8-Seater Chairlift in Europe's Biggest Ski Region Even Greater Comfort On

Home , Chairlift, Funitel, June Mountain ski area, Parallel turn, Ski, Surface lift

January 2009 No. 177 • 34th Year

Several new Doppelmayr lifts have gone into operation in the “SkiWelt” of the Kitzbühel Alps. p.10

8-seater chairlift in Europe’s biggest ski region Hintertux now has three Funitels. The key Enhanced comfort and less congestion in Portes du Soleil/Champéry. p.2 factor in deciding on the Funitel chain Even greater comfort on Seiser Alm was the system’s high wind stability. p.6 A new 6-CLD-B significantly improves the lift infrastructure. p.4 World first for children A new chairlift concept for children is put into practice in Serfaus, Tyrol. p.18 Jackson Hole replaces its famous “red box” The emblem is retained – and modernized. p.20 Sheregesh ski region in Siberia goes up in the world This up and coming region gets a boost from its new 4-CLD. p.22 8-seater gondola lift in central China Private investor builds ropeway in Shirenshan. p.23

Magazine for Customers and Employees 2 Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group

The 8-seater chairlift to the sun

In 2008, Garaventa built Director storm destroyed the forests and the lo- a high-capacity 8-seater Raymond cal authorities wanted to put the wood Monay: The from the fallen trees to good use by con- chairlift in the Swiss part relationship structing holiday chalets. It was not long of the French-speaking ski of trust before the first surface lift was erected, resort of Portes du Soleil, between Télé and subsequently the entire region be- Europe’s biggest ski area. Champéry- tween Champéry and Les Crosets was Crosets Portes opened up with ski lifts and trails. 1968 du Soleil saw the opening of the first direct link AG and the Doppelmayr/Garaventa with the neighboring French ski resort of Group has a long tradition. “We Avoriaz. This marked the beginning of know and value the company, the the “Portes du Soleil” which today boasts quality of its lifts and its ability to 650 km of trails and 204 lifts1. (The area meet deadlines.” He is particularly also has 380 km of hiking trails and is impressed with the technology and a popular destination for mountain bik- performance features of the 8-seater ers. The World Cup races and, in 2011, chairlift. the World Championship are to be held ourism in general, and skiing in par- here.) ticular, is a tradition in the region The new 8-seater chairlift was com- Tbetween Lake Geneva and Mont missioned by Télé Champéry-Crosets Blanc. The municipality of Champéry Portes du Soleil AG, whose ski region near the Franco-Swiss border, just an lies at altitudes of between 1,050 m and hour’s drive from Geneva Airport, re- 2,250 m, has 50 kilometers of trails and cently celebrated “150 years of tourism”. 17 lifts2 which sell 6 million trips in the In comparison, the holiday village of Les winter. The company employs a work- Crosets in the mountains is still young. force of 130 people in the winter and 30 It was created in 1962, after a severe in the summer.

No. 177 • January 2009 3 Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group

Quality, innovation and technology leader

Higher capacity, greater comfort will continue over the next few years in order to further improve safety, reliability In fiscal year 2007/08, Doppelmayr The 8-CLD Crosets-Marcheuson, as the and comfort”. posted sales revenues of EUR 679.7 new lift is called, replaces a 20-year- million (plus three percent) with 2,605 old fixed-grip quad chairlift and a T-bar employees and consolidated its clear 1 One ski pass for 12 interlinked ski areas lift. The capacity of these lifts had long 2 1 aerial tramway, 7 chairlifts (3 of them quality, technology and innovation proved insufficient as a means of access detachable), 7 surface lifts and 2 baby lifts with leadership in the ropeway sector. This to the mountain and to serve the adjacent a total capacity of 23,200 passengers per pole position was confirmed by satis- slopes. The new lift offers a 30 percent hour. fied customers and users as well as a increase in capacity and is expected to large number of world firsts. The “un- carry 2 million skiers a year. 8-CLD Crosets-Marcheuson manned” gondola lift in Val Thorens, The installation has two UNI-G sta- Transport capacity 4,000 PPH France, the first gondola lifts with seat tions. The bottom station with 90° board- Trip time 3.3 min heating in Ischgl and Zell am See, Aus- ing and a loading carpet is located on Speed 5.0 m/s tria, and the first gondola lift with sauna the edge of a central, spacious loading cabin in Finland are just a few impres- Chairs 55 plateau which is shared by several lifts sive examples. and where skiers can conveniently don Interval 7.2 s The established strategy of posi their skis. This plateau is in fact the roof Inclined length 836 m tioning the ropeway as a means of of a carrier parking facility built into the Vertical rise 253 m passenger transport in cities has also slope and covered with grass in the sum- been crowned with success. The Towers 8 mer. During the construction of the new development and implementation of lift, this building structure was extended Drive Top modern ropeway applications for bulk along the same level, creating room for Tension Bottom material handling in industry and mining cash desks, service areas, etc. beneath have made it possible to serve an the boarding area. 8-CLD Crosets-Marcheuson. A high- attractive niche market. As Director Raymond Monay reports, capacity feeder for Europe’s biggest ski Ultimately, it was thanks to the trust “the restructuring of our lift installations area network: Portes du Soleil. placed in our expertise by our cus tomers and partners that our ropeway competence could be put to the test. And we shall continue to pull out all the stops to ensure that we meet their expectations in the future.

