Haut Val De Bagnes - Inauguration Of The Cable Car Between Champsec And Sarreyer TAkes Place
A temporary cable car has been running between Champsec and Sarreyer. It supplements the transport service until the road bridge washed away by the Fregnoley torrent is rebuilt. Since the storms in July 2024 in the Val de Bagnes, the village of Sarreyer can only be reached via a renovated forest road, the Route du Soleil. As for the work to rebuild the bridge, this should start in spring 2026.
The temporary Champsec – Sarreyer cable car was inaugurated on Saturday 15 February in the presence of Franz Ruppen, President of the Council of State and Head of the Department of Mobility, Space and the Environment, Christophe Darbellay, Head of the Department of Economic Affairs and Education, and Fabien Sauthier, Mayor of Val de Bagnes.
The 500-metre-long cable car consists of an eight-seater cabin that travels the distance between the two villages in five minutes. It will operate according to a fixed timetable and will connect to the Le Châble-Lourtier bus line. Parking spaces will be available in Champsec for Sarreyer residents. For now, the service is still provided by Téléverbier, but in the medium term the cable car will operate autonomously, which will allow its timetable to be extended.
Various mudslides that occurred between July 5 and 9, 2024 in the Fregnoley torrent caused significant damage in the Lourtier region. The bridge over the torrent on the cantonal road between Lourtier and Sarreyer was washed away, cutting off the residents of the village of Sarreyer from the outside world. Today, the village is only accessible via a developed forest road, the Route du Soleil. With the installation of the temporary Champsec - Sarreyer cable car, the two villages can be connected and Sarreyer can be reached without having to cross the Fregnoley. The facility, which took five months to build, will be dismantled as soon as the Fregnoley bridge is back in operation. Reconstruction should begin in spring 2026 and take around 18 to 24 months.
