Where to Ski And Snowboard - Val d’Isère installs cutting-edge ski lift at La Daille

Val d’Isère installs cutting-edge ski lift at La Daille

21st June 2018, by Abi Butcher

The new 10-seat gondola will transport nearly triple the number of skiers in half the time

Val d’Isère has invested €10million on replacing the gondola at La Daille with a 10-seater lift created by the designer of Ferrari and Maserati.

Construction on the “Symphony 10” is underway at La Daille, to replace the former four-seater POMA gondola lift that has transported skiers above the OK (Oreiller Killy) run since 1966. Though it was renovated in 1994, the lift carries only 933 skiers and snowboarders per hour.

The cutting-edge new Symphony 10, created by Italian designer Pininfarina, will transport up to 2,800 skiers per hour and is the first of its kind in France, with heated seats, panoramic views, sliding doors free of the usual clunky opening mechanism, and much more space inside. It will also cut the transport time in half from nine minutes to four minutes 30 seconds.

The lift will follow an identical route to the existing gondola, starting at 1,802m and finishing at 2,294m beside La Folie Douce, but 40 pylons will be removed during the construction, in line with Val d’Isère’s commitment to the Green Globe. The Etroits ski lift will also be removed.

In total, fifty 10-seater gondolas will make their way along the line, as well as a VIP gondola.

For more Val d’Isère news, and to read Where to Ski and Snowboard‘s independent review of the ski resort, click here.