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World’s steepest cable car in full swing
Whizzing up to 85 people at a time from valley-floor Stechelberg (866m) to Mürren (1641m) in Switzerland, the world’s steepest cable car (pictured above) opened on 14th December 2024.
Named the Schilthornbahn after the Schilthorn peak, the slick design of the car itself oozes Swiss class, and replaces the previous system. At its steepest points, it has an incline of 159.4%.
Named the Schilthornbahn after the Schilthorn peak, the slick design of the car itself oozes Swiss class, and replaces the previous system. At its steepest points, it has an incline of 159.4%.
Swiss resort Mürren, made famous in the 1969 James Bond film ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ thanks to its incredible Piz Gloria 360-degree revolving restaurant, also saw its Mürren to Birg line cable car Funifor upgrade open on the same day, increasing capacity and comfort.
The infrastructure upgrades seem to have had a positive impact - winter sports visits were up 24% by the end of December compared to normal, according to the Schilthorn Cableway company.
A Funifor cable car (like the Mürren to Birg one above) is one that runs on a dual cable which increases stability
Preparations continue for the Ice Climbing World Cup in Saas Fee and La Plagne
The 25th edition of the Ice Climbing World Cup is currently underway, with the European legs soon to come.
The competition has 6 legs, and this year’s kicked off in China on the 3rd of January, before heading to South Korea in mid-January.
The athletes visit Saas Fee in Switzerland for various races up a 24-metre icy wall in front of huge crowds on 24-25 January. There are technical races and pure speed ones, and it’s held in the resort’s car park which allows for a brilliant atmosphere - have a look at the video below!
The competition then heads to Champagny-en-Vanoise in France from 29th January-1st February, which is part of La Plagne’s Paradiski area. France’s 3rd largest ski area, the Paradiski boasts 425km of piste and is connected to Les Arcs, too.
After this, it’s over to North America - specifically Longmont, USA from 21st-23rd February, and Edmonton, Canada from 27th February-1st March.
New Saint-Gervais gondola connects train station to resort
The beginning of the season saw Saint-Gervais in France become one of the very few ski resorts in the country to offer access to the slopes direct from the closest train station, with the opening of the beautiful new Le Valléen gondola.
Enhancing its environmental sustainability ambitions in doing so, it wipes out the need for a road transfer, meaning visitors can substantially reduce their carbon footprint by taking the train to Le Fayet and gondola to Saint-Gervais. Le Fayet is just a 4-and-a-half-hour fast train from Paris.
The top of Le Valléen gondola then connects with a brand new L’Alpin gondola. It takes just seven minutes to get from the train station to the top of the L’Alpin gondola.
The resort hopes the new gondolas will take approximately 15,000 cars off the local roads each year, and reduce CO2 emissions by 15%.
The new upgrades in Saint-Gervais complement the already-existing Mont-Blanc Tramway which whizzes people around various resorts in the area. Saint-Gervais is also due to open a new wastewater-powered funicular connecting the town centre to its iconic natural thermal baths in just three minutes - it currently takes 13 minutes to drive there.
Saint-Gervais is part of the massive Evasion Mont-Blanc ski area, which includes slopes in Megève. Chamonix is also a short 20-minute train ride away from Saint-Gervais.
Swiss trains go 100% renewable electricity
The Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) have announced that all electricity used in its train services will come from renewable energy sources in 2025. It was already at an impressive 90% last year, but they have gone a step further to align with the country’s environmental goals.
Most Swiss ski resorts are connected by railway, owing to the country’s excellent public transport network, including Zermatt, Mürren, Saint Moritz and Laax, among others.
50-70% of a ski holiday’s carbon footprint comes from the flight, if that’s what you choose to do. Train travel is much more sustainable, with about 1/8 of the emissions of a flight.
