A new funicular for Zermatt

After 32 years the Sunnegga funicular in Zermatt is to undergo a complete refit. By early summer 2013, you will be able to glide up to Sunnegga on new tracks aboard an ultramodern railway. Carrying capacity is to be increased, but there is also a focus on greater comfort for passengers. Entirely new equipment will be installed in the existing tunnel. The necessary structural modifications will be made this summer as well as during the regular autumn break in operations. During an eight-week period in spring 2013, the electromechanical equipment, tracks and rolling stock will be completely replaced. A total investment of about 12 million Swiss francs is planned.

The refurbishment promises a tangible improvement in passenger comfort: the sprung undercarriage and sound-proofed interior will make for a quiet journey. LED lighting will create a pleasant ambience. Passengers will have more room, with the space available for each seat increasing from 0.17 to 0.21m2. The seating capacity of the trains will rise from 170 to 200, which equates to 2570 passengers an hour. To make this possible, the trains will be longer: 30 metres, with three coaches, each of four compartments. The greater length means the floor of the upper compartment will come to a stop level with the station exit. The speed of travel will increase from the present 10m/sec (36km/h) to 12m/sec (43.2km/h). The folding front door will give easier access for goods transport.
The end of the winter season on 22 April 2013 sees the start of eight weeks of intensive work (using a multiple shift system) on all fronts. The aim is to ensure the new funicular is ready for handover and can start operations when the summer season opens on 15 June 2013. Generally speaking, the work will be spread over three seasons, occupying the normal inspection and maintenance periods, in order not to interrupt operations on Sunnegga. Only the spring maintenance period will be extended, by two weeks.

If everything goes according to plan, the opening of the new funicular will take place on Saturday, 15 June 2013! Zermatt Bergbahnen AG is looking forward to the next 30 years and to carrying another 30 million or more passengers on a state-of-the-art funicular.
The Sunnegga area was opened up in 1942 with the installation of a ski and walking lift, which was replaced in 1946 by a chair lift. In the 1970s, with capacity bottlenecks an increasingly frequent problem, it was decided to build a funicular railway. After four years’ construction and a total investment of CHF 26.93 million, it was opened on 28 November 1980. The funicular was recognized far beyond the borders of Switzerland as a genuine innovation in tourist transport systems and soon became a popular attraction. On 3 March 1982, after only 15 months’ operation, the railway was able to celebrate carrying its millionth passenger. By the time of the merger in 2002, the number of passengers had surpassed 17 million. Since then, Zermatt Bergbahnen AG has carried a further 14,129,218 passengers on the Sunnegga funicular, so there is no doubt that it has earned an overhaul! Starting in the winter of 1985/86, the Swiss Federal Office of Transport allowed driverless operation at a reduced speed (5m/sec) and from May 1996 onwards, at the full speed of 10m/sec.

Zermatt. A Gastronomic Paradise in the Swiss Alps

By Raúl Revuelta

There is no greater pleasure after a long day of skiing than sitting down to enjoy a traditional raclette.
But Zermatt (Valais) offers much more than that. Twenty Zermatt Restaurants have been included in the latest edition of the most popular Swiss restaurant guide, the Gault Millau 2013.

The Omnia, the "Heimberg" Restaurant, and the Hotel Matthiol have entered for the first time in the prestigious guide.

"The residents of Zermatt and their guests are spoiled by the very best mountain restaurants in the Alps. Hotels with ambitious chefs…" The Gault Millau (GM) is full of praise for Zermatt in its 2013 edition. The restaurants included in the 2013 guide (18 up to now) have amassed a total of 248 points (246 up to now). The publishers of the Gault Millau write in their press release: "Gastronomic power continues to rise as before in Zermatt: the cuisine in the wonderful restaurants lining the ski runs is consistently good. There has been some change in the village but the density is impressive". The Gault Millau tasters have designated the boys from the isle of Capri as the undisputed "top dogs", who never cease to "amaze us every year" in the Mont Cervin Palace (Le Capri Restaurant).

