Heart and soul and a childhood dream - on the road with Pistenbully driver Stefan Regli

Passion and childhood dream – on the road with Pistenbully driver Stefan Regli Friday evening, 4:30 p.m., Andermatt, Nätschen. While the working day slowly comes to an end down in the valley and the après-ski music from the Alphittä can be heard softly on the mountain, Stefan Regli begins his work. He greets me warmly, then we head to the break room. A quick chat with his colleagues, assigning tasks for the day, final arrangements. Waiting for the final slope check, then it's time to get started. Off to the Pistenbully.

Slope preparation using a winch

Out into the evening

Seven machines start from the Nätschen middle station – 19 snow groomers are on the move every day throughout the Andermatt+Sedrun+Disentis area. It is an impressive sight as they drive out of the garage together, gradually turning off onto their respective routes for the day. Today, Stefan and I are responsible for preparing the slopes between Nätschen and Gütsch.

Seven snow groomers are out every evening preparing the Andermatt-Nätschen-Gütsch-Oberalppass area.

From childhood dream to profession

For Stefan, it all began with a conversation with the then head driver. ‘It was a childhood dream,’ he says. It was clear from an early age that he wanted to sit in one of these big machines himself one day. He is now in his ninth season, but you can still see how much he enjoys his work. Staying in the job for so long is by no means a matter of course: ‘Many people do the job for two or three years and then want to do something else.’ And him? ‘Heart and soul and passion. I think that's what you need in this job. I enjoy coming to work, seeing my colleagues and taking the machine out on the track.’

14 tonnes of precision

Meter by meter, we make our way up the slope. Over 600 horsepower hums beneath us, and it feels like every single horsepower is needed to move the 14-tonne machine through the wet spring snow. Then a short stop, and the winch is attached to an anchor post. For good reason: ‘Without a winch, you can't get up from below. And when you drive down from the top, you start to slip, dig yourself in and, in the end, the Pistenbully ends up looking better than the slope,’ says Stefan with a smile. Attached to the winch, we begin preparing our first slope. The shovel at the front of the machine spreads the snow that has been pushed down by 1,000 descents evenly across the slope. The challenge here is: ‘You have to read the slope. Where does it need how much snow? I mustn't push too much – that damages the slope. Only as much as the skiers have skidded away during the day.’

The snow groomer's winch is hooked onto anchored posts.

A colour screen makes the work easier

When you watch Stefan at work, one thing stands out: he is constantly making adjustments. His gaze is permanently fixed on the snow and the sign ahead, and his hands make corrections to the controls almost automatically. Sometimes the surface of the slope is only touched by a few millimetres, while in other places we push a huge pile of snow in front of us. A delicate touch and a good eye are required. Every now and then, his gaze falls on the colour screen in front of him. Based on measurements taken in the summer and the technology in the snow groomer, we can see here how much snow is still under us on every centimetre of the slope. ‘Especially when there is little snow, it makes the work much easier. You can see exactly where snow still needs to be pushed, which makes the work faster and more efficient.’

Stefan uses controllers to steer the snow groomer, the shovel, the tiller and the finisher.

Thanks to modern surveying technology, the driver always knows exactly how much snow is still under the machine.

Jet lag without flying

A normal working day for Stefan starts at 4.30 p.m. and, depending on the snow conditions, ends between 2 a.m. and 7 a.m. "Before the season starts, we can already get into the groove a bit while we prepare the slopes before the first guests arrive on the mountain at the start of the season. That's my normal rhythm during the season.‘ The transition back to a normal daily routine after the end of the season is more difficult. ’It's like jet lag when you fly back from the USA, for example. The first few days are a challenge every year.’

Without winch support, it would be almost impossible to prepare a steep slope properly.

A favourite slope and team spirit via radio

We have now reached the second stage of preparation. It's the same routine as before: fight your way to the top, attach the winch, distribute the snow, then use the tiller and finisher at the rear of the machine to apply the corrugations to the smoothed slope. Each driver spends two to three days on the same route, then they switch. ‘It's great to have new challenges and not do the same work every day,’ says Stefan. Most drivers also have a favourite slope. ‘Slope 30, between Schneehüenerstock and Oberalp Pass, is actually everyone's favourite.’ As one of the few slopes in the Andermatt-Sedrun area, we work exclusively with natural snow here. Snow often has to be brought in from outside the slope. Avalanche control systems can also help move snow into critical areas.

Stefan Regli is in constant radio contact with his colleagues.

The drivers keep each other informed of their respective positions via radio. Communication is crucial, especially when working with the winch. ‘Nobody needs a snow groomer that drives into a taut winch cable.’ It feels like teamwork, even though many drivers only see each other at the beginning and end of their shifts. ‘Everyone does their best in their part of the area. That's how it all comes together in the end.’

A passion that lasts

After two hours of preparation, as a passenger I am fascinated by the interplay of machine power and human precision in the controls, but then I ask the question: ‘Doesn't it ever get boring?’ Stefan laughs briefly. ‘I hear that question a lot when I say I drive a snow groomer. I would say you live for it a little bit. I have a great machine, an exciting job and a good team – that's worth a lot.’

The next morning, thousands of guests will ski down the groomed slopes. Hardly anyone will wonder how much feeling, precision and experience Stefan Regli and his colleagues need for their work every day. In the evening, Stefan will sit alone in his cabin again – between technology and nature, between darkness and spotlight. For him, it's a childhood dream that begins anew every evening.