The elop*athlon

On the occasion of the elop*7 physical kickoff in Finhaut eight teams participated in the first ever elop*athlon. Over twenty-four hours teams were asked to complete a number of ever more challenging tasks culminating in an exciting final performance.

The elop*athlon is both an extremely challenging and exciting introduction to transdicplinary collaboration.

In the first phase participants were asked to create a physical icon of their chosen transdisciplinary hero and share their transdisciplinary story and talents with their team. Through the eyes of their transdiscplinary hero participants investigated and uncovered the unique qualities and challenges of Finhaut by placing their transdisiplinary hero icon on large map of the alpine region.

In this second phase participants needed to describe the experience of their hero in the region, what they saw, felt and smelled as well as the local inhabitants the hero encountered and the reason they found themselves in this area.

The third phase challenged participants to work together as a team. Participants needed to reconnect with their entire team by using a single continuous piece of string to trace a path across the alpine region joining all their team member`s heroes together and in so doing describe the obstacles and terrain that separated them.

Each teams was asked to work together to select a location for unique basecamp. In the selection of the location their camp needed to offer a new perspective on the future of the valley. Before they could establish their camp the teams needed to come together at their chosen location by making the journey through the region. Once joined together the teams created a unique physical model representing their camp.

As part of the final challenge of the elop*athlon using the special abilities of their transdisiplinary heroes teams were asked to solve a dramatic event that afflicted the Finhaut region. The teams each faced a unique catastrophic event that could include environmental disasters such as extreme climate change, natural disasters like earthquakes and floods, social upheavals brought about by population booms or aging inhabitants, as well as economic catastrophes like an energy crisis.

Each team developed a strategy that could address both the short term and long term consequences for Finhaut, and presented their teamwork in a final presentation to all participants.

You can view all the team`s great elop*athlon presentation by clicking on the Inputs and Reviews tag on the left sidebar on this blog.

The Plague, Hillary

A deadly plague infected the entire region and now threatens to spread to the small community of Finhaut. Team Hillary proposes a five step action plan to both protect the village while also reaching out and helping its neighboring towns.

Deforestation, Walker

After massive fires engulfed forests the area around Finhaut has become a deforested wasteland, beyond destroying the natural habitats, these forests also protected the villagers from winter avalanches. Team Walker in their poetic presentation proposes a series of interventions beginning with avalanche protection and the gradual replantation combining nature and agriculture.


Deforestation, Walker from Berner Fachhochschule BFH on Vimeo.

Giant Hailstorms, Tabei

Giant football-sized hailstones threaten to completley destroy the village of Finhaut and surrounding alpine landscape. Team Tabei using the unique skills and abilities of their transdiciplinary heroes rally together to save the village. Tabei propoed a variety of solutions from physical interentions to a celebrity awarenss campaigne and even musical weather control.

Earthquake, Steck

The once peaceful alpine region has now become a dangerous earthquake zone that threatens to destroy the village of Finhaut. A senatorial grandmother reflects on how through the heroic efforts of Team Steck saved the village. The grandmother relates how improved infrastructure now protects the village while a research centre educates the local inhabitants while also developing new technologies and designs that reduce the dangers of future earthquakes.

The Fellowship of Finhaut, Paradis

The Finhaut is evacuated after the recent discovery of a volatile underground cave directly underneath the village. The fellowship of Paradis, after consulting the threatened stakeholders, proposed reinforcing the cave and using the spectacular underground spaces as a new amenity for the local inhabitants.

Goldrush, Messner

A huge new goldmine threatens to destroy the village of Finhaut and completely change the alpine region. Team Messner proposed using the potential of the transformation to create an improved environment while also investing the mine profits in new experimental infrastructure technology for the local inhabitants .


Goldrush, Messner from Berner Fachhochschule BFH on Vimeo.

Bridge City, Lhamu

Faced with a population boom in Finhaut team Lhamuproposed constructing hybrid bridge cities, these bridge create new infrastructure linking two sides of the once divided valley, and can both accomodate large populations while also preserving the unique alpine landscape.