Michael Doppelmayr

No. 177 • January 2009 Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group

Even greater comfort on Seiser Alm

Doppelmayr Italia has replaced the 20-year- old “Panorama” quad chairlift on Seiser Alm in the Dolomites of South Tyrol with a comfortable detachable 6-seater bubble chairlift. This installation acts as a direct feeder to almost all Marketing Director Susanne Griesser the lifts on Seiser Alm. and her brother Martin Griesser, Managing Director, Operations and Technical Director, are united in their view: “The decision in favor of the 6-seater chairlift optimally meets the need of alpine skiers, cross-country skiers and hikers for comfort and speed.” Construction was carried out rapidly. Doppelmayr took charge of transport, installation, start-up and approval; the customer, Griesser Martin & Co. KG, performed the building work.

eiser Alm, Europe’s biggest high mountain pastureland, is an ideal Sskiing and hiking area. In the sum- the location of the old bottom station and mer, well-maintained hiking paths provide the consequent change in access possi- access to the pastures and peaks. In the bilities no longer met the new logistical winter, skiers and snowboarders have requirements”. – In the winter, the link-up 60 km of trails and 23 lifts available to with the ski network was poor as skiers them. wishing to get to the Panorama lift and

Child safety lock 6-CLD-B Panorama Seiser Alm Transport capacity 2,600 PPH The new 6-CLD-B is 300 m longer than the old chairlift. As well as being Trip time 4.3 min equipped with bubbles, it features a child Speed 5.0 m/s safety lock. This makes good sense as Chairs 70 the bottom station is in close proximity to Interval 8.3 s the practice slopes for the two ski schools on Seiser Alm and they are regular users Inclined length 1,311 m of the chairlift. Vertical rise 200 m The prime reason for building the Towers 13 new lift, as Marketing Director Susanne Drive Top Griesser explains, was that “since the construction of the Seis–Seiser Alm lift, Tension Bottom

No. 177 • January 2009 The new, efficient and comfortable 6-CLD-B Panorama significantly facilitates access to Seiser Alm. This area forms part of the Superski Dolomiti network and is the starting point for the famous Sella Ronda ski route which crosses four mountain saddles and four valleys. further on to the trails on Seiser Alm either onto the next available chair – and it is was because we didn’t want any unnec- had to walk a short distance or use the lifted off at the other end. essary impact on the landscape that we Laurin lift, a quad chairlift. This resulted The new lift, like the old one, will also did without a second feeder lift to the ex- in long waiting times. “With our new operate in the summer. Susanne Griesser isting Panorama lift and instead replaced chairlift, guests can get directly and by expects ten percent summer and 90% it with a modern, efficient and comfort- the shortest route from the top station of winter guests. – The Panorama Restau- able installation.” – The way the turf was the Seis–Seiser-Alm lift to the where they rant at the top station with its all-round treated illustrates the great effort taken to want to ski”. view is a popular destination at any time minimize any effect on the landscape. The 6-CLD-B Panorama Seiser Alm of the year. This was carefully removed before the also provides access to a toboggan run, excavation work began, set aside and cross-country ski trails on the ridge and Harmonious integration into the finally put back in place manually. virtually all winter and summer hiking landscape The 6-CLD-B Panorama increases the paths via Seiser Alm. attractiveness of Seiser Alm, not least Toboggans as well as kids’ buggies The Panorama lift crosses a highly sen- for leisurely skiiers and families, a target or wheelchairs are transported on the sitive protected area. Great care was group on which greater attention is to be chairs. It’s all quite simple: One of the lift therefore taken with the ropeway design focused in the future. crew fastens the item to be transported and construction. Susanne Griesser: “It

No. 177 • January 2009 Doppelmayr/Garaventa-Group

Hintertux Glacier: Triumph of the sleek mover

Doppelmayr Funitels intertux at the end of the Tyrolean are particularly Zill Valley is unique in many re- spects. The skiing season, for in- impressive because of H stance, lasts all year round on the glacier. their characteristic sleek There are no interruptions for ropeway movement. Hintertux is the maintenance as all major destinations only ski region worldwide can be reached by at least two lifts.

with a triple-link Funitel Funitel technology stands chain. The latest the test of lively winds Funitel, Gletscherbus 1, The desire for comfort, operational reli- went into service in ability and the best in ropeway engineer- November 2008. ing is the key factor which inspired the use of Funitel systems by Doppelmayr. As Hintertux lies right in the path of the “foehn” wind, ropeways need to be able to operate at higher wind speeds.

“Foehn” as a piece of luck

Klaus Dengg, one of the three directors1 of the lift operating company, Zillertaler Gletscherbahn, looks upon the “foehn” wind as a piece of luck: “Our sometimes extreme weather conditions are down to our glacier.” – And this is where the Funi- tel is ideal. 1996 saw the construction of the first Funitel in Hintertux, the Gletscherbus 2. This traces a route from Sommerbergalm (2,100 m) to Tuxer Fernerhaus on the edge of the Hintertux Glacier (2,660 m) and is particularly exposed to this wind. (Sommerbergalm is the very heart of the area and forms the starting point and destination for virtually all the ski trails.) Gletscherbus 3 from Fernerhaus to Gefrorene Wand2 (altitude 3,250 m), the highest part of the ski region, followed in Visionary planning 2000. This lift marked another piece in far into the future the jigsaw as far as the company’s detailed long-term strategy was concerned. Initially, when an 8-seater gondola was Just how visionary this planning had been built in the year 2000 as a second was finally revealed with the completion feeder up to Sommerbergalm, the con- of the third Funitel in 2007/08. struction requirements for the next Funi- tel, Gletscherbus 1, were already taken 1 Klaus and Franz Dengg, Felix Gaugg into account. The station locations for the 2 Construction began in 1999 8-MGD were chosen to allow their sub-

No. 177 • January 2009 Klaus Dengg, CEO of Zillertaler Gletscherbahn, uses “sleek” to describe the travel movement of the Doppelmayr Funitel. The new Gletscherbus 1 completes the Funitel chain from valley to peak – and ensures reliable downhill service even in strong winds. When the “foehn” blows, even good skiers prefer to make the downhill trip with the lift as, quite apart from the wind, visibility becomes a problem and really good knowledge of the local terrain is required. sequent integration in one building com- the construction of this 8-seater gondola exceeds by far the capacity it replaces. plex, along with the stations of the future lift nor of the Funitel would interfere with In the meantime, the bottom station Funitel, without too much additional work. operation of the 4-seater gondola lift dat- has been turned into an impressive ter- The bottom station of this lift had been ing from 1972. This 4-MGD was not shut moved 100 m downhill where neither down until summer 2008; Glacierbus 1 ☛