The Omnia has been waiting a long time for its Gault Millau entry and now it's a case of "Welcome to the Club!" states the restaurant guide, referring to the 14-point performance by its chef Patrick Weber. The "Heimberg" Restaurant was also able to climb up the rankings. Christian Geisler garnered praise with the entry, "What the young chef from Salzburg, Christian Giesler, serves up, deserves to earn great praise", gaining the "Heimberg" 14 points (13 up to now). The press release goes even further: "Christian Geisler is the shooting star in the village. … we expect great things from him".

The Restaurant Dolce Vita is a new addition, although without an entry with points, as Roland Kilian only works in the Dolce Vita in Zermatt in winter. Like other chefs in Zermatt practically overwinters here like a migratory bird. He is now here for the second time (2012/2013 season).

The Hotel Matthiol also managed only an entry, as Chef Maria Gross is moving on with Patrick Zeh stepping into her shoes. He first needs to prove himself.

Nine Zermatt hotels included Tourists continue to seek out beautiful hotels where they can enjoy outstanding food. Of the 100 hotels designated by Gault Millau as "Gourmet Hotels", nine of them are now in Zermatt. This is because the Hotel The Omnia is now in the club, too. Zermatt has a total of over 150 restaurants, 50 of which are mountain restaurants plus a further 50 bars and nightclubs.

The 20 best restaurants in Zermatt
	Gault Millau points
Hotel Alpenhof, Restaurant Le Gourmet	15
Hotel Cervo	13
Restaurant China Garden	13
Restaurant Dolce Vita	-*
Findlerhof Mountain Restaurant	14
Restaurant Chez Heini	13
Restaurant Heimberg	14 (+1)
Hotel Matthiol	-*
Hotel Mirabeau, Restaurant Le Corbeau d’Or	15
Hotel Mont Cervin Palace, Ristorante Capri	16
Hotel Mont Cervin Palace, Grill “Le Cervin”	14
Restaurant Myoko	13
Hotel The Omnia	14 (new)
Hotel Post, Restaurant Portofino	13
Hotel Schönegg, Restaurant Gourmetstübli	15
Hotel Riffelalp Resort, Lounge / Al Bosco	13
Hotel Sonnmatten	13
Restaurant Zum See bei Max und Greti	14
Chez Vrony Mountain Restaurant	13**
Grand Hotel Zermatterhof, Restaurant Prato Borni	13

*Two Zermatt restaurants have not been awarded points but have still been included. This is because the chef's successor must first prove himself (Matthiol) and because Roland Kilian is "only" working as a guest chef (Dolce Vita). However, he has cooked his way to 16 points in his former Rebstock Restaurant in Tschugg (Berne).

**Chez Vrony (picture attached) is one of a few restaurants that serves their own organic produce. The cattle eat nothing but the grass that grows on the mountain pastures. The dried meat, homemade sausage and mountain cheese served at Chez Vrony is all made according to time-honoured recipes handed down from one generation to the next, just like the restaurant itself. Indeed, all dishes on the menu are natural and authentic regional fare, but are often combined with a cosmopolitan touch.

Gault et Millau is one of the most influential French Restaurant guides. It was founded by two restaurant critics, Henri Gault (1929–2000) and Christian Millau in 1965. Gault Millau rates on a scale of 1 to 20, with 20 highest (Restaurants below 10 points are almost never listed). The points are awarded based on the (1) quality and freshness of produce, (2) creativity and professionalism in food presentation, (3) harmony of the menu, (4) timing of service, (5) presentation and salubriousness of dishes, and (6) consistency of performance.

Based on this rating, high ranking restaurants may display one to four toques.
The Swiss guide was established in 1982. Recognition is highly prized and requires a minimum of 12 points summarised as follows:

12 points. Good kitchen offering conventional and traditional cuisine
13 - 14 points. Very good kitchen with more than conventional cuisine
15 - 16 points. High level of cuisine and quality
17 points. Award for the best quality and consistency
18 points. Award for exceeding quality of cuisine and creativity
19 points. Award for a groundbreaking and outstanding cuisine
20 points. Never awarded

Zermatt's IDE All Weather Snowmaker in Full Swing

By Raúl Revuelta

Zermatt is playing its trump card – the Snowmaker – so that skiers and snowboarders can take to good pistes in the early days of winter as well. The snow machine produces snow regardless of temperature, even above freezing point. And so a good snow base can be laid in early autumn to ensure perfect pistes in winter.

