10 km over a glacier: a study says a Lenk–Crans-Montana cable car is feasible
The Plaine Morte glacier above Crans-Montana, seen from near the top station of the existing lift. Photo: rokker via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
A cable car of just over 10 km could link Lenk in the Bernese Oberland with Crans-Montana in Valais, over the Plaine Morte glacier. A feasibility study says it can be built. The Cradle association presented the study in Lenk on Wednesday 11 November 2026. The ride would take about 30 minutes. Environmental groups oppose the plan, and nobody has said officially what it would cost.
In short
- Of 59 routes checked, two remain: Lenk – Metsch – Gletscherhorn or Weisshorn – Plaine Morte.
- The study proposes a 3S cable car: about 30 minutes for just over 10 km and about 1,800 m of climb.
- It builds no new ski runs; the top station would stand next to the existing Plaine Morte station.
- A tourism study expects about 334,000 first entries a year; the slides give no construction cost.
- Two environmental groups criticised the plan on 12 November: it would touch "a landscape of national importance".
What the study found
"Cradle" stands for Crans-Montana, Adelboden and Lenk. The association brings together the municipalities, the lift companies of both areas and the tourist office of Crans-Montana. Its president is Werner Salzmann, a member of the Swiss Council of States for Bern.
According to the Cradle press release of 11 November, experts worked on the study for about two and a half years. Its summary is short: "Die technische Machbarkeit und das touristische Potenzial sind gegeben" (technical feasibility and tourism potential are given). The release calls the study a draft. The association now prepares a profitability calculation for 2027.
The route: two variants left
The experts looked at 59 possible routes. Both remaining variants start at Lenk railway station and stop at Metsch, at about 1,460 m. From there the cable runs to a turning point and on to a new top station next to the existing Plaine Morte station of Crans-Montana.
| Item | Study figure |
|---|---|
| Length | just over 10 km |
| Travel time | about 30 minutes, at 7 m/s |
| Climb | about 1,800 m (about 1,064 m to 2,881 m) |
| System | 3S cable car (three cables) |
| Capacity | 1,200 to 1,500 people per hour and direction |
| Pylons | about 15 |
| Visitor potential | about 334,000 first entries a year |
The Gletscherhorn variant has only a cable diversion at the turning point. The Weisshorn variant needs a station there that the army could also use; it needs the agreement of armasuisse. Guests could not get on or off at the turning point.
Not all sources give the same numbers. Nicolas Vauclair, CEO of Bergbahnen Adelboden-Lenk, spoke of a line of 10.8 km and 20 pylons at the evening, the local paper Frutigländer reports. "Wir gehen ans obere Limit des technisch Machbaren" (we go to the upper limit of what is technically possible), he said.
Cost and timetable
The presentation slides give no figure for the construction cost. The local news site Rinderberg-News reports that Vauclair named about CHF 200 million in the question round. No other outlet reports that figure, so treat it as an estimate from one speaker.
The study itself cost about CHF 500,000. Most of that money came from the association's members, with about CHF 75,000 each from the cantons of Bern and Valais, according to the slides. The next steps:
| When | Step |
|---|---|
| 2027 | profitability calculation (business plan) |
| 2028 | target: the route in the cantonal structure plans |
| later | public approval procedure; local politicians promise a vote |
An entry in the structure plan is not a building permit. No source gives a year for construction or for the first ride.
Why environmental groups object
The Stiftung Landschaftsschutz Schweiz and Mountain Wilderness Schweiz criticised the plan on Thursday 12 November, the news agency Keystone-SDA reported via watson. Franziska Grossenbacher, co-director of the Stiftung Landschaftsschutz, said the project would touch a landscape of national importance. The two groups want other options for the region's tourism to be checked first.
"Diese Seilbahn beeinträchtigt das Landschaftsbild" (this cable car spoils the landscape), Aaron Heinzmann of Mountain Wilderness told SRF. The study lists the conflicts itself. The Weisshorn variant crosses the protected landscape Gälte-Iffigen. The Gletscherhorn variant passes over a fen and two floodplains of national importance. Both cross a national wildlife corridor.
The glacier is shrinking. The Plaine Morte glacier covered 11.4 km² in 1850 and 6.78 km² in 2023, according to the German-language Wikipedia.
What this means for your skis
The link would build no new pistes. It would connect two existing ski areas: Adelboden-Lenk and Crans-Montana, with a combined 280 km of pistes according to the study. Its top station at Plaine Morte sits at almost 2,900 m. For skiers who spend their days on the groomed runs of both areas, a carving ski or a narrow all-mountain ski of 72–80 mm fits best.
| Ski | Waist | Radius (length) |
|---|---|---|
| Stöckli Montero AX | 80 mm | 15.5 m (173 cm) |
| Atomic Redster Q9 | 75 mm | 14.2 m (174 cm) |
| Head Supershape e-Magnum | 72 mm | 13.1 m (170 cm) |
The figures are the makers' own; we compare them, we do not ski the products. To find the right ski for your level, use the Pick-a-Ski ski finder.
