Locale

TheThe alpine town of Zermatt in the Valais region of the Swiss Alps nestles at the head of the Mattertal valley, under the majestic stance of the infamous Matterhorn. The resort is a busy place for most of the year with tourists flocking to see the Matterhorn, mountaineers enticed by the sheer peaks and skiers coming for the array of pistes in the winter. Indeed, thethe area around Zermatt contains the majority of the alpine four-thousanders (mountains over 4,000m) as well as Switzerland’s highest mountain, the Monte Rosa. Of course, with such a challenging, environment the local helicopter service of Air Zermatt is cherished.

Air Zermatt

Tirelessly pursuing technical and medical progress for its entire 44 year history, Air Zermatt has become a world leader in the field of mountain rescue. Its employees, however – pilots, doctors and paramedics – do not see themselves as ‘heroes of the mountains’ but rather as experienced professionals who handle their duties quickly, carefully and reliably, something which Air Zermatt demands of all of its employees.which Air Zermatt demands of all of its employees.

The company was first founded back on 1 April 1968 by a handful of far-sighted pioneers in Zermatt, including Beat Perren, who was a pharmacist by profession and district counsellor at the time. Air Zermatt AG was established with just a single Bell Jet Ranger helicopter and German pilot, Günther Amann. Back then Zermatt was far more remote with no road linkinglinking the town with the rest of the valley, just a single path and trains that only ran during the day. In winter the path would become especially treacherous with risk of avalanches and this caused patient transfer problems should someone have required a visit to the hospital - something that became clearly evident during the winter Typhoid epidemicepidemic at the start of the 1960s. Things needed to change, and they did.

The first rescue was carried out two weeks after

foundation, with 90 being flown in total during the first year. In 1969 an Aérospatiale Alouette III was purchased and this became the first helicopter in Switzerland to be fitted with a rescue winch. The following year at the International Helicopter Symposium held in the Kleine Scheidegg pass in the Bernese Oberland, Air Zermatt demonstrated the winchwinch by lowering mountain guides to five points on the infamous and deadly north face of the Eiger, demonstrating the winch’s worth as this would now allow them to perform rescues previously thought impossible. Further still they could lengthen the

A Lama circles the iconic Matterhorn

Growth

AirAir Zermatt has grown quite considerably since then, now with over 60 employees including ten pilots, a fleet of eight helicopters and numerous bases. The two main bases are located at Zermatt itself and Raron, further north in the Rhone Valley, but there are also smaller facilities at both Sion and Gamnel, also in the Rhone Valley.

winch with rope to 65 metres.

AsAs well as being monumental in the world of rescue technique Air Zermatt also began to build on the medical aspect of rescues and in 1973 became the first helicopter company in Switzerland to employ a doctor to accompany the crew on all rescues, something even REGA - the air rescue service which provides emergency medical assistance in SwitzerlandSwitzerland - had not yet done. Furthermore, in 1985 the move was made to engage only specially trained anaesthetists too.

Zermatt Base

TheThe Zermatt base is nestled atop a rocky promontory just north of the town and it is from here that most of Air Zermatt’s missions are flown. The base consists of a large concrete pan with four landing pads and an adjacent maintenance hangar where the helicopters and equipment are stored and worked on. There is also an adjoining office and shop where the public can book pleasure flights and buy souvenirs such as clothes, books and DVDs. On the hillside next to the base is the footpath that runs between Zermatt and Täsch, with an area of benches for the public to sit and watch thethe goings on at the helipad. The base at Raron deals with the majority of maintenance on the entire fleet, with a 12 strong team responsible for this, as well as the handling of the Rescue Cards and accounts - these being cards that can be purchased by the public as protection and cover for emergencies, whilst at the same time supporting the rescue service.

A trio of views depicting the main base at Zermatt and its surrounding environment

There are several difficulties to flying in the mountains without taking into account having to perform rescues and other activities. At higher altitudes the air thins and a helicopter’s rotors produce less lift, becoming slower toto respond. Engine power is also significantly reduced along with difficulties arising with the heating and cooling of the engine – so it is essential that Air Zermatt has a fleet of helicopters that perform well at altitude.

