The Federal Office of Sport (FOSPO) and Andermatt-Urserntal Tourismus GmbH (AUT) are responsible for preparing the cross-country ski trails. The cross-country ski trail section and the winter hiking trail between Zumdorf and Realp are maintained by the FOSPO. AUT is responsible for the grooming between Zumdorf and Andermatt.

The two organisations are in close contact to provide guests with information about the entire network of trails and the condition of the cross-country ski trails.

The cross-country ski trails in the Ursern Valley are generally groomed in the evening. Various factors such as snow consistency, temperatures, time, etc. are required to prepare a technically good trail. When the cross-country ski trails are prepared, the snow is milled by the snow groomer's snow cutter to remove the tracks left by the skis and smooth them out again.

After the snow groomer has been prepared, it needs a certain amount of time for the snow to settle again and become compact. This process is called ‘sintering’ and depends on the time of day and temperature. Because of this process, the trails in the Ursern Valley are groomed in the evening.

If the snow groomer travelled the trail several times a day, the snow would have too little time for the above-mentioned process. If cross-country skiers were to ski on the still groomed trail, ruts would form which would remain when the snow ‘sintered’. As a result, it would no longer be possible to glide smoothly on the trail.

Another aspect that we take into account is the safety of our guests. Our cross-country ski trail network has steeper descents and unclear sections in places. The risk of this leading to accidents would be too high. In addition, the trail must be closed in accordance with the regulations if it is groomed with a snow groomer.

Here we refer to the previous answer.

It is not only the geographical location of the villages that plays an important role here, but also the weather conditions. While the section between ‘Realp-Zumdorf’ is on the shadier side of the Ursern Valley, the section of trail between ‘Zumdorf-Andermatt’ often has to contend with more sunlight. The sunlight softens the trail and this section of the trail therefore has more tracks for cross-country skiers. In addition, the AUT cross-country skiing team often has to contend with strong winds. This makes it almost impossible to offer a well-prepared trail on certain days. This has a particular impact on the classic track, where the track quickly fills up with snow again.

Thanks to the permission of local farmers, we are able to offer our guests cross-country skiing in winter. The cross-country ski trail runs through an agricultural zone, which is farmed by around thirty different farmers in summer. In order to avoid damage caused by snow groomers, AUT has an agreement with the farmers that the trail may only be groomed when the snow depth is at least 50 cm.

In Realp, the cross-country ski trail runs alongside the tarmac roller ski run, so there is no risk of damaging the land. At the beginning of each winter season, the two-kilometre trail in Realp is covered with artificial snow. The snow cannon produces a pile of snow at certain points for this purpose, which is then spread and pressed onto the track network using agricultural machinery. For this process to be possible, the vehicles must be able to reach the pile of snow. This is no longer possible as soon as the track is covered in snow, as otherwise the trail would be destroyed.

Yes, it is possible to produce technical snow with lances along the cross-country ski trail. With this method, snow can be produced on the trail as required. Comprehensive snow production with lances is associated with high initial infrastructure costs, around CHF 1 million per kilometre of trail. Larger cross-country skiing destinations that use lances for snowmaking finance the infrastructure in cooperation with national institutions such as SwissSki. These cross-country ski trails are often homologated race tracks and meet the requirements of the International Ski Federation (FIS).

The Andermatt Holiday Region prepares a technical cross-country ski trail in Realp in collaboration with the FOSPO. The Realp location is particularly suitable due to the existing infrastructure (roller ski track, biathlon facility, etc.).

The practice area at The Nordic House in Andermatt is available to all guests with a valid cross-country skiing ticket. It is often used by our cross-country skiing schools, but this should not prevent individual guests from using it too.

The FOSPO is tasked with promoting sport and exercise in Switzerland. In Realp, young athletes in biathlon and Nordic skiing are supported. The athletes compete against each other in races and training sessions. As this part of the cross-country ski trails is not managed by the AUT, the tourist organisation has no influence on closures in this section.

The races often run along the entire Realper track network in order to offer a varied race route and length. For this reason, it is not geographically possible to prepare additional laps for guests. The AUT endeavours to make a note of this in the trail report so that guests do not travel to Realp in vain.