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How to avoid paying an arm and a leg, when you break an arm or a leg

I’m guessing that everyone must have, at some point during their winter-sports career, been witness to a mountain rescue carried out by a daring helicopter pilot and crew. The rotors spin inches from the ground as paramedics dash towards whichever helpless skier is lying in the snow regretting their recklessness 30 seconds earlier when they’d announced “how hard can it be?” As the casual observer; yes, we do notice that one leg is still attached to a ski further up the slope and that their head appears to be twisted round by 180 degrees but this is not why we groan in sympathy. It is the fact that the Helicopter hovering on the mountain side is doing so at around CHF90 a minute and God knows what happens if you run out of money half way to the hospital.

However there is a way where you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg and this is thanks to REGA, the Swiss Air – Rescue service. But first, perhaps a little history as REGA’s 60^th Birthday draws closer. Originally the daring REGA rescuers would parachute out of airplanes, often with a dog strapped to their chest, the dog, of course, with a barrel of brandy. The aim was to land somewhere near whichever British mountain climber was trying to become the first ever ‘person’ (i.e. not a local because that’s cheating) to climb the last few unconquered mountains. Light aircraft were also used and some very impressive feats of flying were employed to land in extraordinary situations to bring first aid and rescue as quickly as possible. The first recognised mission carried out by REGA was in 1946 when an American DC-3 became stranded on the Gauli Glacier in the Bernese Oberland. On 24^th November Swiss military pilots Victor Hug and Pista Hitz managed to land two Fieseler Storch aircraft on the glacier and safely evacuate the passengers and crew. This daring rescue operation marked the birth of air – rescue in Switzerland.  In 1952 with the introduction of the Hiller 360 the first helicopter to be used in air - rescue operations REGA really came into its own and more recently carried out over 13,000 successful missions in 2010.

And now we come to the part that you want to read; how to avoid paying CHF90 a minute when that inevitable patch of ice catches you unawares, the ‘guy who used to ski’ loses control or a Yeti throws a snowball at you. At first REGA was financed independently but by 1966 the running costs of carrying out rescue operations by helicopter had exceeded their resources. Following the Swiss Government’s rejection of financial support REGA turned to the public. They decided to implement a scheme whereupon each resident of Switzerland who donated CHF30 would be offered free assistance by REGA in case of an emergency, depending on their medical insurance situation. There are two situations in which REGA will offer this support. Firstly a helicopter will be sent to your aid in case of an accident whilst skiing, hiking or general frolicking amongst the mountains or anywhere within Switzerland. Secondly REGA will also fly you back to Switzerland for treatment from whichever foreign distant land wherein you may have fallen afoul of the local drivers, cuisine or some savage animal. The idea of ‘sponsoring’ a helicopter is similar to sponsoring a Panda with the WWF, although when you sponsor a Panda you wouldn’t then expect the Panda to jump in a helicopter and come to your rescue. This is what makes REGA such a success, it is a charity in which the people supporting it really do benefit from the results. The successful patronage system has fundamentally remained unchanged to this day and is available in individual, couples or family packages amongst others. Such was the popularity of REGA that in 2007 the number of REGA patrons broke 2 million and REGA is currently the most popular Swiss brand. Geographically REGA presently have 13 Helicopter bases across Switzerland ensuring that the helicopters can reach any location in Switzerland within 15 minutes, except the canton of Valais so take extra care when you’re visiting.

I’m writing this article with the hope of spreading the word of REGA. In my experience expats do not know about REGA but do tend to ski and sometimes crash so please follow this link and support this fantastic organisation although I hope that you can avoid having to use it. But if you do; as a patron the financial consequences are more like clipping a finger nail rather than losing an arm and a leg.
 
 
 
 
Tim Atkins is a recent graduate with a passion for journalism and the media. Any questions, suggestions or more likely complaints can be sent to timothy.atkins@hotmail.co.uk.
 


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