Swiss 'Mountain Tinder' Sparks High-altitude Attraction
"It was just a beautiful way to meet," said Cathy Rotzetter during a recent hike in the Pre-Alps of the western Swiss canton of Fribourg.
Sick of online dating sites, the 58-year-old said she was thrilled to discover an analogue alternative, with a Swiss twist: "Mountain Tinder".
Last October, she clambered up to the Wandflue peak, at an altitude of 2,133 metres (6,998 feet), and jotted down her information in the red notebook she found there.
Rotzetter recalled the message as she sat in a mountain pasture, her arm laced around Patrick, with the Wandflue towering behind them.
"I wrote that I liked relaxed hikes, and also to have a drink afterwards," she told AFP with a laugh.
Patrick, who is also 58 and who declined to give his surname, found the message a week later, and was charmed.
Mountain Tinder is the brain-child of Thibaud Monney, a 29-year-old avid hiker who told AFP the whole thing started in 2023 as "a joke".
During a climb up the Dent de Broc, overlooking the picturesque Lake of Gruyere, he realised he missed having someone to share the view with.
On a whim, he jotted down his feelings in a leather-bound visitor's book. The books are traditionally found on peaks across Fribourg.
"I wrote that I had climbed up for the sunset, and next time there would be two of us," he said.
Monney, who provides woodwork vocational training for disabled people, said that when he shared the story with colleagues they jokingly suggested he place dedicated "Tinder" notebooks on mountaintops.
"It has worked well," he said during a recent hike to the La Vudalla peak.
"A number of couples have been created," he said, thumbing through the red notebook he had stashed alongside the traditional visitor's book in a metal letterbox mounted on a large wooden cross.
In all, Monney said he has placed notebooks on seven Fribourg peaks, swapping them out for new ones as they fill up.
The idea has also spread, with people in other Swiss cantons and as far away as Argentina telling him they have started Mountain Tinder notebooks.
Monney said he felt "proud" when hearing from couples who met through the notebooks.
It is nice, he said, "to make someone happy".
The notebook on La Vudalla is filling up fast.
"Passionate about mountains, skiing and climbing," one message reads, while another is seeking someone who "likes sports, metal and tattooed women".
"The idea is very simple," Monney said.
"If you contact someone, that person has also reached the peak, and probably likes nature and mountains. You already have something in common."
Rotzetter agreed.
"The shared love of nature... is a good filter," she said.
Her first date with Patrick last winter was a long scenic walk, ending with a picnic.
Rotzetter said she loved that Patrick brought along food and drink for her, and noticed that he kept pace with her.
"I wasn't looking for someone I had to run after," she said, adding that walking makes for a perfect first date and provides good insight into the other person's character.
"You can see if they adapt their pace... or if they charge ahead."
Patrick added: "It is very revealing."
Monney said he preferred his system to the online dating apps he stopped using a decade ago.
"I didn't like the idea of choosing a person based on a picture and swiping left or right," he said.
Others have congratulated him for liberating dating from algorithmic dictates.
With Mountain Tinder, he said, "you have to reach the peak. That's the only algorithm".
The peaks also naturally filter for age and physical ability.
La Vudalla, at an altitude of 1,669 metres, is one of the easier peaks to reach, allowing older or less fit people to leave messages there.
But Monney said only the fittest will make the technically difficult climb up the 2,376-metre Vanil de l'Ecri across the valley.
He has himself found love, not by leaving messages but still thanks to his notebooks.
"She saw me on television" speaking about Mountain Tinder and "got in touch", Monney said of his partner.
"Now I am happy." Avid hiker Thibaud Monney, 29, set up Mountain Tinder, a non-digital notebook left at the top of several Swiss mountains where hikers and climbers can seek a like-minded soulmate AFP Mountain Tinder notebooks have been left on summits across Switzerland and even as far away as Argentina as the idea spreads AFP Patrick and Cathy had to walk 2,133 metres (6,998 feet) up the Wandflue peak in the Bernese Alps to find love through the Mountain Tinder book AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Local Germany
7 hours ago
- Local Germany
Where are Bavaria's best swim spots?
