A Man Went on a Hike—and Found a Mysterious Cart Buried Under Ice for Decades

The non-native wood adds intrigue to an already fascinating mystery

• A hiker in the Swiss Alps’ Splügen Pass ran across a bamboo cart dated to the 20^th century.
• The cart was likely protected by ice for decades before getting exposed in the high-altitude location.
• Experts are unsure of what the cart was once used for, eliciting plenty of suggestions online.

It was a walk to remember for hiker Sergio Veri. During the first week of November, the Ticino, Switzerland resident was hiking through the Splügen Pass in the Swiss Alps when he discovered a strange object.

You see, it isn’t common to discover a wagon-like bamboo cart stitched together with rods and cord strewn amongst mountain rock along an ancient trail. That elicits quite the reaction.

Veri quickly reported to the Canton of Graubünden archaeological services, and in a Facebook post from the Canton officials reporting the find—which jokingly refers to the cart as a “UFO”—they ask if anyone has information on the origins of the contraption. According to the initial estimate, experts call the cart “relatively young,” and probably from the 20^th century. “However,” according to the post, “the function and creator are unknown.”

The mystery has one additional wrinkle: bamboo isn’t native to Switzerland, meaning the materials used in the cart’s creation were brought into the region from elsewhere. But in general, there isn’t a ton of information available—at least, not on first glance. The cart has two wheels that were created using bamboo poles secured with cord. While the Archaeological Service of Graubünden plans to run additional inspections on the cart, the Facebook users are already willing to lend a hand.

Online theories about the provenance of the cart range from the simple (such as the idea that it was used for carrying supplies or meat killed while hunting) to the more... well... ambitious (such as the cart being a key item in a smuggling operation or pieces of a would-be airplane).

The pass is a known historical trade route, according to Archaeology Magazine, lending credence to the idea that the device was some sort of means to simply move supplies from one place to another (which, to be fair, is what most carts are used for), especially over the tricky terrain. Still, without a full explanation—and as the ice continues to peel back historical finds from human remains to ancient weapons to entire landscapes—we can carry on speculating how exactly bamboo ended up high in the Swiss Alps.

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