What Does a Deadly Landslide Mean For This Iconic Swiss Bouldering Area?

Devastating landslides swept through the Swiss cantons of Ticino and Valais in the morning of Sunday, June 30 after hours of heavy rain. Over 100 buildings have been destroyed in Ticino and at least seven people have been confirmed dead, some from drowning in high water and others from being buried under rocks and debris. The death toll is expected to rise further, as several other locals are still missing, according to Swiss pro boulderer Giuliano Cameroni. Cameroni lives near the mouth of Bavona, one of the valleys hit by the slides.

The six-mile-long river valley is home to a number of world-famous boulder problems, including Cameroni’s Poison the Well (V16), Daniel Woods’ 4-Lo (V15), Jimmy Webb’s La Rustica (V15) and Primitivo (V15), Shawn Raboutou’s Roadkill (V15), and Nalle Hukkataival’s Off the Wagon (V14), which is perhaps best known for a V16 low variant from Raboutou.

The June 30 landslide was just the latest in a string of similar slides that battered southern Switzerland in recent weeks. Another massive slide narrowly missed the village of Brienz on June 16, requiring the 100-odd residents to evacuate. A week later, landslides smashed through houses in Lostallo. Several individuals are still missing as a result of that slide, and one has been found dead.

Cameroni, who lives near the joint of Bavona and neighboring valley Lavizzara, said the valleys were hit hard by several hours of heavy rain, beginning around 10:00 p.m. on Saturday night. The landslides began just after 1:30 a.m. “I have never seen or heard so much rain in my life,” Cameroni told Climbing. “So loud, so heavy. It was quite scary. Lightning was cracking in the sky nonstop, almost every second.”

Cameroni, his partner, and their eight-month-old son were forced to evacuate on foot after the landslides washed away the only vehicular bridge leading down valley. He spoke to another local who came within a hair’s breadth of death in the slides. “The guy hears these crazy sounds, so he opens his front door, and water and rocks just flood into his house,” Cameroni said. “His house was totally flooded. He and his father managed to run out, up the hill on the opposite side, and save two other people, but just barely. He was traumatized. I’ve never met anyone that [messed up].”

Dave Graham, Jimmy Webb, and others shared photos of the devastating aftermath of the slides. Cameroni said that because he and other locals were evacuated from the region, he hasn’t been able to return and see the full extent of the damage. “The Bavona landslide was the most apocalyptic, but the damage there was less [than in Lavizzara] because there are fewer people and buildings,” Cameroni said.

Based on aerial photographs, Cameroni believes that at least one iconic riverside boulder, Squalo Bianco, has been partially or completely buried in the slide. Squalo Bianco is home to several famous lines, including an eponymous V14 and Atlantide (V11), both put up by Cameroni.

Squalo Bianco is best known, however, for Jimmy Webb’s highball Swiss Air (V15). Webb destroyed multiple ligaments in his ankle after falling from the line in 2022, and put up the first ascent a year later. “I climbed the line for the line and all the negative thoughts left me,” Webb wrote when he sent. “I topped out feeling a massive weight off my shoulders. This one sure meant a lot.” The climb was documented in the short film VALLEMANGIA.

“We don’t know if Squalo Bianco is fucked or not,” Cameroni said. “It looks like it might be buried, but maybe we get lucky and Swiss Air is going to be a sit start. There’s a chance.”

While Bavona is notorious for rockfall, climate change may be increasing the severity and frequency of the region’s landslides, including those caused by heavy rainfall, like the Ticino slides of June 30.

First, a warmer atmosphere has an increased capacity to hold water vapor (approximately 7% more moisture for every 1°C increase in temperature, per NASA). This means that when atmospheric conditions are right for precipitation, there’s more moisture available to fall as rain, resulting in heavier downpours. Warmer temperatures also lead to increased evaporation of water from oceans, lakes, and land surfaces, accelerating the water cycle. This increased evaporation transports more moisture into the atmosphere, which can then be released as heavier precipitation when it condenses and falls back to Earth. Climate change is also altering atmospheric circulation patterns. Changes in jet streams, pressure systems, and other atmospheric features can lead to shifts in storm tracks and the distribution of moisture. This means that while some regions will experience drought conditions, others can experience proportionately heavier rainfall.

In an ironic silver lining, Cameroni said that there is now potential for new lines in Bavona. Around 10 sizable boulders have been deposited in the valley because of the slide. At least one is a veritable behemoth, nearly 40 feet tall. “I actually can’t wait to see the new climbing,” Cameroni admitted. “Maybe we lost Squalo Bianco, and I believe another unnamed project was destroyed, but there is for sure more climbing than less, now.”

Webb, who also spoke with Climbing, echoed this sentiment. “It’s pretty devastating, but the landslide didn’t actually damage too many existing problems,” he said. “It probably created more new boulders than it destroyed.  The biggest news is how many homes were damaged, and unfortunately, the lives that were lost.  It’s going to take some time for them to rebuild and make that valley accessible again.  My heart goes out to everyone affected by this tragic event.”

Cameroni, Webb, and others shared a fundraiser to support recovery and rebuilding efforts in Bavona and neighboring Lavizzara. Readers are encouraged to donate.