Fleet

TheThe fleet currently comprises two Aérospatiale AS315B Lamas, four Eurocopter AS350 B2/B3 Ecureuils, a single Eurocopter EC135 T2 and brand new Bell 429. The outfit is currently in the midst of transitioning from a predominantly LamaLama fleet to a predominantly Ecureuil one, with both currently acting as under slung load carriers - the Lama having been a mainstay in the mountains worldwide since the company’s inception in 1968.

As a helicopter reputed for its high altitude performance, the Lama was created to fill an Indian requirement for a helicopter capable of working in the tough environment of the Himalayas, indeed the Lama proved itself in the earlyearly 1970s under these ‘hot-and-high’ conditions, excelling at carrying heavy loads. The type currently holds the altitude record for a helicopter, having reached a staggering 40,814ft (12,442m) in 1972.

About to touch down, this Lama brings some happy tourists back to earth

This AS350 is seen retrieving workmen from high up on the mountain

AS350 Ecureuil

TheThe more modern Ecureuil is no stranger to the mountains either, billed as the best helicopter for high altitude work of this nature, being fast, quiet and comfortable as well as having versatile equipment options. In 2005 FrenchFrench pilot Didier Delsalle flew an AS350 B3 (albeit somewhat stripped down) to the summit of Mount Everest (29,029ft/8,848m) and in the process claimed the record for the highest landing and takeoff performed by a helicopter.helicopter.

The EC135 also shares characteristics of the Ecureuil as it is fast, quiet and comfortable but in addition has a better equipped intensive care unit on board and is especially suitable for night flights. As such, the EC135 is deployeddeployed on around 80% of rescues performed by Air Zermatt.

The most recent arrival is the impressive Bell 429, a type that will only further the company’s capabilities. This light, twin engine helicopter will allow Air Zermatt to carry out more night rescues with its specially built in andand highly efficient SX5 searchlights, Max-Viz infrared camera and night vision goggles system on board. In addition it has as a 90 metre long winch and incorporates much modern medical technology. Being stable inin the hover it will also add to the company’s working platform capabilities.

Provisions being taken up to a mountain hut slung beneath a Lama

Under-slung Loads

TodayToday the helicopter is the most practical and competitive means of transporting materials in the impassable geography around the Alps and as such this is where Air Zermatt gains the majority of its business, with approximately 60% of flying hours beingbeing taken up by transporting materials via under-slung loads from the Lamas and Ecureuils to mountain building sites, railways, ski lifts and cable cars as well as supplies to remote villages and mountain huts, lifting avalanche barriers into place and transportingtransporting timber. Air Zermatt is also specialised in assembly, greening large areas, fire fighting, avalanche blasting as well as missions with working platforms being carried, such as those involving power lines.

Mountain Rescues

The term mountain rescue refers to those carried out at 3,000m above sea level and over, and Air Zermatt undertakes 90% of Switzerland’s mountain rescues, amounting to over 1,500 per year. At any given time there are two intensive care-equipped helicoptershelicopters at constant readiness (three in high season) and a crew of pilot, emergency doctor and paramedic on standby who have to arrive at the helipad within minutes of a call coming in. In the tourist season they are almost non-stop, attending to mountain climbers,climbers, hikers and skiers as well as acute illnesses, pregnancy complications and victims of road traffic and industrial accidents. Nowadays there are 44 doctors on duty with Air Zermatt for between one to four weeks per year, with the short periods on duty reducing the effects of fatigue.the effects of fatigue.

Air Zermatt's distinctive livery looking resplendent in the sunshine

Off on a rescue mission, a rescuer is suspended below a Lama.

Crevasse Rescues

AlongAlong with ground-breaking mountain face rescue techniques Air Zermatt has also led the way in crevasse rescue, another situation that poses many challenges. The first of these being that after 15 or so minutes in a crevasse, the human body will fuse to the ice due to body heat. So rescuers not only have to be able to reach the victim, but also separate them from the ice, requiring much specialist equipment. A Habegger tripod is set upup over the crevasse and then the victim is freed using a hammer drill with a specifically manufactured bit – a procedure which has saved countless lives over the years.

