Excavator on Zermatt Glacier – Swiss ski chief criticizes the media

Swiss ski boss Urs Lehmann has defended preparations for the World Cup downhill slope on the Theodul Glacier in Zermatt VS. He said in an interview with CH Media that the media reports were deliberately presented in the light of stirring emotions.

“Issues that have been known for 40 years have been put in a different context,” the head of the Swiss Ski Association said in an interview published on Wednesday. Lehmann knows you’re in shock when you see an excavator on a glacier in front of the Matterhorn for the first time. “If it weren’t for excavators to shift the cracks for safety, no one would have skied on a glacier in decades,” he said. Until now, that was a given.

Today, climate change and sustainability have become central issues. He said that the images of the excavators naturally hit a sensitive area. Lehmann is in daily contact with the organizing committee. “I made sure everything went smoothly while building the ramp,” he said.

Part of the ski slope is not zoning compliant

According to the Valais Building Committee, some World Cup facilities on the Theodul Glacier in Zermatt are located outside the approved ski area. Therefore, on Tuesday, it issued an immediate ban on the use of the affected facilities outside the approved area.

The organizers took note of the decision. Once weather conditions permit, they will correct the course accordingly, organizers wrote in a statement. Lehmann said races in Zermatt were not in danger. (RAM/CDA)