On the occasion of its 150th anniversary, the Bündner Kantonalbank had put up panels with QR codes on just as many peaks in the canton. Mountain Wilderness was bothered by these electronic summit books and demanded their immediate dismantling. The bank is now complying with the request and will dismantle the panels by 2023.
At the Alpine Protection Organization Mountain Wilderness Switzerland the joy about the decision is great: "Advertising on summits damages the quality of the landscape and reduces the experience of nature," says Tim Marklowski, project manager for mountain sports at Mountain Wilderness Switzerland. "We are very happy about the GKB's decision and hope that this precedent will also make it clear to other companies and the general public that advertising in nature is inappropriate."
Video: Summit dispute - that's what it's all about
Dismantling until 2023
When it became known that the Graubündner Kantonalbank was putting up panels with QR codes on 150 peaks in the canton to mark its anniversary, Mountain Wilderness Switzerland came onto the scene. In the summer of 2021, the Alpine protection organization launched a petition and collected over 7000 signatures.
The bank praised its campaign, in which summit candidates can immortalize themselves with a selfie, as a sustainable awareness-raising campaign for nature. Mountain Wilderness saw it differently. 100 of the 150 metal steles are located on high wilderness quality peaks. The last such spaces in Switzerland must be preserved for authentic wilderness experiences for this and the coming generation.
The Bündner Kantonalbank intends to comply with the request to dismantle the steles by 2023. According to Mountain Wilderness, some of the plaques have already been dismantled by unknown parties - a strong indication that advertising on peaks is inappropriate.
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Credits: Cover photo Mountain Wilderness Switzerland