No. 177 • January 2009 Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group

☛minal complex as a large part of it is be- sign features, the interior creates a home- low ground while the visible part of the ly atmosphere in spite of its size. In sum- structure forms a wide semi-circle which mer 2009, the stations of the gondola lift nestles against the end of the valley and and Gletscherbus 1 will come under the aesthetically harmonizes with its natural same roof. surroundings. It houses the bottom sta- While the overall system cannot fail to tions and parking facilities for both lifts impress, individual details are equally fas- as well as the cash desks, toilets, sports cinating, such as the 24-passenger cab- shop, ski hire, staff apartments, etc. The ins (suggested by Klaus Dengg). These underground parking lot dating from feature bench seats located along the 2000 has been enlarged by another 60 walls and standing chairs in the center. spaces, providing room for 300 cars. The drive machinery for the Funitel3 is also lo- The importance of advice and after- cated in the basement. sales service The top station, which houses the tension system for the Funitel, also has For Klaus Dengg, it’s not just the technol- a multifunctional configuration. A new ogy that matters. He also expects com- self-service restaurant was built there in prehensive and continuous training for his 2005. With its log fire and wooden de- technical personnel. His aim is to make sure that the ropeway crew are entirely familiarized with the installation before Funitel Gletscherbus 1 they are faced with a troubleshooting sit- Transport capacity 3,200 PPH uation where valuable time would other- Trip time 5.3 min wise be lost. Dengg also attaches great Speed 6.0 m/s importance to meticulous and extensive 24-passenger cabins 24 advice from Doppelmayr: “I certainly wouldn’t have been very happy if, for ex- Interval 27.0 s ample, I’d subsequently been told I could The tramway from Inclined length 1,413 m have had a particular feature if only I’d Engelberg to hamlet Vertical rise 527 m ordered it in time!” Brunni at the foot of the Towers 8 majestic Mythen massif Drive Bottom has been completely Tension Top 3 The drive of the 8-MGD is in the top station rebuilt by Garaventa.

The Funitel system is particularly wind-stable he Brunni tram, built in 1952, was completely modernized in 2008. TAs part of the rebuild, the bottom The special feature of the Funitel system is the double config- terminal was moved from the center of uration of the rope loop: One continuous rope produces the village to the outskirts and a new top four rope lines. There are two parallel ropes on both terminal was also constructed. the uphill and downhill sides, with a rope gauge of 3.2 m. The parallel ropes prevent side swing when Platform access via elevator in the the cabins pass over the towers and on entry into the mid station stations as well as stabilizing the cabins on the line. As a result, the Funitel is able to operate at higher wind The three towers have been replaced by speeds than are possible with conventional mono- a single 38 m-high structure which also cable systems. incorporates the mid station. A glazed

No. 177 • January 2009 The new Engelberg-Brunni tramway is of major importance for both the local farming community and for tourism.

Aerial tram serves alpine farmers and tourists

elevator provides access to the loading Far greater ride comfort to the terrace of the Brunni Restaurant a and unloading platform which automati- lot more convenient. With the old tram, cally lowers like a drawbridge as soon The old tramway – which had 40-pas- guests had to climb a flight of stairs to as the cabins have reached the correct senger cabins, while the new ones carry reach it. position. Passengers include not only 65 people – remained in service until the tourists but above all school children from new tram started up in December 2008 65-ATW Engelberg-Brunni the surrounding mountain farms. Milk is and is to be demolished in 2009. As well also transported down to the valley on as increasing the transport capacity, the Transport capacity 634 PPH a daily basis. The elevator is configured new tram now offers far greater ride com- Trip time 4.5 min so that it can only be used in conjunction fort. Speed max. 10 m/s with tram operations. The new cabins Many of the passengers also find the Speed over towers 7 m/s have windows down to the floor. location of the new top terminal right next Inclined length 1,716 m “The planning permission and the start of the building construc- Vertical rise 834 m tion were delayed by seven weeks. In spite of this and not least Towers 1 thanks to the tremendous dedication of Garaventa, we were Drive 392 kW Top able to make the opening date of December 19 as planned.”– Haul rope tension weight Bottom Hans Bünter retired as Managing Director of the Engelberg- Brunni tramway on July 1, 2008, but remained on the board and Fixed track rope Top + saw the tram modernization project through to completion as its anchoring Bottom technical director. Engelberg-Brunni Bahn AG was responsible Altitude of top terminal 1,849 m for coordinating the building construction. platform

No. 177 • January 2009 10 Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group

SkiWelt – region of superlatives

The Tyrolean SkiWelt kiWelt was established in the mid Salvenbahn: Gondolas with heated Wilder Kaiser-Brixental 1970s. Today, it encompasses nine seats ski resorts. There is a great sense is a top-class region for S of community between them which goes Salvenbahn II is one of five gondola lifts winter sports. Quite apart far beyond the ticketing network. This in- which Doppelmayr equipped with seat from its impressive size cludes a joint marketing company and heating. It marks the fulfillment of a vi- – 280 kilometers of ski even operating supplies are purchased sionary decision taken by the municipal jointly. council of Hopfgarten 60 years ago. At trails, 91 lifts – this winter In 2008, the following lifts went into ser- the time, a gondola lift had been consid- the region started up vice: ered. For financial reasons, a surface lift four lifts which represent • the 8-seater gondola lift Salvenbahn II was finally built and then, 50 years ago, (Bergbahnen Hohe Salve-Hopfgarten- a single-seater chairlift followed. something special in terms Itter-Kelchsau), of their purpose as well • SkiWeltbahn (Bergbahnen Brixen im SkiWeltbahn: Bottom station as their technology. Thale) and conveniently accessed by surface lift • Choralmbahn (Bergbahnen Westen- dorf) plus The SkiWeltbahn from Brixen to Choralm • the detachable 6-seater chairlift Siller is accessed using the surface lift. This alm with orange bubbles and seat takes skiers along a 230 m stretch in the heating (Berg- und Skilifte Hochsöll) valley plain from the trail to the bottom

