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New lifts underway across The Alps
Tuesday July 6, 2010 - Email this article to a friend
Summer means building work as resorts replace, repair and re-build their lifts. Here's a look at a few new developments underway in some resorts for next winter.
What follows is not an exhaustive list, just a snap shot of a few places.
We will be updating you throughout the summer on new lifts and facilities.
If you want to find out what is happening in your favourite resorts then just put the resort's name into the PlanetSKI search box and it should take you through to the information as we build it up over the summer.
Les Arcs, France
The French resort is putting in 4 new lifts.
1 is a short new chairlift "du Parchey" in Plan Peisey, Peisey-Vallandry.
This will link a new building expected for completion in winter 2011/2012 and be an easier connection between the lifts and a new children's playground.
It will be 302m long, rise 107 vertical metres and have a capacity of 1,500 people per hour.
Between Arcs 1600 and 1800 a new ski lift will serve the Apocalypse Snow Park.
The new lift will improve access to the park making it faster to do laps.
It will be 730m long, with a rise of 147 vertical metres and a capacity of 1,200 people per hour.
Other new lifts include l'Eterlou rope tow at Arc 2000, that will make it easier to get back to the resort from the Arcabulle chair and a covered moving walkway conveyor lift at the top of the "Olympic Games" hill.
The resort will also add 5.2km more snow making on the ridge between Arc 2000 and Arc 1600/Arc 1800.
In total it is spending €9.1m.
The resort has also published lift ticket prices for 2010-11.
A six day adult Les Arcs pass will be €209 Euros, with the equivalent full Paradiski pass, including La Plagne's lifts and the Vanoise Express cable car between the two, available at €249.
Gstaad, Switzerland
There's a quad chairlift and a new gondola, as well as more snowmaking.
The new Rougemont - La Videmanette gondola and the Chalberhöni - Vorderes Eggli high-speed quad chairlift as well as various new snow-making machines should be ready for the start of the season in December.
The new chairlift will cost 6.9m Swiss francs and replaces an old lift built in the 1960s, but is just the first part of an eight year, 160m Swiss franc investment plan for the area up to 2018.
The new lift's base station at 1345m will be located next to the base station of the Chalberhöni -Les Gouilles chairlift, with a new positioning improving access to both lifts.
The lift's top station will be at the highest point on the Middle Eggli, 1673m, meaning all runs from the top can be reached easily.
"This represents a considerable improvement compared to the old lift," said project leader, Samuel Matti.
Lift capacity will increase from 800 to 1,800 persons per hour.
Hochkonig, Austria
The area has had a 2 year investment plan totalling €30m which has enabled the construction of a new cable car and three new six-seater chairlifts.
There has also been extensive snowmaking put in and 97% of the terrain is now covered.
The Hochkonig pass takes in 150km of ski slopes, served by 33 lifts, above the villages of Maria Am, Hinterthal, Huintermoos, Bischofshoen, Muhlbach and Dienten in Salzburgerland.
However there had always been a break in the circuit between Hintermoos and Hinterthal, but that will change next winter with the installation of a new 3.6 km long cable car.
No more getting on a local bus.
The newly connected Hintermoos ski area will be fully modernised and will see the old Hochmaislifts double chairlift and a T-bar lift replaced with a six-seater chairlift.
The improvements follow investments last year when the region built a new slope, a new reservoir, invested in new snow making machines, built a new ski bridge and replaced the old Schwarzeckalm lift .
Now there is also a modern six-seater chairlift with pull down weather protection hoods.
There is also further investment planned for the following winter, 2011/12.
The old Bürglalm lift will be replaced with another new six-seater chairlift and the construction of a new Skicenter in Dienten with parking place, sports shop, ski rental, ski depot, service and café.
Alpbach, Austria
The resort will have a new Funpark next winter at the top station of the Pöglbahn.
It will also offer night skiing on three evenings each week (Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays) from 6.30 to 9.15pm on runs served by the Reitherkogelbahn in neighbouring Reith.
In an initiative to attract families, the resort will also be offering free lift passes for children under 15 during low season as long as an accompanying adult buys an equivalent five or six day ski pass at the regular price.
It is valid from the start of the season up to Christmas week, then from Jan 10 to Feb 5 and from Mar 19 to the end of the season.
Pejo, Italy
A new cable car is being installed at Pejo in Italy, 25 years after the original lift ceased operating.
The new cable car is 4km long and will have a journey time of 6 minutes. It can hold 100 people.
It gives access to a descent of up to 8km and new slopes will be opened and some old ones re-opened.
Pejo is part of the Super Skirama Dolomiti Adamello Brenta ski area pass that covers nearly 400km of runs around about a dozen ski areas in the region.
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