Licence to chill at Piz Gloria

Michael Owen-Brown reports in The Advertiser that his mission was to infiltrate a remote mountain fortress, once used as the lair of an international criminal mastermind.

I was following in the footsteps of possibly the greatest spy Australia has ever produced – a master of disguise who was able to slip back into anonymity after just one spectacular mission.

But it wasn't megalomaniacal crime lords or their nefarious henchmen stopping my planned ascent to the top of Mt Schilthorn – it was just the weather.

The summit of the Swiss mountain – famous for being the site of Blofeld's lair in the 1969 James Bond movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service – is one of the most spectacular tourist attractions in the Alps.

The Piz Gloria revolving restaurant at the summit has one of central Europe's most glorious mountain views. In addition, it's a real treat for 007 fans – particularly Aussies.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service was the only Bond film to star Australian actor George Lazenby and, apart from his failure to master an upper-class English accent when Bond goes undercover as an aristocrat, the spectacular mountain scenery is perhaps its biggest delight.

The people running Piz Gloria certainly are not reluctant to cash in on the connection, showing highlights of the movie and selling a nice variety of tacky souvenirs. Even some of the resolutely 1960s decor and furnishings can be recognised from the movie.

Unfortunately – as I discovered on an otherwise sunny and pleasant day at the base of the mountain – the weather can be very changeable at an altitude of 2970m. It is apparently not uncommon for the cable car to the summit to be cancelled because of high winds or storms.

But although the ticket seller did not seem optimistic about the weather, it was only a couple of hours before the storm cleared and the summit was reopened for business.

Schilthorn is reached through Lauterbrunnen, a stunningly beautiful village in a valley that boasts 72 waterfalls plunging down sheer cliffs into a Swiss wonderland of verdant pastures, dairy cows and traditional wooden chalets.

One series of glacial cascades – the Trummelbach falls – has carved channels through the rock, so visitors can literally climb inside the mountain to within metres of the torrent. It is exhilarating, humbling and saturating to be so close to an elemental force of nature.

A 15-minute funicular railway trip from Lauterbrunnen takes you to the village of Murren, a popular base for winter sports that also can be reached by cable car. Murren has no motor vehicles and is located on a scenic shelf of pasture halfway up the mountain, but accommodation here is much more expensive than on the valley floor.

From Murren it is a nail-biting 30-minute cable-car ride to the summit. This amazing trip disappears into the clouds over frozen lakes and rivers of snow, although it is not for those prone to vertigo.

It's also costly – the combined cable car/funicular railway return trip from Lauterbrunnen will set you back about $105.

At the summit the views are breathtaking – as is being buffeted by the icy gales.

Kamikaze birds appear to revel in the currents as they plunge and soar at incredible speed. The odd smattering of alpine wildflowers adds colour to the panoramic vista of dark, craggy peaks and pristine snow that surrounds you on all sides.

This is the true heart of the Alps, the site of famous mountains such as the Matterhorn, the Eiger and Mont Blanc.

But despite the awe-inspiring view, the biting wind chill ensures most visitors quickly head inside for a drink in the revolving restaurant. Inevitably, one of the most popular choices is Bond's favourite martini – shaken, not stirred.

It is possible to hike or ski back down to Murren. In fact, an amateur downhill ski race called the "Inferno" from the summit to Murren – a descent of 2170m – is held every February.

This method of descent certainly is not for most travellers, although a helpful sign advises fashion-conscious women not to attempt the journey in high heels.

Schilthorn is a striking place, but there is no provision for visitors to stay overnight. And given the absence of crazed gun-wielding henchmen on skis and nubile, scantily dressed nymphs, I started to think I needed a new horizon for my 007 odyssey.

Thankfully, my next destination was only a couple of hours' drive south – through the Alps and the winding, icy roads of the Furka Pass – in Ticino, the Italian region of Switzerland.

Here the weather is warmer and the fashion and cuisine are influenced by nearby Milan.

A short drive from Locarno is Valley Verzasca – the site of one of the highest dams in the world and one of the most spectacular stunts in the Bond franchise. The opening scene from 1995's GoldenEye involved Bond (played by Pierce Brosnan) bungy-jumping off an impossibly high dam. And although in real life there isn't a Russian military base at the bottom, there is a bungy-jump platform at the top.

Diehard 007 fans or adrenalin junkies can take part in the world's highest bungy-jump – the vertical wall of concrete is 220m high – for about $275.

Not this Bond aficionado, however. I suspect I'd be the kind of spy more inclined to stroll around a casino making quips to gorgeous aristocrats than indulge in death-defying stunts.

Thanks to `JP` for the alert.

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