Hansjörg Kogler (CEO, Bergbahnen Westendorf), Walter Eisenmann (CEO, Berg- und Skilift Hochsöll), Angelika Pastler (Marketing, Berg- und Skilift Hochsöll), Friedl Eberl (CEO, Bergbahnen Hohe Salve-Hopfgarten-Itter-Kelchsau), Rudi Köck (Director, Bergbahnen Brixen im Thale AG), Christine Haselsberger (CEO Bergbahnen Scheffau), Hans Haselsberger (Member of the Board, Bergbahnen Brixen and Bergbahnen Scheffau).

No. 177 • January 2009 11 Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group

station. A loading carpet ensures optimal bahn at the top of Choralpe1. This means up to 4,800 skiers. (A third gondola lift convenience for users. Both the surface that the entire SkiWelt now forms a con- is planned for the future and provisions lift and its loading carpet system are sistent network for the first time; the shuttle have already been made for its inclusion.) solar-powered. The photovoltaic installa- bus which used to operate between Wes- To reduce the impact of wind on the car- tion generates 50 percent more electric- tendorf and Brixen has become a thing riers, the ropeline was kept low enough ity than is required for operation and the of the past. – This quantum leap in terms to ensure protection from the summit. The excess is fed back into the power grid. of convenience won the region highly ac- stopping distance is integrated into the To get to the opposite mountain, users claimed recognition: the hard-to-win title station. The mountain restaurant has an take the Hochbrixen lift, a 6-MGD from of “Best European Resort Development” environmentally friendly heating system Doppelmayr built in 1986. A new pe- awarded by the London-based “Where which uses the waste heat from the two destrian bridge over the busy major road to Ski & Snowboard Guide”. gondola lifts. provides safe and convenient access The top stations of the SkiWelt and Chor The lift line of the Choralmbahn, which re- from the SkiWeltbahn to the Hochbrixen alm lifts were built onto the mountain res places the single-seater Alpenrose chairlift. taurant; they are located on the same lift, has a 5° curve. The new lift features level in a single building complex. The ski a DSD drive as well as the RPD system Link with the Choralmbahn completes donning area above can be reached by ☛ the ropeway network an underground route via an escalator. This made it possible to accommodate 1The gondola lift crosses the rail- The special feature of the SkiWeltbahn everything in the limited space avail- road line, making special measures is that it meets the Westendorf Choralm- able and to handle traffic volumes of necessary for the construction.

8-MGD Salvenbahn II

No. 177 • January 2009 8-MGD SkiWeltbahn, Brixen im Thale

☛ from Doppelmayr, the world’s only fail- parked in the stations. 8-MGD Choralmbahn safe rope position monitoring system. Transport capacity 2,200 PPH Visionary prospects Trip time 8.0 min Silleralm lift: Service room supplied Speed 6.0 m/s ready-assembled SkiWelt – Austria’s biggest interconnected ski area – is well placed in terms of Cabins 71 Geological conditions posed a problem transport links and can be easily reached Interval 13.0 s for the location of the bottom station of by car from Munich, for example, in one Inclined length 2,365 m the Silleralmbahn. The construction itself and a half hours via highways and wide Vertical rise 891 m was also special: Doppelmayr deliv- major roads. And there are yet more vi- ered the service room for the bottom sta- sions for the future: Linking up with the Kitz- Towers 19 tion complete with switchgear cabinets bühel resort would make this the world’s Drive Top ready-installed! The chairs for this lift are third biggest interconnected ski area. Tension Bottom

No. 177 • January 2009 8-MGD Choralmbahn, Westendorf

6-CLD-B Silleralm, Hochsöll

8-MGD Salvenbahn II 8-MGD SkiWeltbahn 6-CLD-B Silleralm Transport capacity 2,000 PPH Transport capacity 2,200 PPH Transport capacity 2,400 PPH Trip time 5.7 min Trip time 11.0 min Trip time 3.5 min Speed 6.0 m/s Speed 6.0 m/s Speed 5.0 m/s Cabins 47 Cabins 96 Chairs 44 Interval 14.4 s Interval 13.0 s Interval 9.0 s Inclined length 1,728 m Inclined length 3,407 m Inclined length 873 m Vertical rise 645 m Vertical rise 1,007 m Vertical rise 303 m Towers 11 Towers 21 Towers 9 Drive Top Drive Top Drive Top Tension Bottom Tension Bottom Tension Bottom

No. 177 • January 2009 14 Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group

