As of: January 21, 2024, 5:34 p.m
By: Karolin Schäfer
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Press
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In Switzerland, some skiers had to laboriously walk up the mountain - the lift was broken.
And that two days in a row.
Laax – Even if a ski holiday is not exactly cheap, many people still enjoy skiing in the mountains.
There are breathtaking ski areas in Switzerland, among others.
On Saturday (January 20th), winter sports may have been particularly strenuous for some people.
In the Swiss ski resort of Flims Laax, dozens of holidaymakers had to scramble up the mountain to reach the next slope.
A lift in the Flims Laax ski area is closed.
Dozens therefore have to walk up the mountain.
(Symbolic image) © Daniel Scharinger/imago
Holidaymakers have to walk up the mountain in a Swiss ski resort: “People were really desperate”
As the news portal
20 Minutes
reported, the Fuorcla chairlift (2118 meters high) was down.
At times no skier could be comfortably driven up the mountain; others were stuck in the gondola for a time.
What was particularly problematic was that there was no piste leading off from the end of the track.
Holidaymakers had to either wait or walk a bit uphill.
“I don’t understand why we weren’t warned beforehand or why the slopes weren’t closed,” a tourist from Zurich criticized the newspaper.
A snow groomer later came to help to save the skiers the climb with heavy equipment.
But there wasn't room for everyone.
That's why some of them ended up walking.
According to the piste map, the skiers had two options: the Crap Masegn at 2,447 meters or the Vorab at 2,570 meters.
According to
20 minutes
, holidaymakers would have had to climb around 80 meters in altitude to the next piste.
“People were really desperate,” said the tourist.
The reason for the ski lift's failure was a technical malfunction, the operators told the newspaper.
Shortly afterwards the relevant runway was closed.
After about half an hour, everyone who was still in the gondola could be transported up the mountain.
A total of an hour and a half later, regular operation of the lift resumed.
Those affected were compensated with a voucher.
The Fuorcla lift is shut down again a day later – skiers are upset
But the problem didn't seem to have been properly resolved.
Just one day later (January 21st) the Fuorcla lift failed again.
“Again, skiers have to walk up the slopes – and that with day tickets that cost 100 francs,” said an obviously annoyed witness
.
A look at the piste map on Sunday afternoon revealed that the lift had not yet reopened shortly before the last ascent.
(As of January 21st, 3:45 p.m.)
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“Fuorcla is a bottleneck;
"It's only going up," wrote a user on the short message service
Otherwise, what is actually a great ski area will lose its attractiveness and popularity.”
After all, skiing is becoming more and more expensive, which makes such a breakdown even more annoying for many people.
At least in some regions, winter fun is still affordable.
In Italy, on the other hand, there are strict rules on the slopes.