Schilthorn cable cars safety and rescues
A traveler is seeking reassurance for their group, as one member is anxious about taking gondolas and cable cars after seeing a rescue video from the Schilthorn. They want to understand how rare such incidents are and find comfort in the safety measures in place for these attractions in Switzerland.
- Cable cars in Switzerland are generally very safe; incidents like the one in the video are extremely rare.
- Always check the weather conditions before taking a cable car, especially high wind speeds.
- The Swiss rescue services are highly trained and well-prepared for emergencies, ensuring a fast and efficient response.
- The Swiss Travel Pass covers various gondola rides and provides excellent value for tourists.
AI-generated summary-
One of our party has watched a video on YouTube showing 28 passengers being rescued from the Schilthorn cable car by helicopter. Quite an amazing and professional rescue! However, this has made them very scared about going on gondolas/cable cars. I am trying to explain that this must be a very rare occurrence in Switzerland and that a helicopter would only be used as a last resort. Do you have any info to reassure them?thank you
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Hi Sweyne
We occasionally get a different type of question on the forum and this is certainly one of them!
I have seen the youtube video and read the article: http://www.thelocal.ch/201806 22/stranded-tourists-airlifted-from-iconic-schilthorn-peak
To be fair, the response from the Swiss rescue services makes me feel safer not the other way round! The fact that they were able to get over 300 people out safely is a testament to their knowhow and understanding of mountain conditions. As a storm was brewing, leaving those tourists stranded overnight would have not been a nice experience, I can tell you (I have been on ski lifts at high wind speeds and it is terrifying). If too windy, the cable cars will shut down, as the approach to safety in Switzerland is paramount.
I have been on quite a number of cable car trips over my last seven years in Switzerland and I have not experienced this even once.
This is an extremely unusual occurrence to say the least and they can even spend time going through cable car safety statistics if they like. However I do understand your friends, specially if they have a fear of flying, heights or anything related.
My only response would be – there are no zero risk activities in life but we all still get out of bed in the morning and do really dangerous things like driving! So going up a cable car in Switzerland is really no biggie compared to getting into a car (some people even take this risk every day!) 🙂
However I would advise them to monitor the weather, being up high on a mountain with a thunderstorm looming is not very pleasant anyway so before you go up, it’s good to have a look at the weather forecast and wind speeds to avoid any unpleasantness 🙂
http://www.myswissalps.com/we ather
Even then the cable cars only run if it is safe to do so as they all conform to technical specs for wind tolerance.
Maria.
Hi Maria
Can you post the YouTube link please. Don’t worry I found it. Love the guy with the pink Crocs! 😂 Free adventure fully covered by Swiss Travel Pass. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUD-E7b2zVo&feature=share
Hi Maria,
Thank you for the link to the You Tube video. It looked like a slick, practised operation.
We were staying in Morzine in France a few years ago and one afternoon a training exercise was held whereby people, who I assume were connected with the rescue team were winched from the gondolas by helicopter and delivered to the area outside our hotel. I assume the Swiss Rescue service hold similar training exercises so they are well prepared in any emergency. The rescue team in the video certainly looked very confident and knew exactly what to do and the people who needed rescuing seemed reassured and were given no reason to doubt the ability of their rescuers.
The video filled me with confidence even though in all the years we have been visiting the Alps we have never had any problems or worries when travelling by gondola, cable car or chairlift.
Jane
Hi Maria
Thank you very much to replying to my different type of question …
Most useful information especially the news article on the very professional rescue. Hopefully can persuade everyone to go !
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