Ski patrollers are the heroes of the ski resort. They keep the slopes safe, through both rescues and avalanche control. But the technology they use shouldn’t be slept on, either. The better the technology in the world of avalanche control, the safer we can feel as guests on the mountain. There are multiple manufacturers building avalanche control towers and avalanche control systems, but Swiss company Wyssen Avalanche Control is among the top. Used across the world, including in Utah’s Little Cottonwood Canyon, Wyssen’s tech is nothing short of impressive.
Wyssen is focused on both the physical side of avalanche mitigation and the tech side of avalanche mitigation. Their preventative avalanche release systems include multiple types of avalanche towers for remote detonation, bomb tramways, and charge carrier for blasting along cableways. They’re also in the business of making avalanche charges, including the Wyssen 2K and the Charge 07.
Wyssen is also responsible for the WAC.3 Cockpit, a user-friendly system that allows patrollers to monitor a host of different modules and measurements from a computer, tablet, or mobile phone no matter the location. This means weather data, automatic avalanche detection, snow depth measurements, avalanche mapping, blasting logs, explosive inventory, risk analysis, and so much more, is all available at the patroller’s fingers.
During the 2020/2021 ski season, the Andermatt-Sedrun Sport AG‘s Patrol and Rescue Service at SkiArena Andermatt-Sedrun in Switzerland were the first to see fully digitized avalanche work with the WAC.3 cockpit.