What is this strange bamboo vehicle discovered in the ice of the Swiss Alps ?

© Denis Linine/Pexels

Glaciologists estimate that the Alps have lost nearly 50% of their glacial volume since 1850, with a marked increase since the 1980s; a loss mainly due to global warming. Because of this accelerated melting, glaciers are sometimes transformed into veritable open-air museums, leaving previously inaccessible vestiges of ancient times visible to the naked eye. Ötzi, the mummified iceman in the Italian Alps, discovered in 1991, or other artifacts (tools, clothing) dating from the Neolithic period.

On November 2, a hiker named Sergio Veri came across a very mysterious object during one of his wanderings. Both in terms of its shape and composition.

The Splügen Enigma

Veri was hiking along the Splügen Pass, an Alpine pass located at an altitude of 2,114 metres, on the border between Switzerland and Italy, in the Canton of Grisons. During his walk, he spotted a unique assembly, made of a material that, a priori, has little place in the Alps.

A two-wheeled machine, built entirely of bamboo and ropes. Note that bamboo obviously cannot grow in the Alps and requires much milder climatic conditions for its growth. Its presence at an altitude of over 2,000 metres proves that the object necessarily comes from elsewhere. Or, at the very least, that the bamboo was imported to then manufacture this machine in Switzerland.

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The machine is of course unusable, but the bamboo seems quite well preserved at first glance. © Sergio veri, Riva San Vitale/Facebook page of the Kanton Graubünder

A cart or an airplane ?

The machine has aroused the curiosity of experts, who are trying to trace its history. Although it dates back to the 20th century, it remains an enigma: why bamboo, and for what use ? Several hypotheses are possible. The tubular structure of this exotic material, with its high tensile strength, makes it a remarkable candidate for two activities: smuggling or primitive aeronautical experiments.

The canton of Grisons was a hotbed of smuggling and clandestine trade was booming, especially during the period 1915-1945. The Splügen Pass offered smugglers a discreet passage between the northern and southern slopes of the Alps.

Another hypothesis: the use of this machine for testing experimental aircraft. Its exceptional strength/weight ratio (similar to that of certain steels) makes it a preferred material for light aircraft constructions such as gliders.

For the moment, nothing is certain, and the machine was placed in the hands of scientists from the Archaeological Service of Graubünden. Carbon-14 dating techniques, coupled with analyses of bamboo fibers, may soon be able to tell us a little more about the precise geographical and temporal origin of this enigmatic vehicle.

• A hiker has discovered a mysterious bamboo device at an altitude of over 2,000 metres in the Swiss Alps.
• Experts are considering two main hypotheses: a smuggling tool or an aeronautical experiment.
• Scientific analyses are underway to determine the origin and use of this unusual object.

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