People skied in skirts, thick socks and without helmets

87-year-old Paul Moos and ten colleagues founded the Zugerberg Ski School In 1966. The main things that have changed in the meantime are the snow conditions, the equipment and the age of the participants.

87-year-old Paul Moos from Zug last skied two years ago, but has since given up skiing due to physical complaints. He doesn't feel too nostalgic about this, as snow was in short supply in the local area last season, and probably will be so again this season. But things were different in the past.

together with ten other colleagues, Zug ski school pioneer Paul Moos founded the Zugerberg Ski School In 1966. Among them was the Zug painter Jonny Potthof. "We wanted to offer high-quality ski lessons, mainly for the younger generation in the region," recalls Paul Moos. At that time, snow was falling in large quantities and many people travelled from Zurich or the canton of Aargau to Zug by train and then continued on to Zugerberg by bus and train.

"I first trained as a ski instructor for the ski school and later trained as a ski school manager," explains the trained toolmaker. The members gave lessons on Wednesdays and Saturdays during the winter season and throughout the ski holidays, mainly for children. "We also used to travel to larger ski resorts by coach almost every Sunday. We travelled to Andermatt, Stoos or Biberbrugg to hold courses there," he adds.

He enjoyed this time very much. He remembers going up the Zugerberg on foot with a friend in heavy snow, well-attended ski races on the Zugerberg and his father, who was a wainwright, moulding his first skis himself at home in a bathtub filled with water. For decades, it was Paul Moos who set up the ski lift on the Zugerberg after the first snowfall and took it down again at the end of the season.

"For many years, the Zugerberg ski school was also part of the Swiss Ski School Association," he proudly adds. Sponsors such as Zug Cantonal Bank (ZKB), Zug Waterworks (WWZ) and Zugerberg mountain railway, as well as the town of Zug, actively supported the ski school from the very beginning up to today. Most of the founding members are no longer alive, however.

The 87-year-old co-founder of the Zugerberg Ski School, Paul Moos, and the current president of the association, Vreni Horat, at the meeting point for the ski courses on the Zugerberg               Photo: Matthias Jurt
View of the ski area on the Zugerberg around 1940.
Franz Moos (Paul's brother) at a ski race on the Zugerberg in 1963             Photos: zvg

Increasing demand for individual courses
19 years ago, Franz Moos handed over the Zugerberg ski school to the next generation, and Vreni Horat from the Klosterhof in Zug has been president of the organisation ever since. "I’d already been helping out at the ski school for years, and as it was difficult to find a successor at the time, I decided to take over together with a colleague," says the 56-year-old.

In addition to the weather conditions, the age of the children in the courses has also changed. "The youngest children are four years old. As soon as the children are older, around ten years old, they come less and less. They then go more to the big slopes. We no longer offer courses in other ski resorts because the travelling would be too expensive," explains Vreni Horat. The Zugerberg ski school currently has twelve club members.

The demand for small groups or individual courses is increasing, however. "More and more adults are asking us for individual courses. These are possible by arrangement. This has developed as a result of the many expats in Zug," she adds.

The equipment is also much more professional and, above all, safer today. "In the past, the children didn't even wear helmets. They dressed a little warmer than usual for the ski trip. Girls even came in skirts with thick stockings underneath. You wouldn't ski like that today," says Vreni Horat.

"That wears on the nerves"
Due to the warming climate and the associated unfavourable snow conditions in recent years, it has become more difficult to recruit new instructors. "It’s also become more difficult for me to draw up work schedules. On some weekends, it's not clear until midnight on Friday whether the courses can take place on Saturday. That does wear on the nerves," admits Vreni Horat.

Nevertheless, she wants to continue to support the ski school. It would also be a shame to give up a school that has been running for so long, but she doesn't want to force the issue either. "But when I see the happy faces of the children on the courses, I remember why I'm doing all this."

Further information about the ski school on the Zugerberg can be found on www.skischulezugerberg.ch or by phone to 041 711 76 09.