Sustainability
Nature conservation and environmental protection are close to our hearts. As the main partner of Protect Our Winters Switzerland, we are committed to climate protection so that future generations can also enjoy snowy winters.
Andermatt Responsible
Andermatt Responsible is the campaign for climate-friendly and sustainable tourism in the Andermatt region. Our goal is to enable resource-conserving tourism operations. This is because we are convinced that it is in the interest of all of us to protect the Swiss mountains.
Reducing energy consumption
Running a ski resort is energy-intensive - we need water, electricity and fuel. In cooperation with the Act Cleantech Agency Switzerland, we have set target agreements and taken measures to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Participating sites have exceeded the target agreements made with Act every year since 2015. Act energy efficiency certificate
Use renewable energy
In addition to reducing energy consumption, the origin of the energy is also important to us. The electrical energy in the supply area of EW Ursern and Energia Alpina is obtained 100 percent from renewable sources. The companies operate hydroelectric power plants and wind turbines in the region.
Consume locally and consciously
Mountain Food uses ingredients from the region whenever possible. Every mountain restaurant in the group therefore has Km Zero menus on offer. At the same time, there is a large selection of vegetarian dishes in the Mountain Food restaurants. Mountain Food also runs its own bakery and chocolaterie and works closely with suppliers and producers in the Ursern Valley. In this way, high-quality products are created under sustainable conditions for the region without the need for long journeys.
Use public transport
Andermatt, Sedrun and Disentis are easy to reach by train and the individual resorts are all connected thanks to the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn. With our own Ski-Express, we bring guests from Switzerland's larger cities directly to the ski area in winter by coach. Learn more about the journey.
Green Pistenbully
Since the 2020/21 season, we have had the first hybrid snow groomer in operation. Compared to a conventional diesel vehicle, this reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent and soot particle emissions by as much as 99 per cent. Further efforts are underway to successively modernise the vehicle fleet with such models.
Snowfarming
In spring, large snow depots are created and covered with fleece. Therefore, we can reuse a large part of the snow from this depot in autumn and prepare the piste. This saves us a lot of energy and costs for technical snowmaking.
Glacier coverage
We have been covering the Gurschen glacier with white fleece in spring for about two decades. This way we can slow down the melting of the glacier ice during the summer.
Clean-up Days
We organise Clean-up Days together with various partners and volunteers from all over Switzerland. This involves collecting rubbish in the area that has been left lying around during the season.
Intelligent snow making
Most of the snow-making equipment at the SkiArena was purchased when the ski area was expanded, and it meets current standards in terms of the efficiency and effectiveness of artificial snow making. Older snow-making equipment will be replaced in the coming years and the new ones integrated into the currently existing snow-making management. The SkiArena has introduced SnowSat, a system for measuring snow depth, which enables the SkiArena to offer guests perfect pistes while at the same time preserving the environment by producing only as much artificial snow as needed. All pistes have now been surveyed, and the retooling of the snow groomer fleet is well under way.
Jobs and training positions
The SkiArena employs 70 people in the summer season and about 200 in the winter season. Each year, the SkiArena offers an apprenticeship for youths studying gondola mechatronic engineering. Four apprentices are currently employed. In this way, the SkiArena is developing the next generation of operational staff and making its contribution to maintaining the Swiss cableways industry.
Value creation in the region
By creating and preserving jobs, and by working together with partners, service providers and suppliers in the area, the SkiArena is making a sustainable contribution to local value creation.
You can find our fact sheets on sustainability here.