Longline Rescues

AirAir Zermatt has pioneered the way for longline rescue techniques, which is where a 90ft line is hung below a helicopter allowing a rescuer to be put in place on a steep mountain face. The line has to be long enough so that the helicopter’s rotors do not contact the mountainmountain face. Only incredibly skilled and practiced pilots are able to use these techniques as it takes a lot more consideration when flying. There is a lot of yaw produced by the cable and being able to place a rescuer at the exact point on the mountain face requires an unbelievableunbelievable amount of concentration and a finesse of touch on the controls.

Tourism

Of course, as well as the vital mountain rescue and supply services that Air Zermatt carries out, tourism makes up a large part of what it does, with tourists wanting to get a unique view of the Alps or to use the helicopters for other means.

YearYear on year the air taxi service that is available between Zermatt and international airports is increasing in popularity and currently over 1,000 passengers a year are ferried to and from Sion, Geneva, Zurich, Lugano and Milan.

InIn winter heliskiing adventures are offered from both the Zermatt and Raron bases. This is where skiers are flown to a location for off-trail skiing in a more pristine and natural environment than would otherwise be found on the popular pistes.

Lamas on sightseeing flights as seen from both inside and out.

Sightseeing flights are by far the most popular service that is offered, with over 8,000 people enjoying soaring over the rugged snow-capped peaks per year. Flown around the local area as well as further afield, there are numerous pre-set flights to choose from as well as the option of having one tailor made. The standard sightseeing flight comprises of 20 minutesminutes around Zermatt routing via the Weisshorn, Matterhorn, Breithorn and Monte Rosa.

Whilst being one of the world leaders in the field of mountain rescue, Air Zermatt does an immense amount of work to share the knowledge gained, benefiting other organisations and countries.

In 2001 Air Zermatt founded the Alpine Rescue Centre (ARC) with its purpose being to provide

education and training for professionals and the general public in the field of pre-clinical emergency medical aid, technical mountain rescue, air rescue medicine, Alpinism and all related areas within the framework of courses, talks and presentations. It offers the most comprehensive training for emergency doctors and paramedics in the field of mountainmountain rescue in the form of the internationally recognised Diploma of Mountain Emergency Doctor.

In Nepal Air Zermatt is also helping to build a rescue station where helicopter pilots and mountain rescuers alike can be trained for highly complex rescue missions at altitudes of up to 7,000m. It is here that the company’s pilots have once again broken boundaries.

Above - Flying alongside a mountain face high up in the Alps.

The Mattertal valley is certainly a beautiful place to work.

A pair of Ecureuils rest after a busy morning, reflected in the hangar window.

Over its 44 year history Air Zermatt has come in for much acclaim, from the early years and exploits of its first pilot, Günther Amann, right through to the present day. Numerous international honours have been awarded to the crews of Air Zermatt, including three heroism awards in 1972, 1976 and 2010. The latter award came about after a record breaking longline rescue was carried out in Nepal when two of Air Zermatt’s pilots retrieved three Spanish climbers from a point on Annapurna at 6,900m in one of Fishtail Air’s Ecureuils.

Air Zermatt, whilst coming from humble beginnings, has risen up to become a premier mountain rescue outfit, now being the epitome of speed and reliability. Benefiting not only its own corner of the Alps it also has an international reach in the world of mountainmountain rescue quite unlike any other. Never satisfied, the organisation continues to push the boundaries in all elements of what it does; be it in terms of the helicopters, the technicalities of rescues or medical advancements. Air Zermatt makes the mountains a much safersafer place in the event of disaster and will continue to do so.

Above & left - The pilot holds the Lama in a steady hover allowing groundcrew to attach an under-slung load before delivering high up into the mountains.

A pair of Ecureuils rest after a busy morning, reflected in the hangar window.