Lift & Piste Update: What’s New in the Austrian Tirol for 2015-16
Lift & Piste Update: What’s New in the Austrian Tirol for 2015-16
Published : 10-Sep-2015 09:48
The countdown is on to the start of the ski season and the Austrian Tirol has updated us with details on improvements to ski lift infrastructure for this winter.New Tirol-S gondola connects the ski resorts of Fieberbrunn and Saalbach Hinterglemm
For decades there has been talk of a lift linking the resorts Saalbach-Hinterglemm-Leogang in Salzburgerland with Fieberbrunn in Tirol.
Finally this talk has transformed into a reality and from December 2015 the Austrian provinces of Tirol and Salzburgerland will be joined together by the new high-speed 'Tirol S' gondola, with the new name of Skicirkus Saalbach Hinterglemm/Leogang Fieberbrunn.
The connection between the four resorts is being made by a 10-seat gondola from the valley station at Reckmoos South in Fieberbrunn up to the mountain station at Reiterkogel at 1819m. The creation of the new 3.5km long 'Vierstadlalm' red piste will take skiers and boarders from the top of Reiterkogel.
With 270km of piste, served by 70 lifts, the 'TirolS' has helped create, not only one of the largest ski areas in Austria, but also one of the most varied.
Brand new 10 seater Hartkaiserbahn cable car in Ellmau
Framed by the Wilder Kaiser mountains and after 44 years of service, the iconic Hartkaiser funicular railway in Ellmau retired at the end of last season. The replacement will be a 10-seater cable car, transporting skiers and snowboarders 2.1km up the mountain to an altitude of 1530m.
Capacity will double, carrying up to 3200 people an hour, and the cabins will include WIFI, heated seats and there will be a longer access platform for easier boarding. The valley station has been redeveloped, to include a sports shop, a heated ski storage area, restaurant, après-ski bar plus a new underground car park with more than 150 places. At the top station, the "Erlebniseldorado Hartkaiser" is being created with its own children's restaurant, childcare for toddlers, ski school with children's ski school and ski storage.
Mayrhofen's new 3S Penkenbahn
Mayrhofen continues to be one of the most popular resorts for British skiers. Winter 2015-16 will see the long-awaited replacement of the new and improved Penkenbahn, a state-of-the-art 3S gondola.
Starting at the bottom station at 654m, the renovated Penkenbahn can carry up to 2880 people to a top station altitude of 1790m. With 24 seats per gondola, the ride to the top will take just 8.2minutes and the increased capacity will dramatically reduce lift queues and waiting times down in the valley.
Top Mountain Crosspoint: Hochgurgl
On the Timmelsjoch High Alpine Pass Road at an altitude of 2175m, the new "Top Mountain Cross Point" will open in December 2015. With an investment of €15 million, this new multifunctional facility will become the base for the new Kirchenkar mountain gondola and will include a high quality restaurant plus Europe's highest motorbike museum.
The new 10-person mountain gondola, constructed by Doppelmayr, gives quick and easy access to the pristine Kirchenkar ski slopes, transporting 2400 mountain lovers per hour.
Development of the Brunnalm ski area around Kirchberg-Kitzbühel
Over in Kitzbühel, a new eight seater chairlift will commence operation for winter 2015-16 and will be the 14th mountain lift built by LEITNER ropeways. Located in the central Hahnenkamm-Pengelstein ski region, the new chairlift will offer the very best in modern design and comfort, with genuine leather slip-proof and heated seats as well as pull down hoods.
The transport speed can be intelligently increased up to six metres per second, ensuring a maximum capacity of up to 3300 people an hour.
An 8-seater chairlift replaces the 20-year-old Jochbahn in Brixental
In Brixen im Thale the 20-year-old Jochlift will be replaced this season with a modern eight-seater chairlift, located on the Brixner Sonnseite.
It claims to be one of the fastest chairlifts in the world, at a speed of 6m per second (previously 2.4m per second), the new 2km long Jochbahn can carry 3000 people an hour and will use solar panels to provide some of the power. The valley station departs from Gasthof Nieding and the chairlift is almost twice as long as it was before, after the old Holzalm drag lift was dismantled. Bergbahn Brixen has invested a total of €12 million in this project that will enhance the skiing experience for those in the SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser Brixental area.
New valley station, new piste and a new restaurant in the ski resort of Nauders
For winter 2015-16, the ski resort of Nauders welcomes a few new additions, inlcuding a new restaurant "Stieralm", mixing contemporary design with alpine tradition. There is a also a new piste leading to Steieralm plus a new toboggan run. The cable car centre in Nauders is being rebuilt and will include a sport shop, ski depot and café
New cross-country area for children in the Kitzbühel Alps - Hohe Salve region
From winter 2015/16, children in Angerberg / Mariastein will be able to learn cross-country skiing in a more playful way, with a new area dedicated to children, including a drive-through tunnel, a teepee, a ski jump and a slalom course.
In Itter, there is a new children's area for alpine skiers, located directly by the Salvista gondola with a baby lift, different courses and other highlights for little ones.
New valley run down to to Zell am Ziller
Thanks to a new 2.2km black piste from the middle station at the Wiesenalm in the Zell-Gerlos ski area, skiers and snowboarders can enjoy a full 8.4km valley descent from Übergangsjoch at 2,500m all the way down to Zell am Ziller.
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