Looking southward from Konstanz, the mountain of Säntis, some 50 km away in the Appenzell Alps, is clearly visible on most days. It is a modest peak in terms of summit height – 2502 meters – but stands very tall amongst its neighbours: Säntis is ultra-prominent, with a topographic prominence of 2021 meters. Having had a glimpse of it practically every day for the past five years, I was curious to get closer. As it turns out, Säntis is very accessible: a cable car has been taking tourists up the mountain since 1935 from nearby Schwägalp Pass. Atop, one finds modern facilities: a very large observation deck, three restaurants and various exhibitions.
And spectacular views. Amazing views. We were lucky to have great weather and good visibility. It is said that, on a clear day, six countries can be seen from the summit: Switzerland, France, Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein and Italy. I’m not sure if I got to see as far as France and Italy, but the rest were spectacularly in view, with Lake Constance and Lake Zurich in the north and west, respectively, and mountains as far as the eye could see to the east and south.
The forecast had promised 12 degrees Celsius at the summit (it was about 25C at the foot of the mountain). We prepared accordingly, wearing jeans and long sleeved shirts, even brought coats. That all proved to be very unnecessary: at 2500 meters above sea level, it turns out the midday sun is absolutely scorching.
At the summit one finds a complex of buildings which house the aforementioned facilities plus a large radio transmitter. The architecture is very interesting: it suggests a futuristic lunar base more than anything. It is a strange experience to stand at the summit, under the blazing sun, surrounded by these buildings on the one hand, and by the spectacular nature on the other. Partly in an effort to capture this otherworldliness, I decided to present the photos I took – even though captured with the colour sensor of a digital camera – in black and white, with near-exaggerated contrast. The camera was a Fuji X-T2, with various vintage Minolta lenses in 24mm, 35mm and 500mm (catadioptric).
