Bern, August 8, 2001

"Alps Walk" - an Alpine expedition through the centuries: from icy beginnings to melting glaciers! We would like to inform you that we have organised a special event, tracing the history and changes in Alpine expeditions in Switzerland. From August 26 to September 4 2001, a seven-strong Anglo-Swiss team of climbers will tackle the peaks of the Aletsch and Jungfrau massifs.

However, it’s no ordinary climbing tour: the members of the ten-day expedition will be wearing 19th century mountaineering outfits and will explore this unique mountain region using period equipment.

The aim is to trace the development of alpine expeditions down the ages, as well as looking at such issues as environmental changes and the impact of tourism in this area.

To give viewers an insight into the history of climbing and into related topics, swissinfo/Swiss Radio International (SRI) will be presenting a day-to-day progress report on the expedition, with texts, video and background reports on its website www.swissinfo.org: a “first” in the history of the Internet!

You will find further information in the folder supplied with this letter. In addition you will be able to see the group at various meeting points on their journey. For any other questions please do not hesitate to contact us.