Zermatt Bergbahnen was the first ski resort to order a new kind of artificial snow system: theIDE’s All Weather Snowmaker. Later Pitztal Gletscherbahnen was the second Company to order, following Zermatt’s footsteps, the snowmaker. IDE Technologies is a world leader and pioneer in water desalination, wastewater concentrators and purifiers. The snowmaking technology comes from the mining industry where it is used to cool the goldmines.

CEO Zermatt Bergbahnen Christen Baumann explains how it works: "To put it simply it works like a freezer. The temperature of the surrounding air is irrelevant. In a closed container with a diameter of 3.2m and a height of 10m, water is exposed to a vacuum without any additives. A small portion vaporizes, the remaining water freezes to snow, which is afterwards expelled at a rate of about 40 cubic metres every hour. The snow produced has the consistency of a wet spring snow".

The technology is based on a principle of physics whereby water placed in a vacuum will immediately partly evaporate – without having to reach boiling point. However, the energy needed for evaporation must come from somewhere. In this case, the evaporating water extracts this energy from the remaining water, which is appreciably cooled and thus crystalizes. This crystalized water is thus snow, similar to spring snow, and is used for piste preparation. A transport spiral shoots the snow out to the waiting snowcats. These then distribute the snow in early autumn, as for example between the Theodul Glacier and the summit station of Trockener Steg.

The Snowmaker is used for around 14 days in early autumn for about two to three weeks. Then it is in operation around the clock. The machine is also used systematically in winter and spring, depending on weather and snow conditions.

Kurt Guntli from the Zermatt Bergbahnen AG is the project manager for the huge machine. "Thanks to the Snowmaker we can guarantee the route from the Theodul Glacier to Trockenen Steg from as early as the beginning of October".

Zermatt and Saas-Fee Win Top Recognition for their Environmentally Friendly Transport Systems

By Raúl Revuelta

Fourteen destinations were evaluated by the VCS (Swiss Motor Club): Adelboden, Arosa, Crans-Montana, Davos Platz, Engelberg, Grindelwald, Lenzerheide, Leukerbad, Saas-Fee, Scuol, St. Moritz, Verbier, Wengen and Zermatt. This new "mobile & ecological" rating by the VCS is intended to assist consumers with decision making on winter holidays. The survey was supported amongst others by the STV (Swiss Tourism Association) and the Federal Office for Spatial Development ARE.
 

Zermatt takes 1st place. In second place was Saas-Fee, also car-free, followed by St. Moritz. The Transport and Environment Association gave the highest ratings to Zermatt and Saas-Fee for their excellent rail and bus connections. The two winter hotspots in canton Valais were also recognised for their efforts in promoting public transport.

"For car-free Zermatt, this award is confirmation that our decades of effort and commitment for a sustainable destination are being rewarded", says Zermatt Tourismus Director Daniel Luggen. He is aware that tourism is effectively a balancing act between comfort, growth and improvement of offers on the one hand and sustainability on the other: "We will continue to be committed to sustainability. We’re staying on the ball!".

The Transport and Environment Association also praised other resorts, such as Davos and Grindelwald where local bus rides are free.

Another resort that received special praise was the Lower Engadine resort of Scuol, where "Holidays Without Your Car" packages - that include free access to public transport, separate transport of luggage and electric bicycles for hire - are available.

Among the criteria evaluated were travelling time to the destination, signage, local buses, frequency of public transport and luggage transport possibilities. 

Zematt's Ski Pistes Online

By Raúl Revuelta

Since 18 August 2011 it’s been possible to ski several pistes with just one mouse click so that in summer you can see how the runs look in winter. All thanks to Street View in Google Maps.

"With the help of Google Street View, our guests can - at least virtually - skim down the pistes and enjoy fabulous views of the Matterhorn between holidays", says Daniel Luggen, Resort Director of Zermatt. Non-skiers or those who have had enough of the heat in a city office, can now cool down with one mouse click - all thanks to Zermatt’s large fan community. With a public vote, in February 2011 the Swiss population selected its favourite ski area from 30 regions and decided which ski region should be filmed first from the Street View snowmobiles. Around 37,000 people cast their vote and Zermatt was chosen as the favourite ski region – thanks to Zermatt fans!

