Saas Fee Votes To Build One Of the World’s Highest Lifts
Saas Fee Votes To Build One Of the World’s Highest Lifts
Published : 25-Jun-2011 07:39
Copyright by Saas-Fee Tourism / http://swi?ss-image.c?h
The population of the iconic Swiss resort of Saas Fee have voted in a local referendum this week to extend their lift and run network over the next few years to access some of the highest slopes in the Alps yet to be reached by ski lifts.
Initially the resort's tourist office talked of the new lift ascending to 4,000m, which would make it the highest in Europe and one of the four highest ski areas in the world. However the resort's lift company has so far remained tight lipped on the exact details and a study of maps of the Längfluh gondola seem to indicate the highest accessible point in the area is about 3850m.
If the lift does go that high, it would still be one of the few highest in Europe. The only higher lifts are two drag lifts at neighbouring Zermatt which reach 3899m but only normally operate to serve summer skiers and boarders, not in winter.
The lift in question is a new 8 place gondola from Saas-Fee to Spielboden to Längfluh and a new restaurant at Längfluh are also planned. The base of the gondola would also be moved from its current location to closer to the resort's main car park. The original Längfluh cable-car was one of the first in Saas Fee and opened on 23rd December, 1959. It was last rebuilt in 1977.
The only ski areas higher than Zermatt are at Gulmarg in India and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in China. Highest ski lifts in the Andes that existed over the past 50 years are reported to have closed down.
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