A mountaineering project in Switzerland helps exiles from countries such as Afghanistan, Iran and Ukraine recover from trauma by conquering summits
At 4,000 metres, conditions can be challenging. The air is thin, movement takes effort, and the ice and snow demand proper gear: warm layers, crampons, an ice axe, ropes for crossing glaciers.
Yet a group of refugees in Switzerland – from Afghanistan, Iran, Palestine, Ukraine and elsewhere – say this is exactly where they have found freedom, calm and even respite from the trauma of war, political persecution and imprisonment.
“Mountaineering isn’t just a sport. Reaching the summit brings an incredible sense of relief. And it’s proof that you can overcome your physical and emotional challenges, even after extreme hardship,” says Soroush Esfandiary, 27, adding that the Alps remind him of growing up near Iran’s Zagros mountains, but also of his escape from home.
Esfandiary arrived in Switzerland four years ago, initially crossing the mountains from Iran into Turkey on foot. “I had a high fever and was coughing up blood, but I kept moving. I was so afraid,” he says.