For many in Germany, the best way to deal with high summer temperatures is to put on a swimsuit and get outside to spend some time by the nearest body of water. While those in more northern regions can head toward the beaches along the North or Baltic seas, people in the land-locked state of Bavaria are more likely to content themselves with a closer lake, river or swimming pool. Fortunately for inhabitants of the Free State, there are plenty of quality swim spots, including emerald alpine lakes and highly rated Freibäder (open-air swimming pools), to choose from. In Munich: Float down the Eisbach If you've spent a summer in Munich, you'll know that there's one central spot that locals and tourists alike flock to for a refreshing dip on hot summer days. The Eisbach is a two-kilometre-long canal that runs through Munich. It's perhaps best known for river surfing on a stationary wave (the Eisbachwelle) which is found in the city's biggest central park – the English Garden. But on hot summer days, you'll see hundreds of people gathered along the banks of the river throughout the park. A surfer riding on an artificial wave in the canal of the Eisbach river at the English Garden park in Munich, southern Germany. Photo: Christof STACHE/AFP. With a name that translates to 'ice stream', it should come as no surprise that the river's waters are quite fresh – even on the hottest summer days. Advertisement An easy option is to bathe in the smaller Schwabing stream, a slower-moving off-shoot that runs through a meadow in the centre of the park. This is also an excellent area to sunbathe, and not far away you can grab a drink and some local fare from the beer garden at the Chinese tower. READ ALSO: Where can you go surfing in Germany? However, you'll also see people jumping into the Eisbach, just downstream from the surfing wave and letting the fast-moving current carry them downstream. A word of warning: Officially, swimming in the Eisbach is illegal because the current is strong, and it can be dangerous if you miss the exit point. You can find more information on the English Garden website . The Eisbach is fed by the larger Isar river, which flows down to Munich from the Alps. For those looking for a bigger river adventure, there are opportunities to be found here. For example, there is a two-and-a-half-hour rafting tour heading toward Munich that is accessible by U-Bahn that Deutsche Bahn recommends on its website . Advertisement Around Munich: Alpine lakes Outside of Munich there are plenty of lakes to be found, including some that are often claimed to be among Germany's most beautiful. For an easy day trip, there are decent options that you can reach quickly on an S-Bahn train from Munich, such as Starnbergersee, for example. But the region's highest-rated lakes, in terms of beauty, tend to be those scattered among the German Alps. Of these, Walchensee and Königssee are two popular options. At the former, you can also take a gondola to the top of the Zugspitze (Germany's highest mountain). A fun adventure at Königssee involves taking a boat across the lake, and then hiking to Die Eiskapelle (Ice Chapel) which is a large cave in a glacier. A couple of slightly less crowded options would be Tegernsee or Kochelsee. Both of which offer pristine bathing areas, stunning scenery, and plenty of options for nearby hikes. The church of St. Bartholomä in the national park at Königssee. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Lino Mirgeler Well beyond Munich Of course not all of Bavaria's great bathing spots are in the south. There are also world-class swimming spots to be found in Franconia, for example. Near to Bamberg, Hütsee is right on the edge of the Hassberge nature reserve. READ ALSO: Six day trips you can take from Nuremberg with the 'Deutschlandticket' South-west of Nuremberg in the Franconian Lake District, there are seven lakes, including Brombachsee – a massive lake which is popular for sailing. Advertisement Brombachsee made national news earlier this summer when a two-metre catfish, which allegedly bit several swimmers, was executed by local police and then cooked and served at a nearby restaurant. Freibäder A trip to the lake is great when you have the time, but sometimes you just want to cool off quickly without committing most of a day to do so. In this case, you can make a quick visit to your local Freibad. If you have yet to immerse yourself in Germany's public pool culture, you're in for a treat. More than just a pool, many Freibäder also include restaurants and extensive outdoor spaces for sunbathing and sports fields for volleyball or football. They often also have waterslides or high-dive decks. READ ALSO: Freibad - The etiquette rules you need to know for Germany's outdoor pools For a quick dip, you can just head to whichever is closest. Or, if you want to experience something more, you could try one from this list of Bavaria's best outdoor pools by broadcaster BR .
