS FOUND THEMSELVES SAFELY PLACED BUT MADE GIDDY BY REVOLVING AT SUCH HEIGHTS, A BIT LIKE WATCHING A JAMES BOND MOVIE.

WITH MY DESIRE FOR THE SUBLIME SHAKEN AND STIRRED, I MUST MOVE ON.

TO COMPLETE THIS JOURNEY, WE HEAD TOWARD THE SOUTHEASTERN BORDER OF THE COUNTRY AND THE LAST LEG OF THE GLACIER EXPRESS.

THE ULTIMATE STOP ON THE GLACIER EXPRESS TAKES US TO THE ZENITH OF MOUNTAIN TOWNS--ZERMATT.

>> [SINGING IN GERMAN] >> PACKED WITH AESTHETIC EXTREMES, ZERMATT STANDS AS A PINNACLE.

THE TOWN'S BACKDROP, THE MATTERHORN, CLIMBS THE SKY AND FENCES THE WORLD.

ITS FABLED BEAUTY PUTS ALL SMALL THOUGHTS TO DEATH.

YET, THIS IS AN INTIMATE TOWN, EASILY WALKED IN HALF AN HOUR.

AN ECO SENSIBILITY HAS ALWAYS INFUSED ZERMATT, AND, LIKE WENGEN, IT'S CAR-FREE.

>> ZERMATT IS NOT ACTUALLY A BIG CITY, SO YOU CAN EASILY MAKE IT FROM ONE SIDE TO THE OTHER WALKING THROUGH THE TOWN, AND YOU DON'T HAVE ANY POLLUTION.

YOU DON'T HAVE THE NOISE.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE WORRIED TO GO RUN INTO A CAR.

THAT'S ALSO VERY GOOD FOR THE KIDS, FOR EXAMPLE... >> I LOVE THAT.

I LOVE THAT.

>> AND THEN ALSO IF YOU ARE BUILDING NOWADAYS HOUSES, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO PUT IN ANY MORE THE OIL HEATERS.

NOW WE'RE USING A LOT OF THE NATURAL SOURCES, LIKE SOLAR POWER, WIND POWER, OR ALSO THE HEAT FROM THE GROUND.

>> THE MATTERHORN WAS THE LAST MAJOR MOUNTAIN OF THE ALPS TO BE CLIMBED.

IT WAS TECHNICALLY DIFFICULT AND RIGHTLY FILLED EARLY MOUNTAINEERS WITH FEAR.

THE FIRST ASCENT, BY EDWARD WHYMPER IN 1865, WAS REGARDED AS A SENSATION, AND IT ENDED IN SENSATIONAL TRAGEDY WHEN 4 MEMBERS FELL TO THEIR DEATHS DURING THE DESCENT, BUT THE ACCIDENT MADE THE MOUNTAIN FAMOUS AND INSPIRED WAVES OF RUBBERNECKERS WHO CAME TO REGARD THE DEADLY PEAK FROM THE SANCTUARY OF ZERMATT.

150 YEARS AGO, ZERMATT WAS A POOR MOUNTAIN VILLAGE OF WOODEN HUTS SUPPORTED BY STONE SLABS.

BATTLING THE RUGGED FORCES OF NATURE WAS A DAY-TO-DAY STRUGGLE.

THEN THE PROSPERITY BROUGHT BY THE TOURISM INDUSTRY CHANGED THE WHOLE WAY OF LIFE HERE.

IT WAS THE LEGACY OF FIRST ASCENDERS WHO RISKED EVERYTHING IN THEIR ATTEMPTS TO CONQUER THE MOUNTAINS.

I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN A NUMBER OF FIRST DESCENTS OF GREAT WILD RIVERS, SO I BELIEVE I UNDERSTAND HOW FIRST ASCENTS OF GREAT MOUNTAINS ARE MOMENTOUS.

THEY INVOLVE GENUINE EXPLORATION AND RISK, BUT THEY ALSO PROVIDE A LADDER TO THE SUBLIME.

WHAT REALLY ENTHRALLED THE CULTIVATED MIND IN THE ROMANTIC PERIOD WAS ELEVATION.

MORE AND MORE BEGAN TO EXPOSE THEMSELVES TO THE PLEASURES AND THE DANGERS OF HEIGHT, AND THE NOTION OF SUMMIT AS GOAL TOOK HOLD.

ZERMATT HAS ONE OF THE BEST NETWORKS OF CABLE CARS, TRAMS, GONDOLAS, AND RAILWAYS IN THE WORLD.

AN ENGINEERING MASTERPIECE, THE GORNERGRAT RAILWAY COGS ITS CHARGES UP TO A DIZZYING 10,000 FEET.

