nk immobilien gstaad gmbh Dorfstrasse 3792 Saanen

from GrindelwaldMagazin 2021/22 WINTER EN

OFFICE INTERLAKEN Untere Bönigstrasse 3800 Interlaken

Snow scooters and rescue sleds are (almost) always there: Slope patroller Nina Garbani on the First. ABOVE horn in summer.

It gets romantic at the end

When asked about the best moments of her work and, after a moment’s thought, Nina Garbani says: „When a mission goes smoothly and all is well with the patient.” And, of course, when she can enjoy the view from Grindelwald‘s sun terrace in good weather. „I like the variety - being outdoors and active, doing manual and physical work, and undertaking rescue missions,“ says the sporty woman. Even as a child, she was fascinated by the work of patrollers, which includes technical missions such as avalanche blasting. The fact that she mostly works with men does not bother her. „I feel comfortable in this world,“ says the down-to-earth woman with a smile. So it‘s not surprising that Nina Garbani likes to get her hands dirty when it comes to maintaining and repairing equipment.

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Just one of many tasks: Set up slope markings.

On some days she and her team do up to eight jobs, but on others it is quiet. „It depends a lot on the slopes and the visibility,“ says the patroller, who fills the time she is not on duty with office work or cleaning up. A highlight always awaits her at the end of her working day - the ski descent from First to Grindelwald on the empty slope. „It‘s almost romantic,“ she explains with a laugh.

Text: Heidi Schwaiger Photos: Michael Ackermann Kleine Scheidegg · Switzerland

A NEW ERA AT THE EIGER

The new Eiger Express between Grindelwald Grund and the Eiger Glacier passed its baptism of fire over the winter with flying colours - and this in the midst of the pandemic. No one could have expected such a start for the new railway.

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A refined combination of technology and nature: The new station on the Eiger Glacier has been integrated into the mountain.

What has been a long journey finally came to an end in Grindelwald in mid December 2020. In the middle of the Corona pandemic, Jungfraubahn Holding AG opened its new gondola lift, the Eiger Express. The planning and construction period for the project which will benefit future generations lasted 12 years and had an investment of 470 million Swiss francs. The project had to overcome countless hurdles before it could be completed; the construction in the high alpine environment demanded a lot from all those involved. And of course, the story does not end there but rather a new chapter begins in the railway‘s already more than 100-year success story.

The Eiger Express is a modern 3S railway that takes just 15 minutes from the new terminal in Grindelwald Grund to the Eigergletscher station. Together with the new Männlichenbahn (inaugurated in December 2019 and which also starts at the terminal in Grindelwald Grund) this creates a „V“ which gives the „V-Bahn“ its name.

For snow sports enthusiasts the two new lifts bring significant improvements as not only can they access and enjoy more comfortable transport options, but the lifts open up to new ski slope experiences in the Eiger Glacier area and onto the runs to the valley. Finally no more long queues at the station in the valley!

In summer the Eiger Express greatly shortens the journey time to the Jungfraujoch. Now, from the terminal in Grindelwald Grund it only takes 45 minutes to reach the Joch; whereas before the new railway was built, the journey up to the highest point took 1 ½ hours.

The Eiger Express consists of 44 cabins, each with room for 26 passengers. Urs Kessler, Director of the Junfgraubahn, wanted the „most beautiful cabins in the Alpine region“ for his railway, according to a statement in the Swiss magazine Schweizer Illustrierte, and he succeeded. One glides effortlessly uphill in the wide, large glass cabins over the forest and the view of the Eiger North face is simply stunning. Even for those who know the panorama, the ride is an experience, the views surprisingly different and the closeness to nature amazing.

The terminal in Grindelwald Grund is also very cleverly planned. The distances between the new station, the multi-storey car park and the platform area are short, the corridors and waiting areas generously designed, and those who want to do some shopping will find various shops and catering facilities.

As always, it is only when something is well thought out that one tends not to even notice it. Which is why everything is so easy and in no time at all, having passed smoothly through the building, you will find yourself on the cablecar.

When too little attention is given to the planning process of a project it is then

that one notices the difficulties – constantly running into something, getting stuck somewhere, being in the wrong place or not being able to find your way around. Fortunately these problems do not exist in the new terminal.

The Jungfraubahn also benefited having made careful preparations during the pandemic. Thanks to the excellent capacity levels there were no endless queues. When there was a heavy rush, using a customer guidance system resulted in a smooth operation.

Press spokeswoman Kathrin Naegeli is delighted that everything was successful; even though the cabins were only allowed to be two-thirds full. „We clearly exceeded our guests‘ expectations in the 2020/2021 winter season,“ she says. „All the destinations in the Jungfrau Region also benefited from this.“

The next stage is to make it even easier to get to Grindelwald (and also Lauterbrunnen) by train. A park and ride station on the site of the former airfield in Matten/Interlaken has been planned for some time, together with a parking guidance system for the Lütschinen valleys. Negotiations are currently underway. Kathrin Naegeli hopes that these can be settled as soon as possible so that the project, which is important for the region, can be completed.

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The new Terminal Grindelwald Grund is bright and friendly, and you can always feel a bit of an airport atmosphere here.

FACTS AND FIGURES ABOUT THE NEW V-CABLECAR

The Eiger Express is the second part of the major V-Bahn project that has been implemented in Grindelwald in recent years. The modern 3S cable car takes you from the terminal in Grindelwald Grund up to the Eigergletscher station in 15 minutes. The lift opened on December 4, 2020.

• 44 gondolas with 26 seats each • 1 VIP gondola • Capacity: 2200 guests per hour • Difference in altitude: 1385 meters • Length of the track: 6480 meters • 7 supports • Diameter of suspension cables: 58 millimeters • Total weight of the suspension cable: 131 tons • Construction time: 908 days • Investments: 470 million francs (entire V-Bahn) • Terminal Grindelwald Grund: Shops on several floors, restaurants, cafés, sports shops and ski depots for rent • Direct access via train station • Parking garage with 1000 spaces

At 1‘600 meters above sea level, the cozy 3-star Alpinhotel Bort is nestled amidst the Bernese Alps. Wake up, open the window and experience the magic of the massive mountains and its breathtaking panorama!