A spectacular new cable car has opened in Switzerland’. Also, the science and folklore of winter solstice and skiing across international borders.

Switzerland, already renowned for its engineering marvels, has unveiled the world’s steepest cable car in the Bernese Alps.

The world’s steepest funicular railway opened in the alpine village of Stoos in 2017, rising 743 meters (2,438 feet) along gradients as steep as 110%. If that’s not fearsome enough ...