2023-06-30 19:13:27
The new gondola between the Petit Cervin and Testa Grigia, in the Aosta Valley, was inaugurated on Friday. It completes an installation opened in 2018 and completes the linking of the stations of Zermatt and Cervinia (I) at a cost of approximately 65 million francs.
Zermatt boasts a new lift facility: a 3-cable gondola (two carrying cables and a looped hauling cable) which connects the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise upper station (3883 meters above sea level) in four minutes to Testa Grigia ( 3480 meters above sea level).
Dubbed the “Matterhorn Glacier Ride II”, the facility can transport 1,300 people per hour. It flies over the Theodul glacier for 1.6 km without any pylon.
The ten cabins can each carry up to 28 people. They were designed by the Italian studio Pininfarina, known for its creations for Maserati and Ferrari.
The sophisticated cabin reflects the image that the Valais resort sells abroad: that of a luxury destination. In the 240 francs round trip, the panorama is of course included but also the design, the heated seats and the latest technology.
many guests
The new facility was inaugurated in the presence of a large number of guests, including the president of the Valais State Council Christophe Darbellay and Renzo Testolin, president of the government of the Valle d’Aosta region.
The inauguration ceremony was hosted by Italian-Swiss presenter Michelle Hunziker, who “ideally embodies this link between Italy and Switzerland”, according to Franz Julen, chairman of the board of directors of Zermatt Bergbahnen.
The latter recalls that the project to link Zermatt to Cervinia has been simmering for more than 80 years, the first reflections dating back to 1939. “Today is an important day for the two stations which show through the realization of this project that they believe in tourism and have faith in and for future generations,” he said.
Sustainability “taken seriously”
To those who doubt the relevance of such a project in times of climate change, Franz Julen replies that the Zermatt ski lift company “takes sustainability seriously”. It has in particular “eight photovoltaic installations” and offers “very qualitative products and premium prices which do not go hand in hand with mass tourism”.
Franz Julen further specifies that the company he presides discusses with environmental organizations. It is a question of finding compromises to respect ecological sustainability, without however forgetting that of economic and social sustainability, he stresses.
Open doors for the population
Zermatt Bergbahnen intends to continue “gradually developing the Matterhorn Alpine Crossing product”. It “plans to invest over ten years some 200 million francs in the two lifts and their development”, she wrote in a press release.
Saturday, an open day is planned for the population. This one is invited to make a round trip for free in Matterhorn Glacier Ride II, between the upper station of the Little Matterhorn and the station of Testa Grigia.
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