Snow grooming

PIZOL was again the mountain we targeted for our latest experience. Being passenger on a snow groomer, the PistenBully, of the highest level of performance and technology, WAUW! The meeting point is Pardiel mountain station, here we were greeted by the skilled and friendly drivers, and off we go, late in the afternoon just before it got dark. The deep sound of the 12.8 liter, 6 cylinder Mercedes-Benz diesel engine with 500+ horsepower is assuring the adequate power for the job. When it gets steeper, like on the challenging black ski slopes, a winch with a steel wire is complementing the control of the beasts. 🙂

Our drivers were willingly sharing their stories and facts about the machines and the job while we 😉 were grooming the ski slopes to perfection. Well, we have never thought about this work in details before, but must admit it requires a lot of skills, and knowledge of the area. In particular when the weather is bad and sight is limited. On a good night the view from the PistenBully to the valley is fantastic; the villages are lightening up as small jewels in the dark. When returning to the starting point, we said goodbye after more than one hour of another fantastic experience.

The Pizol team drove on, out in the darkness, grooming slope after slope so they are ready for the ski people in the morning. And often the job is finished as late as 2 o’clock in the night. But they actually love the job – really – and no wonder.
Some other facts; the German built PistenBully costs around CHF 500000! Is ready for replacement after less than 10000 hours of operation. It weighs over 10 tons and is more than 9 meters long. The consumption is 20-25 liters of diesel per hour (would be bad if it was our Jeep!).
We paid CHF 100 each for this outstanding experience, seats are limited so don’t wait too long 🙂 This year the last tour is on 31 March.  Search for groomer on www.heidiland.com/en/