Zermatt’s lift company, Zermatt Bergbahnen AG carries out regular, comprehensive inspection and maintenance work, including rigorous analysis of the cables used for its ski lifts.
Depending on the type of cable, complete replacement is normally required every seven to fifteen years is the normal procedure.
For several years now, Zermatt Bergbahnen AG has been sending decommissioned cables to Myanmar (formerly Burma) in asia where the Swiss bridge builder Toni Rüttimann, has been recycling them to build suspension bridges in remote areas.
Rüttimann has built 23 bridges to date, helping 138,000 people in the process. The cables from the Trockener Steg to Matterhorn glacier paradise cableway, delivered in 2014 provide enough material for at least 20 new bridges, making everyday life easier for 120,000 people in country areas.