The Silvretta Arena ski region which straddles the Austrian/Swiss border between Ischgl and Samnaun has announced that it is spending €50m on installing three new 8 seater chairlifts ahead of the next two winters.
All three will be the luxurious new Doppelmayr D-Line models with weatherproof hood and heated seats. All three chairlifts will also be equipped with Doppelmayr’s entry and exit monitoring system (AURO: Autonomous Ropeway Operation) meaning they can operate without on-site staff.
Work is getting underway this summer with two of the three new chairlifts (Hollboden C1 and Sassgallun C3) set to be ready for next winter 25-26, the third (Hollkar C2) the winter after (26/27).
The three are upgrades to existing lifts which between them have transported over 83 million people over the years. There will be some route adjustments however, particularly with a new location for the Höllbodenbahn mountain station.
It will be built approximately 500 metres east of Idalp at a new location between slopes 10 and 11, just above Idalp. The new route will significantly improve the crossing in the area of the Höllboden/Idalp mountain station, making it shorter whilst providing better scenic views.
Some of the power that the lifts need will be covered by a small power plant for energy generation with 1,200 m2 of photovoltaic panels generating 274,5 kWp of electricity on the lift roofs.