Saalbach plans more fast lifts

20th April 2011, by Chris Gill

Saalbach

Saalbach-Hinterglemm in Austria is investing in lifts upgrades yet again, with two more fast lifts planned next season.

The resort has spent millions making it’s lift system one on the slickest in the Alps for speedy access to its slopes. The ‘circus’ now has an almost fully developed network of fast chairs and gondolas for getting from A to B on both sides of the valley, and including linked neighbour Leogang in the next valley. But queues still build in some sectors.

This winter the upgrades led to freestyle fans getting their own gondola, which replaced the terrain park draglift. Next winter the plan is to upgrade one of the few remaining slow chairlifts and choke point for queues - the Bernkogel chair out of Saalbach.

Strangely, this part of the mountain has not witnessed the same improvements given to the rest of the area, so has stayed a weak point in the links. And there are other slow lifts here too. But a new eight-seat gondola is planned to make the change for 2011/12. Hopefully it will resolve queues to get up the mountain, but may weigh heavily on the lifts above.

The gondola will replace the lower chair out of the village, following the same line. Then from the Bernkogel summit the plan is to upgrade the link to Reiterkogel with a swanky new six-pack.

So, will it be Saalbach or Ischgl to top the fast lift table?

• saalbach
• hinterglemm
• lifts

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