Over the past decade Austrian resorts have been leading the world when it comes to investing in luxurious new lifts. Of course leading resorts around the world are often spending on superb news lifts, but in Austria there's a notable battle between the leading resorts each winter to see who can unveil the most expensive, plush lift yet.
Ischgl seem to unveil something spectacular every season and this time it's the turn of the Gampenbahn, which dated way back to the late 1980s, to get a makeover.
The 30-year-old chairlift is being upgraded to a new six-person version capable of carrying 2,800 people per hour, called the Gampen E4.
What makes it different to lifts that have gone before is that each seat is XL sized at 52 cm wide and ergonomically shaped to be as comfortable as possible. It goes without saying that it's heated too.
Aside from the comfort and efficiency of the new service, the 900 m height increase between the start and end of the lift has set a new record for the greatest elevation difference of any six-seat chairlift in the world.
The improved lift service has led to two new restaurants being built in the area that will be completed in time for the start of the ski season at the end of November.