Orange bubbles A big hit in Stuhleck

Since the winter season tuhleck, near Spital am Semmering, Two rescue winches 2008/09, Styria’s ski boasts a pioneering role in the his- tory of Austrian winter sports. The This Doppelmayr T-bar lift dating from resort of Stuhleck has S 1 region’s highest mountain (1,782 m) was 1967 has now been replaced by the been spoiling its guests climbed using skis for the very first time 6-CLD-B. While the location of the top with a 6-CLD equipped in 1891, then seen as a highly unusual station remained virtually unchanged, with orange bubbles. event. Nowadays, the resort operates the bottom station was moved so that it four chairlifts as well as six surface lifts, can be accessed from the entire ski area 24 kilometers of trails with snowmaking without having to cross other ski trails. equipment, a fun park for snowboarders The lift line nonetheless now crosses the and a five-kilometer-long natural tobog- snowmaking storage pond, which on the gan run. one hand is an attraction but on the other made it necessary to provide two rescue Increased feeder capacity winches for this area. To the west of the unloading zone a building has been The new 6-seater chairlift is part of an erected to house the technical infrastruc- expansion project which was launched ture for the ropeway and the self-service in 2005. mountain restaurant with a magnificent The reason behind this decision was terrace offering seating for 450 guests. the high level of capacity utilization in the higher reaches of the ski area, as Clear opinion among guests Fabrice Girardoni, Board Member of the operating company, Berglift Stuhleck According to Fabrice Girardoni, “the Österreichische Seilbahnen Bau- und great benefits of the new lift installation Betriebsgesellschaft.m.b.H. & Cie. KG, are the high transport capacity, the short explains. trip time and the comfort”. – Surveys con- It had been high time to extend the ducted in the past have clearly shown available transport capacity. This will be that guests don’t like using long surface increased two and a half fold in the initial lifts. Another argument in favor of an ad- phase and threefold in the final expansion phase. “We also expect the shift in skier flows to alleviate the pressure on the Fabrice Girardoni, mid station of the Stuhleckbahn, a quad Managing Director chairlift built in 1992.” of Bergbahnen Stuhleck: “The quality Improved offering leads to boom in and performance demand of Doppelmayr lifts are impressive. We Construction of the new lift was a logi- find Doppelmayr’s flexibility very cal consequence of the ski area expan- helpful, and their project support and sion and the resulting increase in skier execution have always been a positive volumes. After the 6-CLD Steinbachalm experience. The assistance given to us went into service in 2005 and word got this time round in the preparation phase around about the subsequent enlarge- and with implementation was again ment of the upper reaches of the ski area, excellent.” the transport capacity of the Weißenelf- schlag surface lift, which serves the adjacent slopes, soon proved to be inad- 1 A twisted curve station was added in 1985 equate. and the track extended uphill by one third.

No. 177 • January 2009 15 Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group

6-CLD-B Weißenelf, Stuhleck. The majority of guests are drawn from the nearby, densely populated Vienna basin, Hungary and Slovakia. The lift is to be used exclusively in the winter season for taking skiers and pedestrians up the mountain as well as for the downhill transport of pedestrians. ditional chairlift was the fact that the new tion of the new lift met with wide support 6-CLD-B Weißenelf panorama restaurant in the top station among the population and local politi- has also proved to be popular among cians. Transport capacity 3,000 PPH walkers and hikers. In any event, the investment zeal of Trip time 6.4 min the Upper Styrian lift operators contin- Speed 5.0 m/s Important for the entire region ues unabated. Fabrice Girardoni has Chairs 107 plans for the future: “Where lifts are con- Interval 7.2 s Raising the profile of the ski resort is of cerned, the next investment is going to great economic importance for the re- be in increasing the transport capacity Inclined length 1,811 m gion as a whole, as Bergbahnen Stuhleck of the Steinbachalm and Weißenelf lifts. Vertical rise 336 m ranks amongst the biggest employers in An additional ski trail in Steinbachalm is Towers 17 the area. That in itself is reason enough also envisaged.” He gives the time line Drive Top to make sure that the area remains as at- for these projects as three to five years. tractive as possible for tourists. Construc- Tension Bottom

No. 177 • January 2009 16 Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group

Kreischberg: Sunshine and freedom

Since mid December he ski resort Kreischberg-Murau lies The area is famous for its high- 2008, an orange at an altitude of between 870 m and performance snowmaking installations, 2,100 m. It has 13 lifts1 and 40 km Europe’s biggest halfpipe, its racing trail, bubble lift has been T of ski trails of all levels of difficulty, and its two-kilometer-long natural toboggan the new sensation in now boasts a true highlight with the new run and – last but not least – its child- Kreischberg-Murau. “Orange Sixpack”, a high-performance friendly facilities. 6-seater chairlift with orange-tinted bub- The guests come mostly from Styria bles. and Hungary. – Hungarian entrepre- A magnificent view of the Niedere neurs have built several hotels directly in Tauern and Nockberge mountains can front of the bottom station of the 6-CLD-B be enjoyed not only from the lift but al- Kreischberg; there are a large number of so from the “Panorama-Schirm” viewing chalet-style vacation houses and a new platform and the mountain restaurant not 260-bed hotel was recently completed. far from the top station as well as from the new ski slope. The top station of the orange six-pack with its modern, “Vi- 6-CLD-B Orange Sixpack sion” facade is situated at an altitude of Transport capacity 2,400 PPH 2,000 m and in close proximity to the two Trip time 6.0 min Sunshine surface lifts which run parallel Speed 5.0 m/s to one another. These serve the skiers ar- Chairs 79 riving from the two-section 6-seater gondola lift (through operation), which acts Interval 9.0 s as a feeder from St. Lorenzen. All the lifts Inclined length 1,669 m can also be used for repeat trips up the Vertical rise 384 m mountain. Towers 16 Up to now, the ski area was largely oriented towards the west. With the Drive Top construction of the orange six-pack, the Tension Bottom three-kilometer “panorama trail” was also 1The Doppelmayr Group has been the built, opening up the southern side of the exclusive supplier for this ski resort since Kreischberg massif. it was established 32 years ago.

The “Orange Sixpack” on the Kreischberg will only run in the winter. Managing Director Karl Schmidhofer (center): “We expect to see a 15 percent increase in skiers throughout the ski area with the start-up of the new orange six-pack.”

