Air Zermatt in continuous operation during winter sports vacations
It is high season in the ski resorts of Valais and therefore the rescue crews of Air Zermatt were in permanent service during the weekend for numerous and diverse accidents and evacuations. In total, Air Zermatt helicopters took off for 26 missions on Saturday and Sunday.
At times, three Air Zermatt helicopters were in the air at the same time during the weekend. The busy weekend began for the air rescuers already on Friday evening. In a work accident in the region of Brig, a person was injured so severely that he had to be flown by helicopter to the University Hospital in Zurich.
On Saturday, Air Zermatt was called to a mission above Saas-Fee, in addition to numerous accidents on Valais ski slopes. Seven skiers got into a hopeless situation outside the marked piste at Längfluh. The group then called for help. The Air Zermatt team that was called out was able to evacuate the blocked skiers from their distressed situation unharmed.
Also on Saturday, an alpinist from Germany fell on the Allalinhorn. His companion alerted the rescue services. However, the emergency doctor of Air Zermatt could only determine the death of the climber.
In addition, an Air Zermatt crew was called out on a night mission to Sembrancher for a traffic accident. A teenager was seriously injured in the accident. Air Zermatt flew him to the hospital in Sion.
Air Zermatt is prepared for intense weekends like the last one. During the high season and the vacation season, a particularly large number of tourists visit the Valais. Accordingly, the number of Air Zermatt missions also increases. In order to cope with the increased number of operations, three Air Zermatt rescue teams are continuously on standby during the high season. In the case of an absolute emergency, the two companies Air Zermatt and Air-Glaciers can deploy up to 10 rescue crews at the same time.