Nollen ski lift closed despite the recent snow

It may have snowed in Zug recently, but the large ski lift at Nollen remains closed. Various factors have to coincide for it to operate. Operator Miriam Grab provides further information.
 

The landscape is covered in fresh snow, the ski lifts are ready to go, but the lift is still at a standstill. Why? ‘There just wasn't enough snow last weekend,’ says Miriam Grab, who has been running the ski lift and the Nollenstübli restaurant with her husband Beat and their two children since Easter last year. And the snow that did fall last week was blown away by the wind on Saturday.

After lengthy discussions with the six-member core team of Skilift Nollen AG, the decision was finally made not to open the lift. ‘The snow conditions would have been perfect at the top station at an altitude of 1,045 metres. But we also have to prepare the slopes and access routes at the valley station, which is only 750 metres above sea level.’ There simply wasn't enough snow for that. At least half a metre of fresh snow is needed in order to be able to prepare the slopes with a piste vehicle.

A lot of snow is also needed to safely prepare the lift route in accordance with regulations. ‘Most of this is manual work, which requires time and human resources.’ Whether a lift day is possible therefore also depends on the emergency services, explains Miriam Grab.

Road snow for the pony lift
The amount of snow this year has already been sufficient for the small pony lift on several occasions. ‘We were open for two days at the end of November and four days in January.’ If there’s not enough snow, the municipality of Unterägeri delivers snow that has been cleared from the village roads by truck. ‘We use this snow to prepare the slope. As it’s road snow, it’s not pure white, but that doesn't bother the children,’ says the 45-year-old, and laughs.

It is even possible to produce artificial snow for the practice and tobogganing slope. ‘To do this, however, we have to draw water from a reservoir provided by the corporation.’ This is located above the pony lift, and the water has to be brought down using fire hoses. ‘We then have to put the hoses away again so that they won’t be damaged.’ And this is very time-consuming. It’s thereby not worthwhile for the large lift , and is also not environmentally friendly.

‘We are in the process of applying for permission to lay an underground pipe. This would then be usable with less preparatory work,’ explains Miriam Grab. But numerous factors also have to be right for the production of artificial snow: ‘Temperature, humidity, wind and staff who have to distribute the snow produced every two hours during the night so that we don't find an iceberg there in the morning.’

They ensure winter fun at Nollen (from left): Salvatore Lucini (cross-country ski trail manager), André Hugener (chairman of the board of Skilift Nollen AG), Beat and Miriam Grab (operators of the ski lift and the Nollenstübli restaurant).        Photo: Jakob Ineichen
The Skilift Nollen AG Unterägeri team with the piste groomer        Photo provided
 

The Nollen ski lift is close to their hearts
When business is really good, 10 to 15 employees are needed to operate the lift and the ‘Nollenstübli’. Both the night and day work are physically demanding, and are often difficult to plan. "Many of the helpers have been with us for decades, and are now a little older. We would be very happy to have younger, stronger people join us. The work is paid by the hour."

Miriam and Beat Grab, who are both in their mid-forties, are fully immersed in their professional lives: they run a farming and horticultural business in Unterägeri. ‘We’re actually working at full capacity,’ says Miriam Grab. But as natives of Unterägeri, the Nollen ski lift is close to their hearts. ‘That's why we took over the management after the board of directors had searched for a long time and couldn't find anyone.’

In order to gain a little experience in the catering industry, they open the ‘Nollenstübli’ on nice weekends throughout the year. ‘It's still open even when only the toboggan run is open. People really appreciate that.’

Three different cross-country trails
In addition to downhill skiing, there are also three beautiful cross-country trails with a total length of 18.5 kilometres in Unterägeri, which are maintained by the local ski club. The individual trails are between 3.5 and 9 kilometres long and lead to different areas of Unterägeri.

‘We only need 20 centimetres of snow to groom a trail,’ says Salvatore Lucini, who has been the trail manager of the Unterägeri Ski Club for 12 years. ‘But what often causes us problems is the condition of the ground.’ The damp ground in the forest and near the lake often makes it impossible to prepare the trails. ‘The longer routes in particular lead through such areas. So we need more snow and ground frost there.’ However, the 3.5-kilometre Furen trail and the one-kilometre practice trail have already been open on four weekends this winter. ‘You can check the current trail conditions at any time on the ski club's website.’

The Unterägeri Ski Club also offers skiing and snowboarding courses at the ‘Handgruobi’ (Mythen region) on six weekends. ‘We are fully booked this year, with 75 children,’ says Salvatore Lucini happily. The ski camp in Savognin during the second week of the sports holidays is also already fully booked.
 

Note:
Anyone interested in helping can register by calling: 041 750 36 21 or by email to info@nollenaegeri.ch.
Operating information and opening hours for the ski lifts can be found on:
www.nollenaegeri.ch
and operating information for the cross-country trails on:
www.skiklub-unteraegeri.ch.