2025 – Four voices. One team. Air Zermatt.

The past year was especially challenging and intense. Not just because of all the everyday projects and transport jobs, but also because of incidents that posed an emotional challenge for us as a team. The glacier collapse and landslide in Blatten made it abundantly clear how planning and routine can suddenly turn into a state of emergency. In situations like this, what you see and experience is so much more than people just ‘doing their job.’ I was impressed by the professional approach and mutual respect I saw during this time, both between us as a team and with all of our partners.

In the spring we were called out to deal with issues of snow pressure – trees were snapping all over the Valais, and forest maintenance and safety work was an ongoing issue. At the same time, we needed to keep up a reliable service with our transport flights. This mixture of managing unforeseen events alongside our everyday work is challenging, but it shows exactly what Air Zermatt stands for – standing together, tackling problems, finding solutions and being there when we’re needed.

The death of our founder also gave me pause. Without him, there would be no Air Zermatt. His pioneering spirit still resonates today and reminds me what it means to be part of this story and to keep on writing new chapters.

This past year was an intense one for our task specialists. One of those years where you look back and wonder how you managed to fit everything into such a short space of time. Our days consisted of squeezing both rescue missions and regular assignments into our very tight schedule. And this was exactly when we saw how crucial it is to be able to rely on a team that is based on perfect coordination, complete focus and blind trust in one another.

In the spring we were very busy with logging work, which for us means transporting wood out of the forests. The wet snow had snapped lots of trees in the Valais. Forests have to be maintained so they can perform their protective function, and this work carried on well into the summer. These missions are physically demanding, and every move has to be just right – attach, signal, secure, communicate. With laser-sharp focus on the details, and on the safety of everyone concerned at all times.

We also had plenty of work involving grid maintenance all over Switzerland, mostly installing visibility marker balls. For us, these jobs are about living up to our responsibility – this is Air Zermatt making an important contribution to the safety of planes and helicopters in the air.

I’m always so impressed by how we work as a team. Every move is just right. Everyone knows what to do. And it’s exactly this type of interaction that helps you to handle even the most demanding days and even feel fulfilled when it’s time to clock off.

Working as an emergency doctor with Air Zermatt is exactly what I dreamed of as a child. When I was ten, I saw a documentary about helicopter rescues on television, and I knew that one day I wanted to be able to help people in situations like these. This determination never left me. After eight years in the helicopter service at Geneva University Hospital, I moved from the region around Lake Geneva for to mountain landscape of Air Zermatt two years ago – a decision that still feels like a privilege today.

In medical terms, 2025 was a hugely diverse year. I treated both minor and serious injuries caused by skiing and hiking accidents, heart attacks, altitude sickness in mountaineers, children with breathing difficulties, snake bites, burns and so much more. Whether we’re dealing with a rescue mission at 4,000 meters or an emergency at someone’s home, it’s vital for us to always be ready and have the right equipment to provide the best possible care. It never ceases to amaze me how much high-tech medicine is possible in a helicopter.

But at the end of the day, it’s the people who make the biggest difference. It’s all about teamwork. I’m grateful for the flight paramedics, pilots, mountain guides, dispatchers, first responders, task specialists, helicopter technicians and everyone who works in the background to make sure everything runs smoothly. And last but not least, I’d like to thank the members who support our work. Here’s to another unforgettable year to come!

The past year was an intense one in terms of rescue operations. There were numerous challenging rescues, some of which kept us on our toes for many hours. Missions like these demand complete focus, physical endurance and mental strength. Every time, they remind us how quickly a situation in the mountains can escalate, and how each and every decision made must be the right one.

In times like these, nothing is left to chance – it’s all about our training and experience. Without the many hours of practice, without clear procedures and without trust in the team, rescues like these often wouldn’t be possible. And in some cases, they could end fatally for the victims involved.

This is exactly why we invest so thoroughly in training, so that in an emergency, every move is just right, communication is perfect and we can keep on doing our job even under extreme pressure.

We don’t keep this knowledge to ourselves. At the Air Zermatt Training Center, we pass on our extensive experience in an approach that is practice-based, honest and of the highest quality. It makes me so proud to see professionals from all over the world travel to Zermatt to benefit from our expertise. Because in the end we all have the same goal – saving lives.