A survey from March 2011 shows that 53% of all people in Switzerland have used Street View at least once. Street View is also an important tool for planning travel inside and outside Switzerland. The 25% access from abroad shows the popularity of Swiss pictures on Google Maps. Some 1000 Swiss companies, including Switzerland Tourism, have already integrated Google Maps into their websites. 

2010 Solar Prize for Klein Matterhorn Restaurant

By Raúl Revuelta

The 2010 Solar Prize "confirms our belief that we are on the right track", said Christen Baumann, CEO of Zermatt Bergbahnen AG. With its groundbreaking projects, the company is continuing with the series of pioneering achievements that began in Zermatt more than 200 years ago: as early as 1767, the Geneva naturalist and first person to climb the Klein Matterhorn, Horace Benedict De Saussure, conducted the first experiments on the utilisation of solar energy here. With more than 2,500 hours of sunshine a year the Matterhorn glacier paradise (Klein Matterhorn) in Zermatt with its viewing platform at an altitude of 3,883 metres above sea level is the sunniest place in Switzerland. The solar Restaurantopened by Zermatt Bergbahnen AG on the south flank of the mountain for the 2008/09 winter season produces all the electricity for heating and ventilation using the photovoltaic system built into the facade. Thanks to the optimised design, the building fulfils the requirements of the Minergie-P standard.

 

When developing its infrastructure, Zermatt Bergbahnen AG focuses on three pillars. The first of these is efficiency. Renewable energies make up the second pillar and the third is the use of CO2-free electricity in buildings and to operate the facilities.

The design chosen and the energy concept fulfil the stringent requirements of the Minergie-P standard. The entire electricity consumption for heating and ventilation is produced by the photovoltaic system incorporated in the facade. The ventilation at the rear of the facade is a real innovation. It prevents overheating of the solar panels while enabling the outside air used for the ventilation system to be prewarmed. At the same time, 52 centimetres of heat insulation and triple-glazed windows ensure low energy loss. With the goal of retaining all material cycles within the building to the maximum possible extent, appropriate solutions were found for dealing with the scarce resource water. The building is equipped with its own membrane reactor water treatment plant. This allows purified waste water from the kitchens and washrooms to be recycled for flushing toilets.
The Swiss Solar Agency was founded in 1990 as the Solar91 Working Group and, together with the former energy minister Federal Councilor Adolf Ogi, launched the Swiss Solar Prize. The Prize has been awarded every year since 1991. The European Solar Prize adopted the Swiss model and has been awarded since 1994. The aim of the Swiss Solar Prize is the reduction of Switzerland’s international energy dependency of 82% (2006) by the intensified use of solar power through the use of efficient and economical technologies. The Swiss Solar Prize is awarded annually in the following categories: Persons (persons and legal entities, companies, enterprises etc.), Institutions (municipalities, public institutions, cantons), Buildings (new buildings, refurbishment of buildings), and Plants (Solar thermal collectors, photovoltaic plants, biomass plants).

The first Snowmaker successfully operated at Zermatt last week

By Raúl Revuelta

Zermatt Bergbahnen was the first ski resort to order a new kind of artificial snow system: the IDE’s All Weather Snowmaker. Later Pitztal Gletscherbahnen was the second Company to order, following Zermatt’s footsteps, the snowmaker. IDE Technologies is a world leader and pioneer in water desalination, wastewater concentrators and purifiers. The snowmaking technology comes from the mining industry where it is used to cool the goldmines. Both ski resorts have launched a new era in snowmaking by choosing the IDE All Weather Snowmaker from Israel to deliver large amounts of snow at all ambient temperatures.

The first Snowmaker was assembled and testing in Israel during July 2008. The Snowmakers were shipped from Israel to Slovenia, loaded on a truck convoy and transported to the base stations of the ski resorts. The crews worked hard to transport the heavy equipment up to the mountains. The first unit was lifted to the installation site in Zermatt by cables. The installation was completed in mid November and the Snowmaker was successfully operated last week.

