The leading Scandinavian resort of Åre in Sweden has announced one of its biggest ever lift investments this summer with the installation of three new high speed chairlifts, increasing uplift capacity at the resort by more than 5,000 people per hour and improve efficiency across the lift network.
Two of the lifts replace older lifts but one is on an all new route and all are situated at strategically important bases intended to provide better access to skiing below the resort's tree line. Work on installing the three new lifts is just underway and they are scheduled to open this December 2013.
The new lifts are, all four or six seaters, and the first, the Tegefyran chairlift, is a quad which will replace an old T-bar that currently exists in Tegefjäll and provide better access to terrain in the Duved sector.
The 1.1km long lift has a vertical drop of 275 metres and a capacity of 2,400 people per hour, double that of the lift it replaces.
The second new lift, the Fjällgårdsexpressen, is a six-seater chairlift that will quickly transport skiers from Fjällgården up to the Sadeln area, with a capacity of 2,400 people per hour. The lift is 1.2km long, ascends 270 vertical metres and is on an entirely new route. The Tottliften nearby will remain as it is at present.
Finally the Sadelexpressen, another six-seater chairlift, will take guests from Högåsliften's valley station in Björnen to the top of Sadelliften, with a capacity of 2,800 people per hour. The 1.6km long lift ride 302vertical metres. The current Sadelliften will be dismantled to allow for more descents and to widen existing descents.
Fjällgårdsexpressen and Sadelexpressen are important areas in the development of the Björnen area, and conveniently link together the family friendly Björnen sector with central Åre's lift network.