Swiss Mountain Lifts Hold General Assembly

The Swiss mountain lifts industry met  for the general assembly and the forum in Le Châble / Verbier. No lamentation about the difficult Corona time, but the discussion of the current situation, the confidence in the future as well as innovative projects and ideas shaped the meeting. The industry is convinced that it can guarantee secure and regulated operation in the coming winter as well. 

Cable car industry as the mainstay of Swiss tourism 

At the general assembly in Le Châble / Verbier, all of the cable car users in Switzerland agreed on the added value they had created last winter. Because without the open operation of the mountain railways, Switzerland would have suffered macroeconomic damage of around CHF 6 billion. Nevertheless, the average revenue loss of 24 percent for the mountain railways weighs heavily. However, the industry is confident that it will work with the federal government and the cantons to find a solution to dampen the economic damage.  

No change in the protection concepts  

At the General Assembly, President Hans Wicki and Director Berno Stoffel announced that the talks on the protective provisions with the federal government and the cantons are going very constructively. At the moment, no changes are being made to the current protection regulations for mountain railways. The mountain railways can start the winter season with the same conditions as public transport; with mask compulsory in closed cabins and rooms, clearance in the interior of buildings and ventilation in cabins. Seilbahnen Schweiz is very satisfied with the discussions so far with the representatives of the Confederation and the cantons. The good experiences last winter were recognized and the pragmatic implementation of the measures is to be continued this winter. 

New members elected to the SBS Board of Directors 

At today's AGM of the umbrella association, Marco Luggen, Head of Operation Cable Cars and Winter Sports at Jungfrau Railways, and Valentin König, CEO of Aletsch Bahnen AG, were elected to the board. They replace Eric A. Balet and Roger Friedli. 

Learn from art 

At this year's forum, however, the industry also looked outside the box. The visitors were inspired by Léonard Gianadda, founder and president of the Fondation Gianadda. He impressed the interested audience with his personal career, entrepreneurial commitment and courage. Gianadda impressively demonstrated how he had successfully mastered difficult phases in his development.