A Partnership Built on Trust

How can a ski resort, together with its technology partners, pave the way toward a more sustainable and efficient future? In the Swiss resort of Villars-sur-Ollon, winter is a reflection of a deep commitment to nature, guests, and future generations. Télé-Villars-Gryon-Diablerets SA is pursuing this path alongside its partners. For more than 30 years, the resort has worked closely with Kässbohrer Geländefahrzeug AG. This exceptional partnership is built on trust, shared goals, and the conviction that innovation is the key to the future. 

The future is created today 
“We not only want to offer our guests perfectly groomed slopes but also demonstrate that we take responsibility – for the environment, resources, and future generations,” explains Martin Deburaux, Managing Director of Télé-Villars. “That is why we rely on sustainable technologies and digital solutions from Kässbohrer, which help us make snow production and snow management as efficient and environmentally friendly as possible.”  
 
A key pillar of this transformation is the operation of four PistenBully 600 E+ vehicles alongside Kässbohrer’s digital SnowSat solutions. Villars operates one of the largest E+ fleets worldwide. While power and torque are clear advantages, the outstanding feature is the unique combination of diesel and electric drive technology. “For our team, efficiency and sustainability are important, but so is the impressive performance of the machine,” says Oscar Bonzon, Head of the operator’s team. 

SnowSat: The key to greater efficiency 
“SnowSat solutions provide the grooming team with continuous insight into snow depths, infrastructure, and operational processes throughout the ski area.” Cross-functional task management enables clear communication when coordinating snow groomers and daily operations. Snow depth can be measured with centimeter-level accuracy, allowing snow to be moved precisely where needed and reducing unnecessary snow use. One of Villars’ four PistenBully 600 E+ machines is equipped with SnowSat LiDAR, measuring snow depths up to 50 meters ahead of and alongside the vehicle across an area of up to 2,600 m². This enables operators to manage snow proactively, avoid low-snow areas, and save valuable time. SnowSat LiDAR measures, documents, and optimizes the use of available natural and technical snow while supporting faster and more targeted snow distribution. SnowSat is a key tool for efficient resource management, enhanced safety, and consistently high slope quality. Oscar Bonzon emphasizes the significance of this development: “Thanks to our PistenBully 600 E+ fleet and SnowSat, we can perform our daily work much more precisely and efficiently. The transparent fuel-consumption analysis has even sparked a friendly competition among our operators. The result is lower consumption, higher safety, and improved planning.”  

SmartCut: A grooming finish that makes the difference 
Last winter, Télé Villars-Gryon also introduced its first SmartCut tiller, which quickly proved successful across the board. “Anyone who tries it never wants to give it back,” says Oscar Bonzon. The outstanding grooming quality and efficient snow processing have impressed the entire team. Snow is processed more finely, distributed more evenly, and mixed more effectively within the tiller chamber, creating a superior and highly consistent slope surface. At the same time, snow ridges along slope edges are reduced, while excellent results are maintained even under challenging conditions.   
For Bonzon, the progress compared to previous tiller generations is obvious: “The quality of the slopes today has nothing in common with what we achieved 20 years ago. Today’s machines operate in a completely different league.” As expectations among winter sports enthusiasts continue to rise, perfectly groomed slopes are more important than ever. The SmartCut tiller helps the team meet these demands with outstanding quality, high productivity, and noticeable ease of operation in everyday use.  

Reliability has a name 
For Télé-Villars, the close and trusted partnership with Kässbohrer is of exceptional value. “Our added value is Jean-Daniel,” says Martin Deburaux. He is referring to Jean-Daniel Berclaz, who has supported Télé-Villars as the regional contact for Western Switzerland for more than a decade, covering everything from sales and technical consulting to operator training and service support. “With Jean-Daniel and Kässbohrer, we have a partner we can rely on at any time. Our collaboration is characterized by trust, expertise, and direct communication. We particularly appreciate the rapid support and high level of technical expertise that continually helps us in our day-to-day operations,” Deburaux adds. 

New momentum. Tomorrow’s snow. 
Alongside technical modernization, Télé-Villars is also actively advancing infrastructure projects designed to ensure long-term snow reliability. The perspective is clearly focused on the future. “We will still be skiing in this resort in 2050 – but it will be different,” says Martin Deburaux.  
For Télé-Villars, the key to success lies in the intelligent combination of modern technology, sustainable thinking, strong partnerships, and, above all, people. Experienced PistenBully operators play a decisive role in achieving exceptional slope quality – because experience continues to make the difference. “Partnership is extremely important to us, particularly in the areas of technical development, software, and snow management,” concludes Deburaux.