Liechtenstein

A Valley and a Mountain Wall

The western third of the principality is the flat floor of the Rhine valley, where most people live, around the capital Vaduz. The rest rises steeply into the Rätikon range, whose highest peak, the Grauspitz, reaches 2,599 metres on the border with Switzerland.

Malbun and Its Ice Tower

Malbun lies at about 1,600 metres in the municipality of Triesenberg, founded by Walser settlers from the Valais in the 13th century. A road tunnel leads from Triesenberg into the Samina valley and up to the village, the only ski area in the country. All three cameras watch the Eisturm, a tower that is sprayed with water in winter until it turns into a wall of ice for climbers, and look out over the slopes and peaks around it.

Föhn and Snow

The warm, dry föhn wind often blows down the Rhine valley, clearing the sky and melting snow within hours. Malbun usually has snow from December to March, and in summer the same slopes fill with walkers heading for the ridges along the Austrian border.