No. 177 • January 2009 17 Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group

Styrian climber

The ski resort eitsch lies at the foot of the the addition of a chairlift; nowadays, this Veitsch/Brunnalm in 1,981 m high Veitschalpe in Up- is a rarity in Austria. per Styria. This region is a popu- Styria, the densely V lar destination for vacations in Eastern The second upgrade: a modern long wooded “green heart of Austria, and also enjoys a good reputa- platter lift Austria”, now has its first tion as a ski resort, particularly as it can Doppelmayr chairlift: be reached in less than two hours from Doppelmayr converted the Mulden Vienna and Graz1. lift from a twin T-bar into a long platter a fixed-grip quad. Plans for a realignment of the ski re- lift; at the same time it was shortened so sort were begun in earnest at the start of that it would only serve the lower, easier the new millennium: It was to offer com- section of the ski slope. The Panorama fort, remain attractive for families and pro- lift Brunnalm, on the other hand, is com- vide fresh impetus for tourism. Managing pletely new, as are a large part of the ski Director Erwin Fraiß puts the situation in trails which can be accessed from this lift. a nutshell: “We simply found that the ex- The ski resort now has over 11 kilometers pectations of our customers – and poten- of ski trails, a 15 percent increase over its tial new customers – had changed.” previous infrastructure. These plans were finally implemented When building the new lift, special with the construction of the fixed-grip attention was focused on landscape pro- quad chairlift “Panoramalift Brunnalm”, tection and avalanche safety. The lift has the modernization of the Mulden surface a fixed drive (“Chairdrive”) and a loading lift2 and a new snowmaking system. carpet. The chairs are fitted with comfort upholstery. Doppelmayr also supplied The entire community supported the the fully equipped prefabricated opera- initiative tor huts. A material ropeway was used for tower installation and the construction The ski resort was not considered in work was organized by the customer. isolation when creating the concept but integrated into the big picture of municipal development. This is reflected, for 1 The ski resort Veitsch/Brunnalm was opened example, in the opening of a 150-bed up back in 1957 with the Brunnalm surface youth and family lift. Two further surface lifts, the Sonnkogel lift and Mulden lift followed in 1968 and 1978. guesthouse. “The 2 Doppelmayr, built in 1978; originally a T-bar economic condi- lift with short Ts. tions for these in- vestments were 4-CLF Panoramalift Brunnalm met thanks to our proximity to the Transport capacity 1,800 PPH conurbations in Trip time 7.9 min the Vienna Basin Speed 2.6 m/s and Styria.” It was Chairs 119 against this back- Interval 8.0 s ground that the decision was taken in Inclined length 1,225 m favor of developing Vertical rise 317 m a relatively small ski Towers 13 Delighted with the new lift: Erwin Dissauer, Mayor of resort, which until Drive Top Veitsch, Operations Manager Eberhard Rosemann and then only had sur- Managing Director Erwin Fraiß (from left to right) face lifts, through Tension Bottom

No. 177 • January 2009 18 Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group

Serfaus has a world first in child-friendly design

Doppelmayr has installed erfaus is part of the interconnected station loading area.) The seats alternate an 8-seater chairlift with ski area Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis which between blue and yellow, the ski resort’s stretches between altitudes of colors, to make them easier to recog- a completely new child S 1,200 m and 2,800 m and has always nize. Transit speed in the loading area is security feature in Serfaus: known how to make a name for itself as slower than usual at just 0.35 m/s, giving The Gampen family lift is a family ski resort. The ski trail offering is children plenty of time to board without fun for kids, lightens the ideal: 185 kilometers of trails of all levels haste. Thanks to the slow speed and op- of difficulty; a wide range of opportuni- tical features, the chairlift crew have no load for ski instructors ties for all common winter sports and trouble checking whether the children – and lets parents enjoy age groups; 53 lifts with a capacity of are correctly seated. The restraining bars their vacation without 70,000 passengers an hour. close and open automatically. They cannot be opened by passengers on the having to worry. Double restraining bar line. Footrests were dispensed with. with integrated safety handles Loading carpet In summer 2008, work started on with automatic height adjustment the creation of a completely new child- friendly chairlift concept. The double re- A height-adjustable loading carpet straining bar incorporates safety handles, makes for easy boarding. The system so-called “Skippies”, which fit between a features a passenger height recognition child’s legs and provide even better se- facility and automatically rises from “nor- curity against slipping out of the seat. To mal” to plus ten or 15 centimeters. ensure that the children are seated in the Doppelmayr chose a 90°-loading correct position after loading, the chairs configuration. A special station design have special seat divisions. “Murmli” the was necessary to accommodate the low marmot – the cheeky Serfaus mascot – is depicted at the front of the seat where it is well visible when the child is sitting correctly. (The ski school has a specially provided 8-seater chair where children practice sitting down in the right place before they are taken out onto the slopes. A demo chair is also set up in the bottom

8-CLD-B Familienbahn Gampen Stefan Mangott, Transport capacity 3,000 PPH Managing Director of Seilbahn Trip time 3.0 min Komperdell GmbH in Serfaus, is Speed 5.0 m/s extremely pleased with the ropeway installation. The old quad chairlift had Chairs 37 to be replaced for reasons of comfort; Interval 9.6 s and the company has been able to set a Inclined length 674 m milestone in child transport with the new Vertical rise 140 m lift. “In view of the large numbers of kids around Gampen it’s a great advantage Towers 8 that seven kids can ride with just one Drive Bottom accompanying adult!” Tension Bottom

No. 177 • January 2009 The Gampen lift is particularly child-friendly. That means it is perfect for the ski resort Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis, which prides itself on its child-friendly image. The region characterizes itself as “the Alpine paradise for families, leisure-seekers and active vacationers”.

travel speed. The chairs make an extra companying adult. (Up to now, the rule The new Gampen family lift replaces loop and the support structure of the has usually been one adult to accompa- half of a fixed-grip quad chairlift (Doppel- UNI-G station is extended in an L-shape. ny each child of this height.) mayr, built in 1989). This led over a hill The architect cleverly designed the and had a loading area at each end of Seven children bottom station to reflect the natural to- the lift on either side at the drive and re- for one accompanying adult pography, enabling the building to blend turn station; the unloading station was at in harmoniously with the landscape in the top of the hill. The new lift now traces TÜV Austria approved the chairs – spite of its large volume, and creating a route up one side of the hill – slightly which are also comfortable for adults generous space within it. The chairs are offset from the old lift line – while the old, – for carrying seven children of 90 cm garaged on an underground dead-end shortened lift operates on the opposite body height and above with just one ac- parking rail in the bottom station. side.

