At historic Swiss ski resort, Andermatt, an eco-sensitive project breathes new life into storied slopes
- The Chedi was the first of six new hotels drawing wealthy visitors to 180km of runs once skied by the Swiss army
- The project also includes a golf course, mountaintop restaurants, apartments and a concert hall, all powered by green energy
It has been a hard slog, and the cold creeping its way into my jacket is letting me know I should have invested in neckwear, but finally, I’m picking up speed. However, so is a large Volkswagen skidding across the ice in my general direction.
Perhaps the cross-country variety was not the wisest choice for a ski novice. Instructor Steve Gisler has been encouraging of my plodding across this icy plain, and I’ve kept my balance even when caught in the slipstream as one of the Mongolian skiers training here for the Olympics shoots past. But when I see a succession of cars sliding around markers and ever closer, I begin to windmill.
Volkswagen brings its best customers to practice winter driving here, explains Gisler, who is gliding effortlessly alongside as I lurch towards the barely controlled machines. It’s a beautiful “bluebird day” in mid January but the wind is making it hard to hear clearly. What he says next, however, is crystal clear: “There’s usually a wall of snow between the cars and the [cross-country practice] track, but this year …”
Reliable snow is important to all who rely on ski tourism, but the vicissitudes of climate breakdown are particularly unwelcome in Andermatt, a village in the Swiss Alps whose faded fortunes are only now being revived by a large investment in the potential of the surrounding mountains.
There can be few people who know the history of Andermatt as well as tour guide Bänz Simmen. Bernie, as he’s known to his English-speaking clients, explains that where we are now standing, beside the Reuss river, in the old town, was once beneath hundreds of metres of glacier ice. In his internet cafe and curio shop, Kiosk 61, maps, photos and topographical models illustrate a human history that has ebbed and flowed like the glaciers.