The most eye-catching addition to the newly renovated Bort playground is a wooden snow groomer (PistenBully). According to Urs Roth, Head of Engineering and Operations at Firstbahn, it is a unique, custom-made feature. “I designed it together with a timber construction specialist,” he explains. Children can now climb on the snow groomer or simply sit back and relax on it.

The playground was renovated because “some of the climbing structures were too high to meet current safety standards,” says Urs Roth. In addition, several of the wooden play elements had simply reached the end of their lifespan. Some of the wooden equipment and play features were replaced, while others were removed. A new water play area has also been added along the stream, allowing children to divert parts of the water using wooden channels.

The renovation cost around CHF 90,000. The wood was sourced in Switzerland, and the work was carried out by employees of FSC-certified Forst Aletsch, with support from Firstbahn staff. Since the end of May, the playground has been shining in a fresh new look.