Saas Fee Votes To Build One Of the World’s Highest Lifts

Copyright by Saas-Fee Tourism / http://swi?ss-image.c?h

The population of the iconic Swiss resort of Saas Fee have voted in a local referendum this week to extend their lift and run network over the next few years to access some of the highest slopes in the Alps yet to be reached by ski lifts.
Initially the resort's tourist office talked of the new lift ascending to 4,000m, which would make it the highest in Europe and one of the four highest ski areas in the world. However the resort's lift company has so far remained tight lipped on the exact details and a study of maps of the Längfluh gondola seem to indicate the highest accessible point in the area is about 3850m.
If the lift does go that high, it would still be one of the few highest in Europe. The only higher lifts are two drag lifts at neighbouring Zermatt which reach 3899m but only normally operate to serve summer skiers and boarders, not in winter.
The lift in question is a new 8 place gondola from Saas-Fee to Spielboden to Längfluh and a new restaurant at Längfluh are also planned. The base of the gondola would also be moved from its current location to closer to the resort's main car park. The original Längfluh cable-car was one of the first in Saas Fee and opened on 23rd December, 1959. It was last rebuilt in 1977.
The only ski areas higher than Zermatt are at Gulmarg in India and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in China. Highest ski lifts in the Andes that existed over the past 50 years are reported to have closed down.

What the burghers of Saas Fee (less than half of the population) actually voted for was to lease a parcel of land near the car park at the entrance to the village together with the restaurants at Spielboden and Längfluh to the lift company for a period of 30 years at CHF 169,000 per year.

The first stage of the project, which comprises a new lift from the car park to Längfluh, a new restaurant at Längfluh and a ski test centre is scheduled to be completed in time for the 2012/2013 winter season at a cost of 68 million CHF. They also plan to increase the price of lift tickets by about 5%.

The second stage involves building a tri-cable gondola from Längfluh to the Feejoch at 3826m (it will probably be built somewhere between the Feejoch and the Feekopf at 3888m) at a cost of 40 – 45 million. As yet no date has been set for its construction. There are also plans for a link to Täsch.



They hope that the new investment will stop the fall in the number of skier days, which is down from 695,376 in 1998 to 471,731 in 2009/10 a reduction of about 32%.

Putting lift access near the Car Park, gets my vote :thumbup: The hike through the village in boots was always a chore. In no way would I ever consider leaving my boots in a locker at the lift station!

SwingBeep wrote:What the burghers of Saas Fee (less than half of the population) actually voted for was to lease a parcel of land near the car park at the entrance to the village together with the restaurants at Spielboden and Längfluh to the lift company for a period of 30 years at CHF 169,000 per year.

Many thanks for that, had been trying to get the lift company to respond with clarification for a week, and oddly the tourist office don't seem to know what's happening either, they kept referring me to the non-responsive lift company!

Topic last updated on 27-June-2011 at 07:55