The piste basher’s long night

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Four piste bashers are fetched from the garage. A vehicle like this costs CHF500,000 ($509,000) apiece. Ester Unterfinger/swissinfo.ch

A quick discussion: who will prepare which piste, are there any dangers? What about the weather, are strong winds or snowfall forecast? Ester Unterfinger/swissinfo.ch

The vehicles drive off in different directions. Ester Unterfinger/swissinfo.ch

Steep slopes require safety measures, Ester Unterfinger/swissinfo.ch

A wire rope attached to the piste basher's winch is fastened to a hook in the rocks. Ester Unterfinger/swissinfo.ch

Pure solitude and silence - apart from the sound of the motors, Ester Unterfinger/swissinfo.ch

Dawn breaks. Ester Unterfinger/swissinfo.ch

The last journey, unsecured, down to the middle station. Ester Unterfinger/swissinfo.ch

Werner Freitag concentrates as he steers his huge vehicle through the thick fog down to the valley. Ester Unterfinger/swissinfo.ch

The snow shovels on the front are 5.5 metres wide. Ester Unterfinger/swissinfo.ch

Snow canons are not used if there is enough snow. Ester Unterfinger/swissinfo.ch

A quick chat with a hotelier, who is using a sledge to transport food early in the morning. Luigi Jorio

A piste basher costs CHF10,000-15,000 a day to run. This includes salaries, fuel and depreciation in the vehicle's value. Ester Unterfinger/swissinfo.ch

The piste bashers arrive back in the garage after being out for almost six hours. Ester Unterfinger/swissinfo.ch

The hungry men enjoy a huge breakfast. Ester Unterfinger/swissinfo.ch

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Werner Freitag and his team are out every night during the ski season in Elm, preparing the pistes, sledging tracks and winter paths for winter sports fans.

There is no letup  – only if there is no snow does the crew at the small ski resortExternal link get a day off. They work through the night, smoothing the slopes and clearing the snow along the 44 kilometres of pistes for use the next day.

The five men start at three in the morning – but only if snowfall has been forecast. Otherwise they can already go out at 6pm, after the slopes have closed. “The pistes are better if they are untouched for five to six hours,” says the highly experienced Freitag. “The snow can settle and remains firmer.”

Freitag loves loves the peace and quiet, ‘being alone outdoors’. Great skill and concentration are needed to drive the huge vehicles up and down the steep slopes. He has to know the ski area by heart in cases when visibility is poor and he can’t see the ski lift towers.