Austria's Ischgl ski area continues to cement its current position as one of the world's top resorts for infrastructure investment and innovation with the news that yet another spectacular new lift is currently under construction there, with the aim of completion during the coming season.
The new Pardatschgratbahn lift will be a funitel-style running on three cables and will in fact set a world record for the biggest vertical ascent yet of any tricable cable car with 1,251m.
The lift replaces a 25 year old lift with small four seater gondola cabins and which is divided in to two sections with a middle station but which is no longer able to sufficiently serve as a means of transportation to the Ischgl/Idalp ski resort. The new lift will be able to carry up to 28 people in each of its 31 giant cabins.
The bottom section of the existing Pardatschgratbahn cable car will now be demolished to make way for the new wind-stable tricable gondola lift which will lift skiers and boarders from the eastern centre of the resort to the Pardatschgrat directly, with no middle station anymore.
The new top station of the lift (pictured above) will be attached to the existing top station structure to create a larger building. To avoid the danger of any subsidence, the station will be constructed on several individual foundations which can be adjusted using hydraulic heavy duty compressors as required.
The special geological setting also means that the entire mountain station needs to be anchored back around 140m using cables. The lift will also provide disabled access to the Pardorama restaurant.
Back down in Ischgl resort the construction of the valley station presents a particular challenge due to the tight space constraints. The station will be divided in to two parts linked by a bridge and with the different levels in each part connected by escalators and lifts.
This is in order to incorporate facilities including a large ski store on the lowest level, with a sports shop and ski hire facility above and queuing area and ticket counter on the ground floor level. The top floor of the will provide access to the cable car.
LED lighting will be used to transform the valley station into an attraction even when it is dark outside.
The lift's transportation capacity will be 2,800 people per hour with a speed of 7.5 metres per second and a travel time of approximately 9.4 minutes.