Since the installation site has already been covered by heavy snow for the last few weeks, Zermatt ski resort will commence snowmaking with the new Snowmaker during spring 2009.
The installation of the snowmaker in Pitztal will be completed next month. 

IDE’s All Weather Snowmaker for Zermatt tested

By Raúl Revuelta

The new snow machine will be put into operation next month to offset the bad snow conditions of the late autumn in the glacier piste. The snow is being used to make a path between the bottom of its high altitude glacier and the cable car station from where skiers and boarders can get back up the slopes to access the year round ski area. In years gone by the glacier did reach this lift station anyway, but over the past two decades it has melted away and in late autumn, around the beginning of October, the glacier piste ends 500m before the lift station.

Zermatt Bergbahnen was the first ski resort to order a new kind of artificial snow system: the IDE’s All Weather Snowmaker. Later Pitztal Gletscherbahnen was the second Company to order, following Zermatt’s footsteps, the snowmaker. IDE Technologies is a world leader and pioneer in water desalination, wastewater concentrators and purifiers. The snowmaking technology comes from the mining industry where it is used to cool the goldmines.

CEO Zermatt Bergbahnen Christen Baumann explains how it works: "To put it simply it works like a freezer. The temperature of the surrounding air is irrelevant. In a closed container with a diameter of 3.2m and a height of 10m, water is exposed to a vacuum without any additives. A small portion vaporizes, the remaining water freezes to snow, which is afterwards expelled at a rate of about 40 cubic metres every hour. The snow produced has the consistency of a wet spring snow". IDE’s All Weather Snowmaker is a unique, environmentally-friendly and energy-efficient solution. The energy it requires for a year is the equivalent to that of one household.

The new snow machine, which is produced in Israel, had a delivery period of one year and costs around CHF 2 million (EUR 1.19 million).

Size is important in the Ski Industry

By Raúl Revuelta

I wrote in a recent article about Zermatt how ski resorts have been forced to invest and innovate to remain competitive. Today, I want to focus our attention in all Switzerland. We can found 650 mountain transport and ski lift companies in all the country. They provide access to 12,000 kilometres of ski slopes. With 11,000 employees, the companies are a key economic factor in mountain regions. All together they have a combined annual turnover of approximately SFr840 million.

But most of the Swiss resorts can not compete in the current circunstances. Most of them are small and located in peripheral regions, they have low cash flow, an inability to attract investment capital, and are crippled by high labour costs, services and food. According to professor Thomas Bieger, head of the Institute for Public Services and Tourism at St Gallen University: "The Swiss ski industry is split into two camps: bigger companies (who managed large international resorts) that are innovative and can keep pace with global developments, and too many operators in small ski areas who don't have the means to invest". Bieger told swissinfo that consolidation is one of the answers to the problem. "Only then do you have enough money to make investments". He believes only around 20 of today's 164 medium-to-large ski resorts in Switzerland can be competitive internationally. And the large investments being made by these top 20 are reflected in the price because"If you target the wealthy, you will have stable and higher revenues in the long-run".

Zermatt is one of the Swiss leading resorts with enough capacity to invest to remain competitive, and can afford to focus its attentions on wealthy holidaymakers. But in an increasingly global industry, ski resorts need to look to the international market to found their clients. In Zermatt Swiss market still account for about one-third of all nights spent in local hotels or apartments, but tourist director Daniel Luggen says the number of Swiss visitors has decreased over the past five years and "one of the reasons is that Zermatt has increased capacity (to meet foreign demand)".

Medium-sized ski areas have important reasons to be worried about their future. First of all they do not have the capacity to draw holidaymakers from international markets. Secondly, they have not the capacity to invest in new facilities. For example a recent study found that one in three Swiss ski lift companies could not afford to upgrade its snowmaking infrastructure – considered a vital survival strategy nowadays. They need outside investors to deal with this, but investors are only interested in "integrated" models where the infrastructure – from the lifts and sport shops to the hotels and restaurants – are under single management. But there is no one company running everything in the typical Swiss resort. "Investors need to be able to make money from income streams that aren't completely snow-related", Rusty Gregory, CEO of California's Mammoth Mountain ski area explained in swissinfo: "It's very important to consolidate these income streams before [they] can bring capital in to improve the lifts and other aspects of the resort". These resorts"are only active in small markets and so it will be much more difficult for them to attract capital or foreign investors" Luggen said. "I'm convinced that some of these resorts will have to close in future".

