The 50 year old cabins of the old Gant–Blauherd gondola were sold in just five days according to Zermatt ski resort in Switzerland.
When the lift company decided to upgrade the lift, built in 1970, they offered the old gondola cabin for sale at 500 Euros each and they were snapped up.
Work begins on the new Gant–Blauherd lift in May and unusually it is being upgraded from a gondola to a chairlift – albeit a fast one with six-seat chairs.
The new lift will have a capacity of 1,800 people per hour and make the advent from Gant (2,223 m) to Blauherd (2,571 m) in just 3.6 minutes – much faster than the gondola was.
A photo construction diary will go online when work on the new lift begins and it will be operational for next winter 2016/2017.
Work will also begin in May on the new second lift to the Matterhorn glacier paradise at the top of Zermatt';s ski area, and europe's highest-lift-served point at 3,883m.
The lift, announced last year and not due to open for three years until winter 2018-19 is being billed as the highest 3S Lift with 25 big cabins each seating 28 people will carry up to 2,000 people per hour on its nearly 4,000m long ascent from Trockener Steg.