Nr. 177 • Januar 2009 20 Doppelmayr/Garaventa-Group

Stylish aerial tram for Jackson Hole

The reversible aerial counterparts as their spiritual role model. tramway at Jackson “Jerry’s kids”, as Claire Walter describes them in Ski Area Management Maga- Hole Mountain Resort zine, manage the resorts of Kirkwood, (JHMR), one of the most Sierra-at-Tahoe and Alpine Meadows in well-known skiing and California, The Canyons, Utah, and Kil- hiking regions in the lington, Vermont.

USA, has been replaced. Jerry’s quality seal The tramway is the region’s symbol, in the If Jerry Blann picks a ropeway supplier, that’s the equivalent of giving them a seal same way that the Eiffel of quality. Tower is for Paris or the When asked about the main require- Statue of Liberty for ments he expects a ropeway manufac- New York. It also boasts turer to meet, his response is brief and to the point: “Operational reliability; safety the longest vertical rise and comfort for our guests.” These are of any aerial tramway clearly the features that Doppelmayr has in North America. to offer. But then he adds one more: He President Jerry Blann, Jackson Hole sees depth of know-how and experience Mountain Resort: Our confidence in throughout all the companies in the Dop- the performance of the Doppelmayr pelmayr/Garaventa Group. This makes Group’s technology has certainly paid the Group unique and enables it to call off. And the price-value relationship is upon the niche expertise of each individ- impressive. ual company for the specific installation. Jerry should know; his first contacts ackson Hole in the State of Wyo- with Doppelmayr go back a long way, ming is a valley carved deep into to “many years ago when I was work- Jthe Rocky Mountains which did not ing for the Aspen Skiing Company and attract permanent settlers until the late we built the first quad detachable lift in 19th century. Breckenridge, Colorado”. The ski area – one of the few remain- Doppelmayr CTEC is the contract ing family-owned resorts in the USA1 – partner for the new aerial tram with its lies near Teton Village on the edge of 100-passenger cabins. The competence the Grand Teton National Park, 12 miles center for reversible aerial tramways at northwest of the famous cowboy town Garaventa Goldau (Switzerland) was of Jackson and a five hours’ drive from responsible for manufacture and instal- Salt Lake City. It covers an area of 10 lation. The new tram replaces the iconic km2 and has 116 ski trails and 12 lifts with “red box” dating from 1966, which last a total transport capacity of 15,500 ski- carried 52 passengers in the winter and ers and snowboarders per hour. Snow- 45 in the summer season, and had less boarding is permitted throughout the ski than half the transport capacity. Nonethe- region. In the summer, the tram and/or less, the new installation is not seen as a one gondola lift plus one chairlift are in break with tradition among visitors – and operation. that is particularly important for this region, Jackson Hole’s President, Jerry Blann, which has developed its cowboy image is an icon among American ski resort as an integral part of its identity and uti- managers, who is venerated by his lizes nostalgia as a success factor.

No. 177 • January 2009 The new “red box” combines the traditional and the modern. It can carry 100 passengers.

Integrated rescue system without mobiles and therefore avoids emissions2 time, the tram captures the commitment rescue ropeway of around 13,300 tons of CO2. to, and the icon for, tourism in the State of Wyoming and the West.” A special feature of the tram design is the Good progress despite bad weather 1 Kemmerer family integrated rescue system, which made it 2 Source: Nature Fund possible to dispense with a separate res- The decision to replace the famous cue ropeway. The rope guidance system aerial tram was announced in July 2005; 100-ATW Jackson Hole in the terminals is based on a fail-safe the demolition work began in September Transport capacity 650 PPH principle, ensuring that the cabins can 2007. From early October through to April Trip time 9 min always be run back to the terminals or the construction work was halted and the the nearest rope-down rescue point – for snow continued to fall almost daily right Pure travel time 7.8 min example, in the case of rope sheave or up to the end of June. On some days, the Travel speed drive shaft failure, or deropement. snowfall was so heavy that it was impos- max. 10 m/s Virtually at the same time, President sible to continue. The construction road over towers 3, 4/1, 2, 5 10/8 m/s Jerry Blann achieved another stroke of was opened utilizing 6 snow cats for Stopping time in stations 80 s genius: His ski resort is one of the very 3 weeks to cope with up to 6-meter drifts Inclined length 3,800 m few which is certified to environmental of snow! But thanks to their huge effort, Vertical rise 1,262 m quality standard ISO 14001. The key the installation crews were able to make to recognition of JHMR’s environmen- up for lost time and complete the project Towers 5 tal standards was the decision to offset on schedule. The tramway was handed Drive 670 kW Bottom 100% of its electricity usage with renew- over in time for Christmas on December Haul rope tension system Top able energy from a mix of sources includ- 20. The enthusiasm of the JHMR team Fixed track rope Top + ing wind, biomass, small hydro and geo- for their accomplishment is electrifying: anchoring Bottom thermal as from 2007. – And that’s a lot “The new tram will come to represent the of power, namely 9 million kWh. On an true spirit of skiing.” And, looking at the Altitude of annual basis, Jackson Hole consumes the bigger picture, Jerry Blann adds: “Con- bottom station platform 1,931 m same amount of energy as 1,300 auto- sidering the economic environment at this top station platform 3,176 m

No. 177 • January 2009 22 Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group

Skiing in a coal-mining area

The Sheregesh region heregesh lies on the edge of Zel- realized that modern lifts for easier slopes in southwestern Siberia enaya Mountain, to the north of which everyone likes to use were actually the meeting point for the borders of a good business proposition, especially is well-known for coal S Russia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia. It is in view of the growing popularity of ski- mining – and as a ski surrounded by a ring of large cities and ing in Russia. center. Doppelmayr can be reached in 8 hours by car from His new chairlift and the terrain are lifts go back a long Moscow. The beginnings of the ski resort completely in tune with the tastes of a go back 20 years. The Russian national broad spectrum of guests – and meet way here. The latest skiing and snowboarding teams are reg- the expectations of the customer. Dop- Doppelmayr installation ular visitors, particularly in view of the fact pelmayr Russia (based in Samara on the is a detachable quad that both the hotel and lift infrastructures river Volga) was responsible for the rope- are well developed. – Doppelmayr also way equipment and control system; the chairlift with bubbles. erected Russia’s first combined lift here in owner contracted the construction work 2006. out to a local building firm.

