On the Matterhorn, Air Zermatt Can Be the Difference Between Life and Death

When you’re living an entitled life updating social media from an air-conditioned office in East London, it’s easy to get stuck in a millennial bubble and not consider that other people might have things just a little harder than yourself.

I’ve been reminded of this a lot over the years, mainly when I head home to visit my parents. Both work in the medical services: my mum is a nurse and my dad’s a paramedic. They’ve patiently listened as I moan about the burning issues in my life – a free bar tab running out too fast, not getting on the guestlist for some shitty gig – when they’ve just got in from a 12-hour shift dealing with road traffic accidents, drunken injuries, and even deaths.

On a recent procrastinating internet trawl, I found myself watching the first episode (and subsequently every episode) of a web series called The Horn . It follows the lives of a helicopter rescue team that look after the Swiss town of Zermatt. Located at the heart of the Swiss Alps, it’s a favourite for skiers, snowboarders and climbers. It’s also known for being in the shadow of the Matterhorn, a mountain that is as beautiful as it is terrifying.

After a four-hour train from Geneva, I trudge through the thick snow of a picturesque town and make my way towards the Air Zermatt hanger. It’s a huge red structure that sits at the base of one of the many steep, snowy hillsides that surround Zermatt. As I enter the building I meet with Sam Summermatter, the flight operations manager and chief pilot, who introduces me to the crew. For such an important and vital service, this is a surprisingly small team: a couple of administrators to answer the phones, a few people sat at computers in an office, and then the crew of pilots, paramedics, doctors and engineers. All in all there’s around 10 people here.

We walk from the main office into the hanger and I’m introduced to Patrick Wenger, a jolly red-haired paramedic who gives me a quick demonstration of how to get in and out of a helicopter. “It’s important to remember to never walk near the back of the helicopter,” he says. “Many people forget that the rear propeller is just as dangerous as the main one.”

When you’re living an entitled life updating social media from an air-conditioned office in East London, it’s easy to get stuck in a millennial bubble and not consider that other people might have things just a little harder than yourself.

I’ve been reminded of this a lot over the years, mainly when I head home to visit my parents. Both work in the medical services: my mum is a nurse and my dad’s a paramedic. They’ve patiently listened as I moan about the burning issues in my life – a free bar tab running out too fast, not getting on the guestlist for some shitty gig – when they’ve just got in from a 12-hour shift dealing with road traffic accidents, drunken injuries, and even deaths.

On a recent procrastinating internet trawl, I found myself watching the first episode (and subsequently every episode) of a web series called The Horn . It follows the lives of a helicopter rescue team that look after the Swiss town of Zermatt. Located at the heart of the Swiss Alps, it’s a favourite for skiers, snowboarders and climbers. It’s also known for being in the shadow of the Matterhorn, a mountain that is as beautiful as it is terrifying.

After a four-hour train from Geneva, I trudge through the thick snow of a picturesque town and make my way towards the Air Zermatt hanger. It’s a huge red structure that sits at the base of one of the many steep, snowy hillsides that surround Zermatt. As I enter the building I meet with Sam Summermatter, the flight operations manager and chief pilot, who introduces me to the crew. For such an important and vital service, this is a surprisingly small team: a couple of administrators to answer the phones, a few people sat at computers in an office, and then the crew of pilots, paramedics, doctors and engineers. All in all there’s around 10 people here.

We walk from the main office into the hanger and I’m introduced to Patrick Wenger, a jolly red-haired paramedic who gives me a quick demonstration of how to get in and out of a helicopter. “It’s important to remember to never walk near the back of the helicopter,” he says. “Many people forget that the rear propeller is just as dangerous as the main one.”

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