There has been skiing on the Raten for more than 50 years

The fact that the Oberägeri ski area has been able to survive so long is largely thanks to the innovative ideas of Skilift Raten AG. Over time, it has created a real children's paradise.

The largest ski area in the canton of Zug – and the most snow-certain at an altitude of 1070 metres above sea level – is on the Raten Pass in Oberägeri. But big is not the right adjective: small but fine fits better. With the Mega-Star platter lift, the Pinocchio T-bar lift (drag lift) and the Ski Carousel, it has become a real children's paradise in recent years. You can enjoy learning to ski here – the Raten is easily accessible, the neighbouring restaurant offers an ideal place to warm-up, and, in addition to skiing, there are a number of other winter activities available: toboggan runs or snowshoe rental, for example. The sun loungers, which belong to the kiosk, even convey a touch of après ski.

The facility is operated by Skilift Raten AG, and Jürg Rogenmoser is their president. He can certainly be satisfied with the development over the recent years. "We are running well," he confirms, with the lifts in operation for 50 days per year on average. Rogenmoser describes the altitude of the location as great luck. "This is often where the snowfall limit is."

In addition, the area is not rocky: "25 to 30 centimetres of snow is enough to create a good piste," says Rogenmoser, who often drives the piste vehicle himself. We were able to invest in a new vehicle four years ago. Although it is not often that ski lift operators invest in new facilities at this altitude, the decision has paid off", says Jürg Rogenmoser. It was also right to focus on children and beginners.

Photo 1: Jürg Rogenmoser                                  Photo: Stefan Kaiser
Photo 2: For about 20 years now, the focus of the Raten ski area has been on the youngest skiers - as the photo shows.                 Photo: Alexandra Wey (10^th January 10, 2001)
Photo 3: The big T-bar lift at the very beginning   Photo: PD
Photo 4: The ski lift Raten is busy.                       Photo: Stefan Kaiser (Oberägeri 13th December 2020)

This realignment took place in the 1990s, at a time when the ski resort was struggling to survive. The large T-bar lift from Botsrank onto the Raten was rarely in operation. Winters with little snow and a lack of money were an additional problem. The lift was dismantled In 2000, and the "Kinderland" concept was developed instead.

Jürg Rogenmoser, who has been working for the ski area for about 30 years, says: "The T-bar lift was resource-intensive, including in terms of personnel." And he adds: "It was expensive. We didn't raise more money then than we do today." Although the company can cover its costs at the moment, financial support is still necessary. And this comes from the municipality, the canton and the Oberägeri corporation.

The record number of visitors is 119,000 skiers in one year
The large lift was, however, once the start of easy skiing in the Aegeri Valley. It was opened in 1965 , the same year as the ski lift on the Zug Hochwacht. The two areas thereby share the honour of being the first ski lift in the canton. The T-bar lift carried the skiers over a length of 582 metres, covering an altitude difference of 116 meres. The downhill runs from the Raten and also from the Ratengütsch were certainly known before that, but involved some exhausting leg work first. This is perhaps the only way to explain why the visitor record of 119,000 skiers was reached as early as 1968, in its third year of operation. As a result, it was expanded. The first tow lift from the Raten to the Ratengütsch, for example, was added in 1971.

Skilift Raten AG is still moving forward today. "The most labour-intensive time is the installation and dismantling of the installations," says Jürg Rogenmoser. Something new is added again and again. From this year, for example, there is a mini giant slalom with time measurement on the Gütsch Schuss. The Board of Directors of Skilift Raten AG usually carry out most of the unpaid work, supported by volunteers. The operational manager and his assistants are paid, however.

"We keep the operation as lean as possible. We have one person working during the week, and two at weekends."

The effort has paid off: countless children's helmets create a colourful chaos around the kiosk or on the slopes. There are very often also beginners, but in this case adults, thanks to the local expats. Jürg Rogenmoser says he is optimistic about the future and is sure: "Without the ski resort on the Raten, something would be missing."

The series “Alles fährt Ski” (everyone’s skiing) looks at the history and the current situation of the sli-lifts in Canton Zug. This first part tells about the Skilift Raten. You can find more information about this ski area here.