Swiss Mountain Award 2023: The nominees

Cable Cars Switzerland once again received numerous applications for the Swiss Mountain Award. The jury nominated a total of three projects for the award, submitted by Stoosbahnen AG, Zermatt Bergbahnen AG and Bergbahnen Hohsaas AG. The winner will be announced at the Forum Seilbahnen Schweiz industry conference on October 19, 2023 in Davos.

The Swiss Mountain Award is a national recognition award from Seilbahnen Schweiz (SBS) for outstanding achievements in the Swiss ropeway industry and is being presented for the tenth time this year. With the public award, services or projects with a positive signal effect are rewarded. The prize money of CHF 10,000 is in turn donated by Sisag AG.

The jury is made up of eight experts from the fields of mountain railways, tourism, business and research.

Heating energy from the Stoosbahn to the Stoos-Lodge, Stoosbahnen AG

Thanks to the recuperation of the funicular going down the valley and the waste heat from the drive, the Stoosbahn generates electricity and can pass this on to the nearby Stoos Lodge. The Stoos-Lodge, which opened in the 2022 winter season with 100 rooms, saves 70% of heating energy every year by heating with "recovered energy". In addition, the railway operations building and the shop are heated. The project impressed the jury with its sustainability and energy efficiency.

Matterhorn Alpine Crossing, Zermatt Bergbahnen AG

A long-cherished vision will become reality this summer with the Matterhorn Alpine Crossing: the continuous, year-round connection between Zermatt in Switzerland and Cervinia in Italy. The merger enables new tourist routes with the highest crossing of the Alps for international guests with a comfortable cable car. The trip with a spectacular view of the Matterhorn means a great increase in value for both destinations. The ecological sustainability thanks to the production of energy using photovoltaic systems at almost 4,000 m above sea level. M., the creation of important year-round jobs and the increased social exchange in the border regions moved the jury to nominate the Matterhorn Alpine Crossing.

SyBaB® - cable car station without staff, Bergbahnen Hohsaas AG

The Bergbahnen Hohsaas have used the developments of digitization and, thanks to the use of SyBaB®, now operate a mountain station without the permanent presence of employees. In order to ensure safe operation, a tele-railway operator monitors the mountain station in the control room of the valley station. The SyBaB® includes an electronic surveillance system, a guest detection and information system as well as a secure boarding concept. This system was implemented for the first time in an existing railway at the end of 2020 and increases the added value of the employees. The flow of people on the platform is controlled and timed, which reduces the risk of accidents and increases comfort and space for guests to board. The jury nominated the project for the Swiss Mountain Award,

"The jury decided to nominate these three projects because they not only have a positive signal effect for the cable car industry, but the achievements were also perceived as exceptional outside of the industry," says Berno Stoffel, director of SBS and a member of the jury.