Cautious entry into the skiing business Satisfied customer

This region includes several inde- How does the customer see the lift and pendent and unlinked ski resorts. The the work performed by Doppelmayr? Sheregesh-Mustag area, where Doppel- Director Alexander V. Fjodorov from mayr built its latest lift, belongs to mine Kaskad-Podjem, the company which owner Igor Prokudin, who produces carried out the construction work premium-quality coking coal. His interest on behalf of the general contractor in investing in tourism is fairly recent. He Kaskad-Invest-Stroj, feels that the new began cautiously, starting off with the pur- lift has taken the pressure off the exist- chase of a second-hand double chairlift ing ropeway installations and made it from Doppelmayr-Skado in 2006 and possible to improve access to the ter- Up to now, the number of summer building small hotels in order to gain ex- rain. The chairlift provides speed, reli- visitors has been low. However, that is perience. – Mr. Prokudin is not a profes- ability and comfort. ZAO Skado (Dop- set to change with the construction of sional skier himself; his first advisers were pelmayr) did a perfect job. Fjodorov hotels and a network of bike trails. primarily from the field of racing. He soon makes a point of emphasizing his satis- faction: “We would like to express our thanks for the outstanding cooperation and the excellent product quality!”

4-CLD-B Sheregesh – Mustag Transport capacity 2,300 PPH Trip time 6.8 min Speed 5.0 m/s Chairs 130 Interval 6.3 s Inclined length 1,937 m Vertical rise 521 m Towers 17 Drive Bottom Tension Bottom

No. 177 • January 2009 23 Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group

Shirenshan: New gondola lift

Doppelmayr has built an hirenshan lies in the eastern Funiu usually wide rope gauge of 9.5 m. The 8-seater gondola lift in the Mountains, near the five-million city ropeway has a fixed tensioning system in of Pingdingshan, and is now easy the top station and an underground vault famous recreation region S to reach in two hours from Zhengzhou drive in the bottom station. of Shirenshan in Henan (population seven million) along the new Province, Central China. Shirenshan highway. For inhabitants of Short delivery time the densely populated and highly indus- trialized catchment area, it is also a pop- The major factors in awarding the con- ular destination when seeking rest and re- tract to Doppelmayr were the renowned laxation. Pingdingshan is China’s second Doppelmayr quality and the promise most important city for coal mining. of a very short delivery. The order was placed in mid September 2007 and the Transport capacity had to be increased first container load of ropeway components left Wolfurt in mid December. The Although the region already had a lift was handed over to the customer on ropeway, its capacity was far from suffi- October 1, 2008. cient, particularly in view of the fact that the provincial government wants to boost 8-MGD Shirenshan tourism in the mountains and is therefore rapidly expanding the transport infrastruc- Transport capacity 1,200 PPH ture. The investor in the new ropeway is Trip time 8.5 min nonetheless a private entrepreneur who Speed 6.0 m/s also owns amongst others a hotel and a Cabins 43 150 m high statue of Buddha in Shiren- Interval 24 s shan. The very steep, rocky terrain made Inclined length 2,746 m it necessary for the new 8-MGD-LWI to Vertical rise 950 m incorporate two successive rope spans Towers 17 with lengths of 675 m and 533 m. As a Drive Bottom result of the latest Chinese regulations, this meant building the lift with the un- Tension Top

From time immemorial, the Funiu Mountains near Shirenshan have been famous for their unique flora and fauna, bizarrely formed landscapes and hot springs. The rapid growth in tourism made it necessary to expand ropeway capacity. Doppelmayr was responsible for the ropeway equipment, while the customer took charge of the building construction and the erection of a material ropeway for the installation work.

No. 177 • January 2009 24 Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group

The world’s longest 3S lift opens in style

The Peak-to-Peak Gondola was opened on schedule in Whistler Black- comb, Canada, on December 12, 2008. Whistler Blackcomb can claim several world records for this gondola: It has the greatest height above ground at 436 m and the longest rope span for any aerial ropeway at 3,024 m. There was plenty to celebrate at the opening ceremony which was attended by many prominent guests from the world of poli- tics and business. The photograph shows President and Chief Operating Officer Dave Brownlie during his inaugural speech. A detailed report on this installation will be included in the next issue of WIR Magazine.

Canadian training center expanded

The training center at Doppelmayr CTEC in St. Jêrôme/Canada has been extended. A major highlight is the practice rig for detachable stations on a scale of 1:1.

New turning/milling center At the Hohe Brücke plant in Wolfurt, tool head. Despite offering a wide range for large components Doppelmayr put an ultra-modern turning of technical features, the machine takes and milling center into service which can up just 18 m by 9 m of floor space. Some turn large components of up to 5.5 m 520 m3 of concrete were incorporated in diameter and mill workpieces of up to the plant foundations. Excluding the con- 13 m in length, 4.4 m in width and 2 m in crete support, the machine weighs 200 t. height. This now means that at least two The machining operations are constantly high-performance machines are avail- monitored using CCTV. able for handling almost all components. The new machine was designed in Proprietor, editor and publisher: Doppelmayr Seilbahnen GmbH, A 6961 Wolfurt • Editing, accordance with Doppelmayr specifica- graphics and layout: WIR Public Relations tions. It is very dynamic, requiring, for ex- Wolfgang M. Wagenleitner, Weißacherg. 19, ample, less than a minute to change the A 6850 Dornbirn• www.wirpr.at

No. 177 • January 2009