Utah’s most famous tramway was built on smuggled schnapps and Swiss stubbornness

Swiss Workers Battle Utah’s “Snow Hell” at Snowbird

In May 1971, Swiss workers from Garaventa AG came to Utah with a tough job. They had to build a $3.5 million tramway at Snowbird resort.

Soon, they dubbed the place “snow hell” as they fought through wild storms, like the 8.5-inch Halloween blizzard. To cope, they smuggled 200 gallons of schnapps from home, hidden in barrels marked “cable grease.”

Each day, hot meals with meat, cheese, and bread reached them at 11,000 feet. By December, they had strung four massive cables weighing nearly 100,000 pounds each.

The red and blue tram cars first soared on December 23, 1971. Today, Snowbird’s aerial marvel still climbs the same path.

Swiss Mountain Experts Took on Utah’s Toughest Job

In May 1971, workers from Garaventa AG traveled from Goldau, Switzerland to Little Cottonwood Canyon in Utah.

They came to build what would become the world’s best aerial tramway for Snowbird resort. Ted Johnson and Dick Bass, the resort founders, spent $3. 5 million on this big project.

The Swiss team brought special skills from years of building lift systems in the Alps. They wanted to create a tramway that would break records for length, power, and how many people it could carry.

They Called Their Worksite “Snow Hell” For Good Reason

The weather hit the Swiss workers hard right away. They quickly gave Snowbird the nickname “snow hell” after facing tough spring blizzards they never expected.

Utah mountain weather turned out much worse than what they knew back in the Swiss Alps. The crew fought against surprise storms that came even during times when the sky should have been clear.

Barrels Labeled “Cable Grease” Held Their Secret Weapon

The Swiss team smuggled about 200 gallons of schnapps from Switzerland to help deal with the harsh working conditions.

They hid their booze inside equipment crates coming from Europe. The smart workers labeled the barrels “cable grease” to avoid questions from customs officials.

This hidden alcohol became key for keeping morale up during the long, cold months of building ahead.

Lunch At 11,000 Feet Came With A Special Drink

Hot meals went up to the workers on Hidden Peak at 11,000 feet every day.

These Swiss-style meals had meat, cheese, and bread to power the crew through hard physical work. The smuggled schnapps came with these daily meals, warming the workers from inside out.

This mealtime routine became something the team looked forward to during long days of tough construction.

Workers Pushed Through Six-Day Weeks At Extreme Heights

The building schedule needed six-day work weeks at heights few people ever visit.

The Swiss crew worked between the peak station at 11,000 feet and the lower station thousands of feet below.

Summer brought better weather but still asked for great physical strength as they worked in thin mountain air.

The technical demands meant every cable, bolt, and connection needed perfect setup despite the tough setting.

Halloween Brought More Than Just Candy

Fall weather turned against the workers as they rushed toward their finish date.

A Halloween snowstorm dropped 8.5 inches of fresh snow on the building site. October and November brought many early blizzards to Little Cottonwood Canyon.

The Swiss crew worked through these storms, proving their “snow hell” nickname fit perfectly. The workers dealt with freezing cold and poor visibility while handling huge equipment and cables.

Four Massive Cables Formed The Backbone

The hardest part came when the crew put in four huge track cables.

Each cable weighed 99,440 pounds and stretched 8,395 feet up the mountainside. They also added two 38-millimeter haul ropes to pull the tram cars up and down the mountain.

This step needed perfect teamwork and skill as they placed these massive parts with care. One mistake could mean starting over or creating unsafe conditions for future riders.

The System Stretched Over A Mile Up The Mountain

By December 1971, the Swiss team finished the record-breaking tramway. The system covered more than a mile while climbing 2,900 vertical feet from bottom to top.

It became the longest aerial tramway in the world when finished.

The technical systems included complex cable tension mechanisms and tower setups that could handle Utah’s extreme weather year-round.

The Tram Cars Broke Passenger Capacity Records

Two huge passenger cabins topped off the amazing project. Each car could hold 125 people, more than any other tramway in the world at that time.

The crew painted one cabin red and the other blue to make them easy to spot from below. These big cabins marked a major step forward in aerial tramway technology and capacity.

Snowbird Opened Just In Time For Christmas

The resort welcomed its first guests on December 23, 1971, with the tramway as its crown jewel.

The red and blue tram cars took their inaugural public rides after seven months of grueling construction work.

Despite brutal weather, technical challenges, and physical hardships, the Swiss crew delivered a world-class transportation system.

The tramway immediately became Snowbird’s signature feature and remained an engineering marvel for decades to come.

Visiting Snowbird Aerial Tramway, Utah

The Snowbird Aerial Tramway at 9385 S Snowbird Center Drive takes you up to learn about the Swiss workers from Garaventa AG who built this tramway in 1971.

They worked through harsh Utah weather to create what was then the world’s longest and most powerful aerial tramway.

Summer trams run daily 11am-8pm June through October. Round-trip tickets cost $41 weekdays, $47 weekends, with online discounts available.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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