An ill wind: the Foehn in Leukerbad and beyond

Abstract

The Foehn is a warm, dry, downslope wind found on the lee side of mountains; the type‐location for this adiabatic wind is the European Alps. In the Swiss village of Leukerbad, residents are quite familiar with the Foehn, which sweeps regularly through the main Rhone valley from the southeast. Leukerbad, located in a side valley, rarely experiences the full force of the Foehn, but the effects of this wind are well known: people say that the Foehn brings headaches, makes them depressed, invites suicide, and generates a feeling of ill health. In contrast, another wind occurring in this valley, the Gemmiwind – which comes over the Gemmi pass into Leukerbad from the north – is known only as a cold wind. Drawing on ethnographic data and literary representations as well as biomedical and meteorological analyses, we consider the meanings of the Foehn as it has penetrated the bodies and minds of mountain inhabitants in Switzerland and beyond.

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