Gotthard Oberalp Arena

Gotthard Oberalp Arena
The top of Naetschen
Location	Andermatt Sedrun Oberalp Dieni Naetschen Guetsch Gemsstock
Runs	31 Runs / 102km 5 Expert/black / 30km 14 Intermediate/red / 57km 6 Easy/blue / 15km 6 Off-piste/yellow
Lift system	16 Lifts 2 2-man Chairlifts 2 4-man Chailifts 2 Detachable 4-man Chairlifts 1 Detachable 6-man Chairlift 7 T-Bars 2 Cable Cars
Terrain parks	3 Parks 1 Half Pipe 1 Ski Cross Course
Web site	Gotthard Oberalp Arena (German)

The Gotthard Oberalp Arena is a ski area located in Andermatt and Sedrun, in Switzerland. It has 16 ski lifts^[1] and approximately 30 runs, and just over 100km of pistes. The ski area covers three separate mountains:

• Naetschen
• Gemsstock
• Oberalp/Sedrun

Train services (run by the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn) are vital in this resort as they are the only means of transport available to travel from Andermatt (Naetschen and Gemsstock) to Sedrun (Sedrun/Oberalp).

Ski Areas

Naetschen

Main article: Naetschen

Naetschen's main skiing area. You can see the Naetschen - Stoeckli lift (chairlift) and the Duerstelen lift (T-Bar) here

Naetschen is one of the three mountains making the ski area. It has 9 runs (21km of pistes) and 4 lifts, and is located north of Andermatt. Naetschen is a mountain mainly for beginners, as it is covered mainly with easy pistes^[2].

Naetschen normally closes early for the summer, as it is south facing and is quite low. The only way to access Naetschen from Sedrun/Oberalp, in the winter, is to get the train.

Gemsstock

Main article: Gemsstock

Gemsstock is located south of Andermatt. It has 8 runs (31km of pistes) and 5 ski lifts. Gemsstock also has a terrain park^[3]. Gemsstock is a mountain mainly for intermediate skiers, but is also suitable for beginner skiers.

In the winter the only way to access Gemsstock from Sedrun/Oberalp, is on the train.

Sedrun/Oberalp

Some of the Oberalp ski area. You can see the Oberalp - Alpsu lift on the right

Sedrun/Oberalp is located near Dieni, and is the biggest of all of the three mountains' ski areas. It is good for skiers and snowboarders of all levels. It has 7 ski lifts and Sedrun has 13 pistes (50km of pistes). Sedrun also has a ski cross course, a big terrain park with a high amount of jumps, a half pipe, and a ski cross course.

In the winter the only access to Sedrun/Oberalp from Andermatt is by railway. The services are run by the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn.

Skilift System

There are in total 16 operating ski lifts^[1] in the Gotthard Oberalp Arena, including a Detachable 6-man Chairlift.

Mountain	Name	Type	Height of ground station(m)	Height of mountain station(m)	Construction year
Gemsstock	Andermatt - Gurschen	Aerial tramway	1445	2219	1991
Naetschen	Andermatt - Naetschen	Double chairlift	1444	1842	1983
Sedrun/Oberalp	Dieni - Milez	Detachable quad chairlift	1452	1881	1994
Naetschen	Duerstelen	T-Bar	2015	2310	1981
Naetschen	Grossboden	T-Bar	2150	2364	1994
Gemsstock	Gurschen - Gemsstock	Aerial tramway	2219	2955	1990
Gemsstock	Gurschenalp	T-Bar	2050	2285	1962
Gemsstock	Gurtschen	Double chairlift	2000	2205	1982
Gemsstock	Lutersee	T-Bar	2026	2398	1975
Sedrun/Oberalp	Mulinatsch - Cuolm Val	Detachable 6-man chairlift	1658	2213	2006
Naetschen	Naetschen - Stoeckli	Detachable quad chairlift	1858	2314	1994
Sedrun/Oberalp	Oberalp - Alpsu	T-Bar	2049	2299	1987
Sedrun/Oberalp	Planatsch - Milez	T-Bar	1706	1972	1973
Sedrun/Oberalp	Tegia Gronda	T-Bar	2020	2260	1969
Sedrun/Oberalp	Val Val - Calmut	Quad chairlift	1950	2299	1988
Sedrun/Oberalp	Val Val - Coulm Val	Quad chairlift	1950	2184	1988

Ski School

The Gotthard Oberalp Arena has 2 different ski schools. One for the Sedrun ski area, and one for the Andermatt ski areas. Each have several different classes, based on age and ability.

Andermatt Ski School

The Andermatt ski school has several classes. Students are put into classes based on their age and skiing ability. Because Andermatt has 2 mountains to ski on the ski school usually does a mixture of both. At the end of the week there is a race, in which the students go down a slalom. The fastest person wins.

Later that evening there is a celebration in Andermatt, in which medals are awarded to all people participating.

Sedrun Ski School

Sedrun ski school is similar to Andermatt. The Sedrun ski school is on the Oberalp/Sedrun ski area.

Prices

Prices in Gotthard Oberalp Arena are often considered extremely high, considering it has quite limited ski pistes.

For the Andermatt areas (Naetschen and Gemsstock) prices start at 22CHF (£15) for a child, or 44CHF (£30) for adults, for a day pass. For a child a weekend pass will cost approximately 40CHF (£28) for children, and almost double for adults (80CHF/£56) ^[4].

Passes for a specific period of time can be also purchased. In Andermatt passes can be bought from Andermatt railway station, or at the bottom terminal of the Andermatt-Gurschen cable car.

Future

As part of Orascom Hotels and Development's plans to make Andermatt a bigger resort, many of the lifts will be overhauled and replaced, as well as new lifts and runs. The plans include

• Over 120km of ski runs
• Upgraded ski lifts on Naetschen and Gemsstock
• The Naetschen and Sedrun/Oberalp being connected with 3 ski lifts

These plans are expected to be completed by the year 2020.

Naetschen and Oberalp Connection

There are plans for Sedrun/Oberalp to be connected with Naetschen. These plans are to have over 20km of runs (mainly intermediate/red runs) and 3 ski lifts (most probably chairlifts), and a total of 8 stations (2 of the lifts will have middle stations), linking the two up ski areas. The Oberalp - Alpsu T-Bar will also be replaced.

This connection will mean that skiers and snowboarders will no longer have to rely on the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn train services.

Planning Permission Problems

In October 2011 it was announced that the current plans to construct 15 new ski lifts had not actually received planning permission to build these new lifts. This is a problem, as some of the lifts were already under construction, and if these lifts are not built the Andermatt project might not even be complete ^[5].

See also

• Naetschen
• Gemsstock
• Sedrun
• Andermatt
• Oberalp

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Andermatt - Andermatt Gallery". http://www.andermattgallery.kk5.org/#/andermatt/4544284344. 
2. ^ "Naetschen - Andermatt Gallery". http://www.andermattgallery.kk5.org/#/naetschen/4544259164. 
3. ^ "Gemsstock - Andermatt Gallery". http://www.andermattgallery.kk5.org/#/gemsstock/4544258070. 
4. ^ "Andermatt Prices - Skiinfo". http://en.skiinfo.com/lift-ticket-prices/andermatt-gotthard-oberalp-arena-ECHANDER-8072-en.jhtml. 
5. ^ "Planning Hurdle for Project". http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15264162.