Graubuenden is one of Switzerland’s favourite destinations for winter holidaymakers. But how do Alpine animals survive the coldest season of the year in this rugged mountain world?

Graubuenden in Winter – for human visitors, that means fun on the pistes and a lively aprés ski scene. But for animals in nature, the snow, cold and ice mean a constant struggle for survival. Whether ibex, marmot or common viper, they all have very different strategies for getting through the icy grip of an Alpine winter.

Graubuenden in winter – that means snow, frost and temperatures down to minus 30 degrees centigrade. Although hardly any animals are to be seen now, they are still there: the Alpine animal world. Those who spend the winter here have developed ingenious strategies to survive the winter. The marmot’s strategy is: eat fat and sleep through the cold season. However, their hibernation can’t be compared to an ordinary night’s restful sleep. It is more like a life-threatening emergency situation. Researchers have discovered that if marmots don’t occasionally wake up from their hibernation and "sleep properly", they die. The film recounts this and other astonishing stories about nature in winter in gripping images.