INSIGHTS: ALPS

The Alps is a highly significant part of European geography, undulating over five countries among which the accessibility and types of Alpine territory vary significantly. Germany is only home to the beginning of the Alps, while Italy does have numerous significant peaks, but the vast majority are inaccessible, neither has the French infrastructure developed sufficiently. Switzerland can provide satisfactory scenery and infrastructure, but there the costs are significantly higher. However, Austria grants the best of all of these aspects. The Austrian Alps have extraordinary scenery with countless snowy peaks, stunning panoramas, mirror-like lakes, lush forests and green valleys, which have inspired a diverse range of films using it as a significant location to define either the atmosphere of the entire film or certain key scenes. Nature is highly valued by Austrians and sport is their main form of connecting to it on a regular basis, making it part of their national identity. This is the reason why their infrastructure is so highly developed making most areas of Austrian nature easily accessible, resulting in the Austrian Alps becoming a key site for the global community of both winter sports and extreme sports.