Zermatt: A leading resort in the Alps

By Raúl Revuelta

Zermatt (Valais, Switzerland) can be included in the selected group of the international destination resorts that attract skiers from all over the world. Zermatt is a car-free resort and mountain village at the foot of the Matterhorn, surrounded by an incredible landscape of mountains and glaciers.

Zermatt Bergbahnen, the largest aerial cableway company in Switzerland, understands nowadays the challenges for the ski resorts are gaining competitive advantage by being environmentally friendly and offering a quality service. On completion of a multistage auditing process carried out over a period of around one and a half years, the staff of Zermatt Bergbahnen have been granted on September 25, 2005, ISO-9001 Quality management certification and ISO-14001 Environment management certification for all enterprise areas of activity.

Also, ski resorts have been forced to invest and innovate to remain competitive; new ski lifts, snow making machines, cultural, sports and entertainment facilities and refurbished buildings are some of the necessary measures employed to render resorts more attractive. Since 2002, Zermatt Bergbahnen AG has invested CHF 105 million in transport equipment, CHF 39 million in pistes and artificial snow equipment, and CHF 34 million in property and vehicles.

On September 2007 Zermatt Bergbahnen AG reported figures substantially ahead of those reported five years ago at the time of the merger. The relatively warm winter seen again in 2006/07, with scant natural snowfall, proved the CHF 40 million in capital expenditures for artificial snow equipment to be a wise investment. An armada of over 700 lances and snow machines made it possible to open over 100 km of top-quality slopes in early December. The Matterhorn ski paradise posted record attendance for the period between Christmas and New Year's, with an additional 2,000 to 5,000 guests per day and 15,045 daily passes sold on the peak day of New Year's Eve 2006.

Matterhorn ski paradise daily pass sales for the last winter were up by 42,940 year-on-year (3.2%) to 1,368,920, and seasonal pass sales by 733,470 (7.3%) to 10,671,230. For the full-year, sales totalled 1.8 million daily passes and 12,956,230 seasonal passes. With over 2 million skiing days, the Matterhorn ski paradise is one of the largest contiguous ski areas in the world.

IDE’s All Weather Snowmaker for Zermatt

by Raúl Revuelta

The financial viability of the ski resorts depends to a great extent on favourable snow conditions and the snow-reliability of its ski areas. Nowadays ski operators adopt technological measures to reduce the risks from a snow deficient winter.

Snowmaking is the most widespread strategy to extend the operating season and to secure and guarantee the revenues of the ski resorts. Zermatt Bergbahnen is the first ski resort to order a new kind of artificial snow system: the IDE’s All Weather Snowmaker.

IDE Technologies is a world leader and pioneer in water desalination, wastewater concentrators and purifiers. The snowmaking technology comes from the mining industry where it is used to cool the goldmines.

CEO Zermatt Bergbahnen Christen Baumann explains how it works: “To put it simply it works like a freezer. The temperature of the surrounding air is irrelevant. In a closed container with a diameter of 3.2m and a height of 10m, water is exposed to a vacuum without any additives. A small portion vaporizes, the remaining water freezes to snow, which is afterwards expelled at a rate of about 40 cubic metres every hour. The snow produced has the consistency of a wet spring snow”. IDE’s All Weather Snowmaker is a unique, environmentally-friendly and energy-efficient solution. The energy it requires for a year is the equivalent to that of one household.

The new snow machine, which is produced in Israel, has a delivery period of one year and costs around CHF 2 million (EUR 1.19 million). It will be put into operation at the end of September 2008 to offset the bad snow conditions of the late autumn in the glacier piste. As Daniel Loggen, Director of Zermatt Tourism, says “We want to offer our guests perfect skiing enjoyment – so the innovation has come at just the right time”.