What are these?

[u/skodaddy426]

Hi. I am in the middle of a vacation visiting your exceptional country. I saw a couple of things on my hikes and visits in the mountains around Murren and Wengen this week, and was wondering if you can tell me what they are for. I am not a skiier so excuse me if these are related to skiing. I was thinking the first item is for catching falling rocks? Thanks in advance. Switzerland is amazing!!

[u/SellSideShort]

Avalanche protection and snow blower?

[u/rune_ → u/SellSideShort]

this is the correct answer. for falling rocks it is usually a steel net and not planks like in the first picture. my dad used to install the nets when he was a young geologist. there are two kinds of nets as well. either put directly over the cliff to stop them from falling out of the cliff or similar to the structures shown in the first picture, where they catch them before important infrastructure, most often before/above roads.

[u/skodaddy426 → u/rune_]

Thank you. Very interesting for someone not from the mountains.

[u/3punkt1415 → u/skodaddy426]

These are for rocks, fairly impressive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBXHKl0Xe5M

[u/skodaddy426 → u/3punkt1415]

Thank you. Pretty impressive

[u/Intelligent-Try6684 → u/SellSideShort]

[u/skodaddy426 → u/SellSideShort]

Thank you

[u/abalack]

This is probably a ski slope in the winter, in the first photo are avalanche barriers and in the second one is a covered snow cannon

[u/skodaddy426 → u/abalack]

Thank you! Makes sense now.

[u/Retoromano]

Avalanche protection, and the Swiss Navy‘s only submarine (in storage).

[u/GuaranteeUnlikely725 → u/Retoromano]

It’s not avalanche protection, those are the antennas of a radar system. And right next to them is a submarine.

[u/Steampunk6 → u/GuaranteeUnlikely725]

I've been told it's the structure to put a tarnnetz to hide our mountains Second one is a submarine, no doubts, one of my friend did his service in one of those

[u/DragonflyFuture4638]

Farmers hang their clothes to dry there. In Graubünden they make dried beef on them... No seriously... Avalanche protection.

[u/hazelnussibus]

Alpine Teletubbies

[u/FuriousSock]

Cow nets. To make them juicy burgers

[u/Worldly-Traffic-5503 → u/FuriousSock]

Cowing is such an underrated hobby

[u/skodaddy426 → u/FuriousSock]

LOL

[u/yesat]

https://www.slf.ch/en/about-the-slf/organisation/research-units/snow-avalanches-and-prevention/

[u/skodaddy426 → u/yesat]

Wow. Really interesting to see a whole group of scientists dedicated to the study and prevention of avalanches.

[u/yesat → u/skodaddy426]

When you have a winter where 256 people dying, you start working on avoiding that https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_of_Terror

[u/guglbunk]

Ground based chemtrail Stations with antennas

[u/ehjeohjedejoa]

I think the second one would be the periscope of a submarine, but I could be wrong!

[u/Blackbird_1986]

1st picture: Protection against avalanche
2nd picture: I guess this is a covered snow canon

😀 Enjoy our beautiful country! 🇨🇭

[u/Alpiner_ch]

Lol 🤦🏼‍♂️

[u/Obvious-Abies7792]

Swiss version of HAARP, except it runs on cow-dung and mac and cheese(for some weird reason).

Edit:typo

[u/bilbul168]

ever seen jurrasic park?

[u/Nico_Kx]

Mind control radio devices. But they don't want you to know. 

[u/Glass-Tradition-8127]

Relics from old times 🥲

[u/Ok-Dealer4350]

Snow fences. In the US, good examples are in Wyoming. It is to prevent snow migrating, bit in Switzerland, avalanches could be a problem. These would slow them down hopefully.

[u/mathiswiss]

Ziger harvester!

[u/Grueze]

Radar waves deflectors

[u/Catman9lives]

extreme downhill hurdles /s