MY FRIEND AND GUIDE AMADE PERRIG JOINS US AS WE MOVE CLOSER TO THE MATTERHORN AND THE OBJECT OF OUR QUEST.

SO, HOW MANY TIMES DID YOU CLIMB THE MATTERHORN?

>> WELL, I DON'T KNOW.

I DON'T REMEMBER HOW MANY TIMES ACTUALLY, BUT IT WAS, I WOULD SAY, AROUND 20 TIMES I CLIMBED THAT MOUNTAIN.

YEAH.

>> IT'S A THRILLING JOURNEY UP THROUGH SWEET-SCENTED FORESTS AND ALPINE MEADOWS, OVER DARK CANYONS AND CHAOTIC WATERFALLS, AND PAST LOOMING CLIFFS.

BUILT IN THE LATE 19th CENTURY, THE TRAIN ALLOWS THE UBIQUITOUS IMPULSE TO GET CLOSE TO THE MENACE OF THE MOUNTAINS AND TO TOUCH THE SKY.

>> [YODELING] >> HA HA HA!

>> OFFICIALLY, WE HAVE 4 LANGUAGES--GERMAN, FRENCH, ITALIAN, AND ROMANSCH--BUT WE PEOPLE FROM THE MOUNTAIN, WE SAY WE HAVE ANOTHER ONE.

IT'S A FIFTH LANGUAGE.

IT'S CALLED YODELING.

[YODELING] >> SINCE THE ROMANTICS FIRST ARTICULATED THE APPEAL OF GRAND NATURE, MORE AND MORE HAVE VENTURED INTO THE TERRIBLE BEAUTY OF THE ALPS, AND THE BRUTE LARGENESS THAT HAS FASCINATED WAYFARERS THE MOST IS THE 14,600-FOOT-HIGH MATTERHORN.

HERE, IN THE SHADOW OF THE MATTERHORN, IT MAY BE POSSIBLE TO GRASP THE MEANING OF THE SUBLIME.

THE LANDSCAPE IS ONE OF INCOMPREHENSIBLE ENORMITY, AN EXHILARATING COCKTAIL OF DREAD AND BLISS, BUT WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

BECAUSE THESE POWERFUL FEELINGS MAKE US FEEL MOST ALIVE, AND WITHOUT THE ALPS, WITHOUT THE VITALIZING GIFTS OF GRAND NATURE, WITHOUT SWITZERLAND, THESE FEELINGS DULL AND PERHAPS CEASE, AND IN A WORSE-CASE SCENARIO, WE GIVE UP ON OURSELVES AND OUR PLANET, OR WE CAN OPT TO HONOR NATURE, TO BE AWED BY IT, AND KEEP ALIVE THE QUEST.

FOR SO MUCH OF HUMAN HISTORY, WE'VE LIVED TO DOMINATE THE NATURAL WORLD, TO BATTLE IT, ALWAYS TAKING, NEVER CELEBRATING, BUT EARLY TRAVELERS TO SWITZERLAND DISCOVERED SOMETHING THAT CHANGED THAT THINKING.

THEY FOUND A LANDSCAPE THAT VALIDATED AND INSPIRED.

SWITZERLAND AND THE ALPS CHARGES US TO RECONSIDER OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH NATURE AND WITH OURSELVES BUT, PERHAPS MOST PROFOUNDLY, TO KNOW THAT TO BE HERE IS TO BE IN THE SUBLIME.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND LINKS, GO TO OUR WEB SITE...

THIS IS RICHARD BANGS FOR "ADVENTURES WITH PURPOSE."

>> DVDs OF "SWITZERLAND: QUEST FOR THE SUBLIME" ARE $24.95 EACH PLUS SHIPPING.

THE BOOK IS $16.95.

THE DVD AND BOOK TOGETHER ARE $35.95.

TWO HOURS OF DVD EXTRAS INCLUDE BONUS CLIPS, BEHIND-THE-SCENES GLIMPSES, AND STORIES AND COMMENTARY FROM RICHARD.

"SWITZERLAND" DVDs AND "QUEST FOR THE SUBLIME" BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE ON-LINE AT ADVENTURESWITHPURPOSE.TV OR BY CALLING 800-866-7425.

>> [CHANTING] >> SUPPORT FOR "ADVENTURES WITH PURPOSE" IS PROVIDED IN PART BY EXOFFICIO ADVENTURE TRAVEL APPAREL WITH BUILT-IN FEATURES SUCH AS UV PROTECTION; BUG REPELLENCY; WATER, STAIN, AND WRINKLE RESISTANCE.

EXOFFICIO--CLOTHES FOR THE ADVENTUROUS SPIRIT, ON-LINE AT EXOFFICIO.COM.