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World's highest bungee jump plan angers Swiss locals World's highest bungee jump plan angers Swiss locals
(2 months later)
Plans to construct the world's highest bungee jumping platform on a Swiss clifftop are under threat from locals who fear their village could earn a reputation as "death valley".Plans to construct the world's highest bungee jumping platform on a Swiss clifftop are under threat from locals who fear their village could earn a reputation as "death valley".
An outdoor adventure company has proposed the attraction saying it would turn the area into a mecca for thrill-seeking hedonists, allowing them to drop 250 metres from the Isenfluh cliff in the Lauterbrunnen Valley in southern Switzerland.An outdoor adventure company has proposed the attraction saying it would turn the area into a mecca for thrill-seeking hedonists, allowing them to drop 250 metres from the Isenfluh cliff in the Lauterbrunnen Valley in southern Switzerland.
The company says the plan would attract thousands of extra tourists to the area every year.The company says the plan would attract thousands of extra tourists to the area every year.
If it went ahead, the Isenfluh cliff jump would be higher than the viewing platform of London's Shard building and would overtake Switzerland's main bungee jumping attraction, the 220-metre jump at the Verzasca Dam near Locarno in southern Switzerland, which featured in the opening scene of the 1995 James Bond film Goldeneye.If it went ahead, the Isenfluh cliff jump would be higher than the viewing platform of London's Shard building and would overtake Switzerland's main bungee jumping attraction, the 220-metre jump at the Verzasca Dam near Locarno in southern Switzerland, which featured in the opening scene of the 1995 James Bond film Goldeneye.
It would also be the highest jump in the world after the legendary 321-metre Royal Gorge suspension bridge in Colorado in the US was closed indefinitely last month after devastating wildfires swept through the area.It would also be the highest jump in the world after the legendary 321-metre Royal Gorge suspension bridge in Colorado in the US was closed indefinitely last month after devastating wildfires swept through the area.
But the local council has filed an appeal against the plan, saying it fears it will result in too many accidents, even deaths.But the local council has filed an appeal against the plan, saying it fears it will result in too many accidents, even deaths.
"We're already suffering from the high number of base-jumping accidents in the area," Peter Brawand, leader of the council in Gündlischwand, the village located at the base of the proposed jump, told the newspaper 20 Minuten. He pointed out that the jumpers make a lot of noise and because the site is visible for miles around, young children could be traumatised if jumps went wrong."We're already suffering from the high number of base-jumping accidents in the area," Peter Brawand, leader of the council in Gündlischwand, the village located at the base of the proposed jump, told the newspaper 20 Minuten. He pointed out that the jumpers make a lot of noise and because the site is visible for miles around, young children could be traumatised if jumps went wrong.
"The jumpers screams are blood-curdling anyway, and if there was an accident, children playing in their gardens would get to see everything," he said."The jumpers screams are blood-curdling anyway, and if there was an accident, children playing in their gardens would get to see everything," he said.
The local council says that 30 people have died while base jumping in the area over the past 20 years.The local council says that 30 people have died while base jumping in the area over the past 20 years.
The campaign against the jump, for which signatures are being collected, has been strengthened by the Swiss environmental lobby group, Pro Natura, which says it will join the fight to block the initiative, claiming it "does not fit in with the region's tourism development concept" and arguing that already the valley is suffering from the high level of outdoor activities.The campaign against the jump, for which signatures are being collected, has been strengthened by the Swiss environmental lobby group, Pro Natura, which says it will join the fight to block the initiative, claiming it "does not fit in with the region's tourism development concept" and arguing that already the valley is suffering from the high level of outdoor activities.
"Nature on this side of the valley is already under pressure," said Hans Fritschi of Pro Natura. The area is one of the biggest conservation zones in Switzerland, and boasts thundering waterfalls, alpine meadows and secluded valleys, according to the Swiss tourism board."Nature on this side of the valley is already under pressure," said Hans Fritschi of Pro Natura. The area is one of the biggest conservation zones in Switzerland, and boasts thundering waterfalls, alpine meadows and secluded valleys, according to the Swiss tourism board.
Now representatives of the company plan to meet with village leaders in an attempt to assuage locals' fears. They insist that bungee jumping is safe and that their jumps are certified.Now representatives of the company plan to meet with village leaders in an attempt to assuage locals' fears. They insist that bungee jumping is safe and that their jumps are certified.
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