Int'l Business Times
9 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
In Heatwave, Romans Turn To Vintage Snow Cones To Stay Cool
Forget ice cream, sorbet or even the beloved Italian gelato -- when Romans swelter in a heatwave, they turn to the traditional "grattachecca". It may be difficult for non-Italians to pronounce -- think "gratta-kekka" -- but the Roman-style shaved ice is colourful, cheap and refreshing like no other. In an turn-of-the-century kiosk near the Tiber River, Massimo Crescenzi, 72, was in constant motion one recent weekday in front of a patiently waiting line of clients, whose numbers rarely flag with 37C temperatures scorching the capital. His wife Rosanna Mariani was behind the scenes at the "Golden Fountain" as the business is named, pulling large blocks of ice out of a freezer, cracking them with a pick into small chunks, and feeding them into a machine. Her husband then poured the crushed ice into a glass, adding fresh fruit and colourful syrups, according to each customer's preferences. He cautioned that the treat loved by generations of Romans was not Sicilian granita -- in which water is combined with fruit and sugar from the outset and frozen together. A debate lingers in Rome over the merits of using the more hygienic machine, which is Crescenzi's choice, or the old-fashioned way of shaving the ice by hand. "It's delicious! Especially on such a hot day, it's very refreshing," said Andrea Alvarado, a 55-year-old Californian, who opted for the exotically flavoured tamarind, mint and black cherry grattachecca on offer. While on vacation in Rome, she learned about the four-euro treat on social media_ a modern way to discover an old tradition. With increasingly frequent heatwaves in Rome, demand is growing, the owners told AFP, with various kiosks across the city offering the frozen desserts. "The season used to begin in June through September. Now, we're May to October and probably in the next few years it will be even longer," Crescenzi said. Boasting that theirs is "the oldest kiosk in Rome", Mariani showed off black-and-white photos taken in 1913 of the family business. "It's a kiosk that was opened by my grandfather 112 years ago," said Crescenzi. That means the business has so far lasted four generations, now that his youngest son helps him during the summer rush. Sitting in the shade, US tourist Victoria Kiser was enjoying her treat: "There's a reason it's been in business since 1913," she agreed. Crescenzi knows the history of grattachecca like the back of his hand. Back in the day, "ice came from the Abruzzo mountains and was transported to Rome by carts," he said. Those were the days before factories began to produce ice, making things more efficient. The treat's name probably derives from the story of a nobleman whose servants would prepare food and drink for him, he said. "When he went to ask for a very refreshing drink, one with ice, he had around him various people including the famous Francesca, whose diminutive in Roman dialect is 'checca'." Grattachecca was born. French tourist Fabien Torcol was enjoying a coconut-lemon grattachecca. He said he loved the dessert, but... "It's not easy to pronounce," he laughed. Ice is cut from blocks and crushed, with syrup and fruit added AFP Demand for the icy treat is growing with increasingly frequent heatwaves in Rome AFP The Roman-style shaved ice is colourful, cheap and refreshing like no other AFP
Int'l Business Times
a day ago
- Int'l Business Times
'Not Welcome': English Town Protests Against JD Vance's Holiday
Dozens of activists and locals protested on Tuesday against a visit by US Vice President JD Vance to an idyllic rural region of southwest England, where he is on holiday with family. Around 60 people gathered for the demonstration in the town of Charlbury in the Cotswolds region, carrying signs including "Go Home", "Not Welcome Party" and "Sod Off". UK police and US security detail dotted the usually quiet roads leading to the nearby hamlet where Vance was staying, blocking some roads and footpaths in the countryside region popular with tourists. "The people of the Cotswolds are out here today telling JD Vance that he is not welcome here," Jake Atkinson from the Stop Trump Coalition told AFP at the gathering. Co-organiser Atkinson cited US President Donald Trump's policies including on immigration and the war in Gaza for the local anger. He said the anti-Trump coalition would also turn out against the US president, who is due in the UK for a state visit in September. Earlier in the day, a black van bearing a meme image of Vance edited to look bald and bloated drove past the quaint cottages and winding streets of the town. "We wanted to extend the same welcome that he extended to (Volodymyr) Zelensky from the White House," said 75-year-old Charlbury resident Lou Johnson, referring to the cold reception Vance gave the Ukrainian leader during a press conference in Washington in February. Vance kicked off his British holiday last week by meeting UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who hosted the American politician in his country retreat in Chevening in Kent, southeast of London. Reports have also said Vance will later visit Scotland, where Trump spent five days at his golf resorts last month. Residents said they were surprised by the heavy security around Dean, the village where Vance was staying. "If somebody's just in the Cotswolds on holiday, you wouldn't imagine they'd need a 20-car motorcade and all the roads to the entire village," said Phil Ball, 53, a local resident and cameraman. "It's been disruptive and quite a surprise." Victoria Dawson, an artist from nearby Witney, said locals were protesting "against somebody who we think is immoral... somebody who is doing terrific damage around the world along with Trump". "Because JD Vance is here, suddenly roads are closed everywhere, there are police everywhere," she added. "It's not what we expect or accept." Lou Johnson also complained that heightened security had been "invading everywhere" in the rural area he has called home for 50 years. "People think it's just a gentle little village but every now and then we do stand up for what we believe in," said Johnson. Locals from the countryside region popular with tourists were surprised by the heavy security AFP
