2 minute read
PEAK PERFORMANCE
WATCH
What it’s like to visit Piz Gloria, which starred in 1969’s 007 film, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
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PEAK
PERFORMANCE
Switzerland’s legendary winter playground, the Mürren-Schilthorn region rises spectacularly above the Lauterbrunnen Valley near Interlaken, writes Natasha Dragun.
If you’ve seen On Her Majesty’s Secret Service – the 1969 James Bond movie where George Lazenby takes over the role of MI6 spy 007 – then you won’t need an introduction to Schilthorn, a spectacularly jagged Swiss peak that juts 2,970 metres into the clouds.
Numerous scenes from this legendary blockbuster were filmed in this postcard-perfect patch of the Bernese Alps; the screenplay’s (and book’s) author Ian Fleming even gave the villain’s hideout here an enduring name: Piz Gloria.
These days, however, Piz Gloria is a little more welcoming than evil Blofeld’s lair: it’s a 360-degree revolving restaurant offering tasty Swiss treats and ridiculously ravishing views over the Eiger, Monch and World Heritage-listed Jungfrau, in addition to some 200 other snowdappled peaks.
The other way the Hollywood movie’s presence here is immortalised forever is at Bond World 007 and the Walk of Fame. Both attractions top Schilthorn in spectacular style, and offer the opportunity to pose for snaps, secret-agent style, and relive 007 movie moments in a helicopter or a bobsled. Or perhaps with a chilled martini in hand...
Truth be told, you don’t need to be following in the footsteps of a spy to feel like you’re on top of the world in this part of Switzerland. This is where
WATCH
Enjoy your own 007 James Bond moment on Schilthorn.
01 Piz Gloria restaurant atop Schilthorn © Guy Bolton/Schilthornbahn AG 02 Skiing Schilthorn © Markus Zimmerman/Switzerland Tourism 03 You’ll feel on top of the world arriving at Schilthorn © David Birri/Switzerland Tourism
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panoramic and majestic vistas unfold across the horizon and remind us all just how insignificant we are – but in the best possible way.
Your ride here from Mürren – the alpine gateway village from where you alight your cablecar – offers a thrilling ascent into the clouds toward Birg Station.
If you do choose to stop here – in the summer or winter months – you can rest assured your heart rate will soon be racing. When the mercury rises, steel yourself for the Thrill Walk: a 200-metre walkway that clings to the rocks and culminates at the Skyline Walk, a glassbottomed platform jutting over a precipitous cliff. End of the Earth moments are guaranteed.
Adrenaline pumps just as fast in winter when you tackle the ‘Inferno Slopes’. This is almost 15 kilometres of pure powder – among the longest runs in Switzerland – and taking you all the way from the Schilthorn to Lauterbrunnen. Visit in January to witness a jawdropping ski race that will have you clutching for your poles.
