Swiss mountain economy: resorts, careers and excellence training
Winter sports, snow tourism, summer in the mountains: an economy that employs 20,500 people in cable cars alone. This module presents resorts one by one and the careers they create, with their excellence training. Pilot of six resorts, to be extended.
Updated
An industry that employs all year round
According to Swiss Cableways, the industry employs 20,500 people: two thirds in operating the installations and one third in ancillary activities such as catering and hospitality. 70% of transport revenue is earned in winter (2022 data).
Seasonal jobs (reception, ticketing, slopes, catering, accommodation) and year-round jobs (technical, maintenance, management, sales, safety) coexist in every resort.
Excellence training
Cable-car mechatronics technician (EFZ/CFC): a four-year apprenticeship in a cable-car company, with block courses at the Swiss Cableways training centre in Meiringen (berufsberatung.ch).
Mountain guide (federal diploma): about three years part-time, offered by the Swiss Mountain Guides Association in German and French (orientation.ch).
Snow sports instructor: modular Swiss Snowsports training, at least two years up to the professional exam (Swiss Snowsports).
Hospitality and resort management: internationally renowned private schools, including EHL in Lausanne, Glion and Les Roches in Crans-Montana (secondary source).
About these programmes
The Institut de commerce et de gestion de Genève awards no degree or title. The programmes mentioned belong to third-party bodies and are listed for information.
The six pilot resorts
Zermatt
Zermatt, at the foot of the Matterhorn, is open in summer and winter: its official site lists summer skiing among its…
Verbier
Verbier is the gateway to the 4 Vallées area, which its official site calls Switzerland's largest ski area, open “ten months out of twelve” (skiing from November to the…
Saint-Moritz
St. Moritz lies at 1,856 m in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland's only trilingual canton (German, Romansh,…
Davos Klosters
Davos Klosters is both a winter-sports resort and a congress town: the World Economic Forum is announced for 18–22 January 2027 (3,000 people expected), the Spengler Cup…
Grindelwald · Jungfrau
The Jungfrau Region, in the Bernese Oberland, advertises 211 km of slopes; the 2026 summer season of its attractions runs from 3 April to 29 November…
Crans-Montana
Crans-Montana will host the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships from 1 to 14 February 2027 and the Omega European Masters golf tournament from 2 to 5 September 2027. The…
How to cite this page
Observatory of the Institut de commerce et de gestion de Genève, Swiss mountain economy: resorts, careers and excellence training, updated 20 September 2026. Data: official sources cited below.
Sources
- Remontées Mécaniques Suisses, La branche des remontées mécaniques en Suisse (consulté 2026-09-20)
- berufsberatung.ch, Seilbahn-Mechatroniker/in EFZ (consulté 2026-09-20)
- orientation.ch, Guide de montagne BF (Association suisse des guides de montagne) (consulté 2026-09-20)
- Swiss Snowsports, formation de moniteur de sports de neige (consulté 2026-09-20)
- Swiss Private Schools, EHL, Glion, Les Roches (source secondaire) (consulté 2026-09-20)
- Zermatt, site officiel (consulté 2026-09-20)
- Verbier 4 Vallées, site officiel (consulté 2026-09-20)
- St. Moritz, site officiel (consulté 2026-09-20)
- Davos Klosters, site officiel (consulté 2026-09-20)
- Jungfrau Region, site officiel (consulté 2026-09-20)
- Crans-Montana, site officiel (consulté 2026-09-20)
Every figure is dated and points to its official source. The Institute's data are not forecasts.