At the Glacier 3000 ski resort near Le Diableret in Switzerland, 270 tourists had to be rescued by helicopter from the highest cable car station. The Glacier 3000 cable car became stranded on its way to the summit at approximately 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 20, 2023, when power to the cable car was interrupted. The cable car must be quickly delivered to the summit station using emergency engines. Unfortunately, a quick solution was not possible, so it was decided to evacuate the 270 guests by helicopter to the middle station, from where they would descend the mountain by cable car.
Two Air Glacier helicopters made a total of 54 flights in 90 minutes, returning tourists to the central station.
Glacier 3000 CEO Bernhard Tschannen said the unexpected helicopter flight was caused by a faulty frequency converter in the cable car. A frequency converter is an electromechanical device that converts alternating current (AC) of one frequency to alternating current (AC) of another frequency. Tchannen hopes mechanics can quickly repair the converter and return the nacelle to service soon. Tschannen had originally hoped to run it on Friday, but the resort has now confirmed that the Glacier 3000 lift will be suspended until at least Saturday, July 22, 2023.
Glacier 3000 Resort is located 20 minutes from the famous ski resort of Gstaad and 40 minutes from Monetra. Unlike most other European resorts, there is no village at its base. The nearest villages are Les Diablerets in the French-speaking part of Switzerland and Glacier 3000 in the German-speaking part of Switzerland.
The ski resort is owned by Gstaad resident Marcel Bach and billionaires Bernie Ecclestone and Jean-Claude Mimran. The billionaire trio purchased Glacier 3000 in 2005 and successfully transformed the bankrupt ski resort into a year-round mountain playground. The group invested heavily in infrastructure, adding attractions such as the Peak Suspension Bridge, ice caves, sledding and dog sledding. Thanks to these measures, they were able to give the resort a much-needed boost and extend the resort’s season to year-round operation.
Glacier 3000 recently opened a new slide for the 22/23 season, the Double Black Diamond, which is one of the steepest slides in the Alps with a 46° incline. The runway is accessed through an 870-foot (265 m) long, 1.875-mile (3 km) tunnel.
In September 2022, there was a fire on the Glacier 3000 cable car, and there was also a fire in the restaurant at the top station of the Glacier 3000 cable car. Botta Restaurant is located on the top two floors of the cable car station, at an altitude of 9,747 feet (2,971 m). It was designed by world-renowned architect Mario Botta, who also designed the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Bechtler Museum of Contemporary Art in Charlotte, North Carolina. The building took 10 months to construct, cost US$17.6 million (CHF 17 million), and opened in 2001. The fire completely destroyed the restaurant, and the cable car operation resumed in November 2022. Work on the reconstruction of the restaurant began at the end of June; architect Mario Botta was involved in the restoration project.
Post time: Dec-07-2023