As far as the rotor blades carry

From that moment on it was clear to Gerold that one day he would fly such a helicopter himself. The great pioneering achievements, like the rescues on the north face of the Eiger in 1971, had already been accomplished, and there was an obvious need for such an outfit with trained personnel. But nevertheless, at the time as a young Swiss the chance to train as a pilot was rather small. Although a career in top-class sport was also open to Gerold, as a young man he decided to remain true to his dream and began a mechanicapprenticeship at the military airfield in Sion. «I had the necessary drive and I did not allow myself to be deterred,» he explains in his delightful Valaisan dialect. Then in 1983 the not yet 20-year-old Gerold began to work at Air Zermatt as a window cleaner. Subsequently, the mountain boy left his home for a while to get his pilot’s licence and exchanged a view of the Matterhorn for the boundless vastness of Canada. An expensive investment at a time when it was uncertain whether as a pilot with little experience, he would even be able to find a job. Finally, it was Beat Perren, the founder of Air Zermatt, who gave the somewhat naive but very ambitious young man a chance that hardly any other Swiss received. And so, things ran their course – up until his current position as CEO.

Due to the participation in the rescue of Tomaž Humar again in the Himalayas, further operations at 6,000 metres eventually followed. The Himalayas became Gerold’s second home. Over time arose the idea of building a rescue station in Nepal and to train Nepalese pilots at special training programmes in Switzerland. «The transfer of Swiss know-how,» says Gerold proudly, is very important to him and Air Zermatt. Nowadays in the 8,000-metre mountains the Nepalese pilots conduct rescues at up to 7,000 metres on their own.

As a pilot and CEO, no two days are alike. Gerold has not had a normal weekend for years. Instead, he enjoys time with his loved ones when his job allows, and thus sometimes he happily spends his very own weekend during the week. However, Gerold’s involvement in these various locations and the irregularity of his work as a pilot are difficult for a family life. «In the family everyone has to be incredibly flexible. Otherwise it would not work,» says Gerold. But both worlds have often collided in the past. Sometimes while on a family outing, Gerold was mobilised for a rescue. He recalls a snowy Christmas Eve in their holiday home above Zermatt: The family had just sat down to leisurely enjoy a Chinese fondue when a helicopter with its roaring rotors landed, and soon thereafter Gerold disappeared, tramping through the snow in the direction of the flying machine. In retaliation for missing Christmas, they did not leave any meat for Gerold, says his family with a grin.

Sustained concentration is the key. This must remain constant over the years. It is a big challenge, but also an opportunity for Gerold to switch off all his other thoughts. At that moment all of his brain cells are devoted to a single task: flying. No thoughts about what else there is to take care of. The pilot, doctor and flight assistants deliver top performance in the decisive minutes. Mountain rescues only work as a team; there is no room for single players. «You are only as good as the weakest member on the team,» says Gerold as he explains the enormous importance of working together as a team during a rescue. Everyone knows exactly which standard procedures he must abide by and what he is responsible for. To ensure that the chemistry between individuals is right, Air Zermatt employs the simple but effective method of having a beer together after work in the flight assistants’ room. There is always room for a bit of waggishness and lightness. Otherwise it would not be possible to conduct over 2,000 rescues per year.