How do global pressures play out in mountain regions? In our joint course between GIUZ and Tbilisi State University, students from Georgia and Switzerland have been exploring this question together. They’ve written collaborative blog posts on climate uncertainties for ski tourism, gendered injustices in mountain economies, migration-driven transformations of Alpine regions, and much more. Working in cross-border teams, they had to navigate different academic cultures, time zones, and perspectives — and turn this into shared texts.

In its fourth iteration, the course continued in a hybrid format in fall 2025, linking classrooms in Zurich and Tbilisi. This year, collaboration took place while political unrest in Georgia shaped everyday life for some students. That inevitably affected coordination, timing, and concentration. Teams adjusted, communicated differently and, at times, simply worked more patiently. While the blog posts reflect on current debates about sustainable development in mountain regions, they also show what cross-border learning can look like in practice: patient, adaptive, and deeply worthwhile.

Find here the full collection of student blog posts: www.mountainapp.net/blog

Annina Michel, Space, Nature and Society