HISTORY OF THE SOCIETY

1950-1959: The pioneer years

The society was founded in1950 under the name «Télésiège de Médran SA» by a group of brave developers. The «Télésiège de Médran» was inaugurated on December 23rd, 1950.

In 1952, a ski lift is added to the top of the Ruinettes. The project of a chair lift for the Col des Vaux is put on hold by the Federal Transportation Office out of fear of potential accident due to the wind and ice. Starting 1995, after numerous debates concerning the extension of the resort, Giovanola developped a single-person chair lift in Savoleyres. A year later, the creator Müller creates a system for the ski lift of the sunny slopes of Les Planards. The constructor Von Roll therefore, receives the ressources to install a cable car at Les Attelas. To avoid putting the first society in danger, a new one is created «Téléphérique des Attelas».

A long Téléski is added to the chairlift in 1958. A year later, a chair lift is built to provide access to the Lac des Vaux ; another ski lift is added to the beautiful area of Médran. 

 

1960: Builders Wild Summer

The society becomes, in 1960, «Société Anonyme des Téléphériques de Verbier». This is a result of the fusion with the «Société Anonyme Téléphérique Attelas», the same society that built the lifts in Verbier-les Attelas-Lac des Vaux in the 1950’s, with the support of Mr. Rodolphe Tissières.

As the amount of clients increased, the need to improve the resort increased. The quantity of construction sites increased during the summer of 1960.

The single-chair lift was transformed in a two-seats lift. The wonderful slopes of La Chaux were given an additional lift. To satisfy excellent skiers, the Mont-Gelé (3030 meters) is rendered accessible with a cable car, and for the lovers of powder a gondola is built on the hills of Tortin. At the start of the 1960/61 season, the soul of Verbier is set and from that point on, it expanded.

1961-1970: Consolidation and Futuristic visions

The chair-lift of the Lac 3 was built in the fall and winter of 1961/62. The gondola project of Les Attelas 2 was finished in 1964, with the final bit going down all the way to Le Châble.
 
Done in 1965, the second gondola from Médran finally fixes the issue of the long queue in Verbier. Various chair lifts are spread throughout the resort : the Lac des Vaux 2 (inaugurated on December 24th, 1966), the Tournelle in 1967 and the Revers-des-Aux in 1968.
 
In 1967, the society, now called Téléverbier, buys back the lifts of Le Rouge and Le Bleu from the Ecole Suisse de Ski. In 1970, the first chair lift in Savoleyres is moved to the Mayentset and is replaced by a more modern gondola.
Buy the end of 1970, the day after its 20th birthday, Téléverbier owns 29 lifts.
 

1971-1976: Decreasing Caution

Téléverbier begins the construction of the imposing building of Médran, which is inaugurated in July 1971. The landscape surrounding the altiport of la Croix-de-Cœur.

Starting 1973, the construction of the gondola from Le Châble to Verbier comes along slowly : a few of the concrete pedestals are built the first summer, and others the summer after. Close attention is oayed to the construction site until the winter of 1974/75. The gondola is finished in the spring and inaugurated in the fall of 1975.
 

1977-1987: The Conquest of the Mont-Fort

The landscaping of the mountain keeps going with the construction of the chair lifts Médran III and Les Attelas III in 1977. Téléverbier merges with Télétzoumaz in 1977 and with Télébruson in 1978. Téléverbier and Télé-Nendaz partner up for the financing of the landscaping of the Mont-Fort.
 
After fifteen years of conflicts with environmentalists, the altiport at La Croix-de-Cœur is permanently closed, it will simply stay a landing zone reserved for emergencies.
The inauguration of the Tortin cable car is set for Fall 1981 and the one of Mont-Fort cable car is set for Fall 1983. Télé-Nendaz is also working to build a new lift at the glacier.
 
In the summer of 1982, Téléverbier also builds the chair lift of the Combe II and, that way, finishes the route of access parallel to the initial gondola. The inauguration of the route will be moved forward to Fall 1982, instead of 1983. Starting March 1983,  the summit of the Mont-Fort is made accessible for people to simply go up to see the view. The Jumbo, Switzerland’s largest cable car, is inaugurated, however, only in December 1987. A new gondola six-person is built in 1985 tout replace the first chair lift in Médran.
 

1988-1993: Looking for new inspiration

The 22 lifts have to be adated to the new security norms of the Federal Transport Office. The chair lift of the Lac des Vaux 3 is replaced in 1988, the one in Les Ruinettes is replaced by a chair lift the next year. The chair lift of Le Mayentset is renovated in 1990. In Bruson, the lift of La Pasay is replaced, the same year by a new chair lift. The cable car of Le Mont Gelé and the lift of Les Moulins are both renovated in 1992.

In 1991, the 4 Vallées is officially complete, with the addition of Télé-Thyon.

1994: Funispace

At the end of April 1994, the cable car of Les Attelas 1 does its final ups-and-downs while the lift of Les Attelas II is taken down. The Funispace was first put to use n December 23rd, 1994. Only nine months after the beginning of its construction.

1995 – 2000: The Pioneer Spirit

The society STA (services techniques alpins) SA is created in Sembrancher. This company is responsible for the customer service of the Leitner grooming-machines and, in the entire French speaking Switzerland, it takes care of the maintenance of various ski lifts and mechanical intallations.

Chronological list:

• TSD4 Taillay: 1996
• TC8 Tortin-Chassoure: 1998
• TSD4 Lac I: 1999
• TC4 Châble-Verbier-Ruinettes: 2001
• TSD6 Nord: 2002
• TMX Chaux-Express: 2005
• TSD6 Attelas: 2006
• Tzoumaz-Savoleyres: 2007
• TSD6 Mayentzet: 2011
• TC8 Bruson: 2013
• TSD6 Chaux II: 2016
• TF45 Mont-Gelé: 2017