Helicopter precision brings a lifeline closer to Blatten

A Super Puma has lifted the three support towers of a new temporary cable car into position in Switzerland’s Lötschental valley. The Bartholet RopeTwin installation is being built as a critical transport link for communities recovering from the devastating 2025 rock-and-ice avalanche.

A Super Puma helicopter hovered above the Lötschental valley this week as crews carried out one of the most demanding stages in the construction of a temporary cable car between Wiler and Weissenried.

Working with loads weighing several tonnes, the aircraft installed the system’s three support towers, which range from 19 to 39 metres in height. Individual tower components have diameters of up to 2.5 metres, leaving little margin for error as the helicopter positioned them in steep Alpine terrain.

The operation was performed by Heli Air using a Super Puma equipped with two 1,819-horsepower engines. Under favourable conditions, the aircraft can carry suspended loads of up to 4,500 kilograms—capability that makes it particularly suited to remote construction sites where conventional cranes cannot operate.

For Bartholet Ropeways, the aerial lift was not simply a dramatic construction spectacle. It was a key milestone in a project designed to restore access to the Blatten area after one of Switzerland’s most destructive recent natural disasters.

A transport link for a valley in recovery

On 28 May 2025, a massive rock-and-ice avalanche descended from the Birch Glacier and Kleines Nesthorn above Blatten. More than nine million cubic metres of rock and ice crashed into the valley, destroying or burying much of the village and blocking the Lonza River. The resulting blockage created a lake and caused further flooding. Residents had been evacuated before the main collapse, preventing a far higher loss of life.

The scale of the event continues to shape reconstruction. Scientific analysis led by the Swiss Federal Research Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research found that the avalanche was among the best-documented rock-and-ice events of its kind. Researchers estimate that the main rock failure involved roughly 3.5 to 3.75 million cubic metres of rock, while the interaction of ice and water helped the debris travel farther than a typical dry-rock avalanche.

The temporary cable car is intended to keep the affected area connected while permanent infrastructure is rebuilt. It will link Wiler with Weissenried, allowing passengers, construction materials and essential supplies to move through the valley. It will also provide access for emergency and rescue services.

A new cantonal road is being built at the same time, but the road project will take substantially longer. Reporting on the reconstruction indicates that a year-round road is expected to require several years, leaving the temporary cableway to perform an important bridging role in the meantime.

Three towers, one day of precision flying

Installing cableway towers by helicopter is a familiar technique in the Alps, but the operation remains a highly choreographed task. Ground crews must prepare and guide each component while the pilots hold the aircraft steady against changing wind, turbulence and the effects of the suspended load.

The three towers for the Wiler–Weissenried system are unusually significant because the cable car is being delivered on a compressed schedule. Bartholet says the entire installation is being constructed in approximately nine months, with opening planned for mid-December 2026.

The project’s timing is dictated by necessity as much as engineering. The system must become operational before winter places further pressure on road access and before the region enters its busiest season. Its role will extend beyond tourism: the cableway is planned as a transport route for residents, workers, supplies and rescue teams.

Bartholet’s RopeTwin solution

Bartholet is using its RopeTwin system, a newer aerial-tramway design intended for steep terrain, long spans and locations that are difficult to reach with conventional transport infrastructure. The company describes the system as modular and compact, allowing faster installation while retaining high serviceability and availability.

The technology is particularly suited to temporary or emergency infrastructure because it can combine passenger and goods transport without requiring a large fleet of vehicles. For the Lötschental project, two cabins designed by Studio F. A. Porsche will each carry up to eight people. The cabins can also be used to transport materials.

The planned operating figures are modest compared with those of a major ski-area gondola, but appropriate for the cable car’s emergency and regional role. The system will carry up to 80 people per hour along a route of approximately 1.6 kilometres. It will overcome a vertical difference of 266 metres in about 4.8 minutes.

That capacity is not intended to replace a high-volume tourist lift. Instead, the cableway is being designed around reliability, flexibility and access. The ability to transport both passengers and goods will be particularly important while road connections remain incomplete.

Rebuilding around an enduring hazard

The cable car is being built against a landscape that remains geologically unsettled. Authorities and researchers continue to monitor the slopes above Blatten, where further rockfalls remain possible. Reports on the reconstruction indicate that a large proportion of the former municipal area is still considered hazardous, limiting where homes and permanent infrastructure can be rebuilt.

That reality has influenced the direction of the recovery. The future Blatten is expected to be smaller and located away from the most exposed areas, while temporary facilities and transport links are being used to maintain the valley’s social and economic connections.

The cableway therefore represents more than a construction project. It is a practical response to the gap between immediate needs and long-term reconstruction. Roads, housing and public services will take years to plan and deliver; the ropeway can restore a functioning connection far sooner.

From emergency access to future infrastructure

Bartholet’s work in the Lötschental reflects a wider role for mountain transport technology in disaster recovery. Cableways can cross unstable slopes, steep ravines and damaged road corridors with a comparatively small ground footprint. In places where landslide debris or flood damage makes conventional construction unsafe, aerial transport can offer a faster route to restoring access.

The company has previously promoted RopeTwin as a solution for difficult terrain, combining passenger comfort with the ability to handle goods and operate across remote areas. Its panoramic cabin concept, developed with Studio F. A. Porsche, is designed around both transport efficiency and flexible loading.

At Wiler and Weissenried, however, the system’s most important feature will not be its appearance. It will be whether it can operate dependably through the winter and provide a secure connection to an area still recovering from catastrophe.

If construction stays on schedule, the first passengers and freight movements will begin in mid-December 2026. By then, the sight of a Super Puma carrying towers across the valley will have become part of the project’s backstory. The more lasting image will be the cable car in service: moving people, equipment and emergency workers into a landscape where access was once cut off in seconds.