Elm, Switzerland

The rockslide of Elm (German: Der Bergsturz von Elm) was a mining disaster in Elm, Canton of Glarus, Switzerland which killed 115 people and destroyed 83 buildings on September 11, 1881. The catastrophe was partially caused by the mining of slate, beginning after 1870, by impoverished farmers who sought an additional source of income. Being inexperienced with proper mining techniques, they destabilized the rock face until the final catastrophe. The miners undercut the mountain face to a breadth of 180 m, and already in 1878 first rock movements occurred. A geological commission to examine the increasing number of rockfalls visited the scene shortly before the catastrophe, but did not find any indications of an impending disaster. The loud noise of the rockfalls, break-offs and fractures were already heard during the Sunday service on the morning of September 11, 1881. In spite of this, next to nobody left the dangerous area – in fact, many spectators went to the affected area or climbed to the nearby hamlet Düniberg on the opposing face of the valley in the hope of enjoying a better view of the spectacle. In the late afternoon, after two smaller rock slides, 10 million cubic meters (353 million cubic feet) of slate broke off, travelled 2 km (1.2 mi), and destroyed 90 hectares (220 acres) of land. The slate mine was also completely destroyed. The event and its causes were chronicled in the same year by the local priest Ernst Buss and the geologist Albert Heim in their publication "Der Bergsturz von Elm".

Chüebodensee is a lake above Elm in the Canton of Glarus, Switzerland. Its surface area is 1.4 ha. There are about 8 km of well established trails around the lake. The lake is within the Glarner Freiberg wildlife preserve. The lake can be reached from Elm by taking the Elm-Ämpächli gondola to Ämpächlialp and hiking over well marked trails. The trip from Ämpächlialp to the lake and back will generally take about 4 hours.

The Vorab Glacier (German: Vorabgletscher, rarely Vorabfiren, Romansh: Glatscher dil Vorab) is a 2 km long glacier (as of 2005) situated in the Glarus Alps in the cantons of Glarus and Graubünden. It lies on the east side of the Vorab, between 2,600 and 3,000 metres above sea level. In 1973 it had an area of 2.17 km2., and is receding today. The glacier is part of the Flims-Laax ski resort complex, and may be skied in the winter.

The Vorab is a mountain of the Glarus Alps, located on the border between the cantons of Glarus and Graubünden. The summit (3,028 metres) is also named Bündner Vorab to distinguish it from a lower summit (3,018 metres) named Glarner Vorab. A glacier runs down its eastern face where the valley continues a moderate inclination down towards Flims, where it can be seen for example from Caumasee. It cannot be seen from the adjacent municipalities on the south though. The northwestern face however consists of a sheer drop towards Elm. Territorially it divides on the municipal areas of Laax on its eastern face, a narrow southern stripe within Siat and Elm on its northwestern face. The secondary peaks that belong to the massive include also the municipalities of Ruschein and Panix. Since 1979 there is a terminal station of a platter lift near the Glarner Vorab. This comes up from the terminal station of a gondola lift ending at the edge of the glacier, all of these installations belonging to the skiing resort of Flims-Laax-Falera which uses the name of Laax only for winter marketing.

The Sernftal or Kleintal is an alpine valley within Glarus Süd, in the canton of Glarus, Switzerland. It is formed by the Sernf, a right tributary of the Linth. Situated in the Sernftal are the villages of Elm (977 m) and Engi (812 m). The Panix Pass at 2407 m connects the Sernftal with the anterior Rhine valley in Grisons.

The Blistock (also spelled Blistögg) is a mountain of the Glarus Alps, overlooking Elm in the canton of Glarus. It lies on the range between the small valley of the Garichtisee and the Sernftal, north of the Kärpf. It is composed of three summits: the Vorder Blistock (2,405 m), the Mittler Blistock (2,448 m) and the Hinter Blistock (2,446 m).

Matt is a village, and former municipality, in the municipality of Glarus Süd and canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Matt lies in the valley of the Sernf river, and consists of the village of Matt itself, and the mountain hamlet of Weissenberge.

The Laaxer Stöckli (also known as Piz Grisch) is a 2,898 metre-high mountain of the Glarus Alps, located on the border between the cantons of Glarus and Graubünden in Eastern Switzerland. It lies approximately halfway between the Vorab and Piz Segnas. The Laaxer Stöckli belongs to the municipalities of Glarus Süd and Laax. The closest localities are Elm and Flims. The south side is part of the Flims-Laax ski area. A chairlift reaches La Siala at a height of 2,806 metres.

The Gandstock (2,315 m) is a mountain of the Glarus Alps, located south-east of Schwanden in the canton of Glarus. It lies at the northern end of the range separating the main Linth valley from the Sernftal, north of the Kärpf. On its west side is located the Garichtisee.

Berglimattsee is a lake in the protected area Freiberg Kärpf on municipal territory of Glarus Süd in the Swiss canton of Glarus. The lake lies at 2,157 m (7,077 ft) on a small plateau near the Gandfurggele, a col between the Garichtisee in the upper Niderental in the west and the Berglialp and the Sernftal in the east. To the north are the two peaks of the Gandstock, to the south the Charenstock. The lake's outflow is a tributary of the Niderenbach, which flows further into the Sernf.