The Devil of Sorebois
In winter, I sometimes use the ski lifts to get home from work
In winter, I sometimes use the ski lifts to get home from work
In about thirty minutes, I rise to 2,700 meters, cross over the mountain in a cabin, and descend to my home in Zinal. This video is a summary of one of these journeys.
Ski resorts make winter the peak of the tourist season in Anniviers. In his book The Priest, the Developer, the Cow, the Woman, and the President, Bernard Crettaz describes how the mountains, once seen as a paradise, are gradually losing their myth and magic. For several centuries, Switzerland built an image of the Alps: sacred place, refuge, summit to conquer, setting for pleasure and culture. Today, this myth is worn down by mass tourism and relentless consumption. Villages are becoming “Disneyfied” resorts, transformed into leisure or wellness parks. The big question remains: how can we preserve the identity of the mountains and their inhabitants in the face of these economic and cultural changes?
Looking at these landscapes, I think of the old legends that took place here… It is said that the devil once inhabited these pastures and prevented the cattle from grazing. In Legends and Realities of the Val d’Anniviers, published in 1974, Symphorien Florey wrote: "This beautiful pasture, abandoned for dairy farming, is now completely used for tourism. What has become of the poor devil of Sorebois?"
I close my eyes, and the sound of the machines turns into a deep, grave chant. There it is—the eerie music I was looking for for my film.
