Ischgl Opens For Season. New Palinkopf D1 Chairilift Makes Debut

Ischgl in the Austrian Tirol opened for the winter season Thursday 23 November with 159kms of perfectly prepared pistes – that’s two-thirds of the slopes of the Ischgl-Samnaun Silvretta Ski Arena.

The new star-studded €12m Palinkopf chairlift made its debut, one of the 36 skilifts operational on day one, out of a total of 45 lifts. The luxury padded and heated seats are each emblazoned with images of stars who have performed in Ischgl’s famed Top Of The Mountain concerts – including Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue and Muse.

Early snowfalls have provided a good base for the ski area and lift company Silvretta Seilbahn AG’s snow groomers have ensured that the open slopes are in great shape to launch Ischgl’s five-month-long season.

German star Andrea Berg will perform this season’s opening concert on the outdoor village stage on Saturday (November 25) and fellow German Helene Fischer will close the season with a mountain top performance on Monday 30 April.

The Palinkopf tow lift in the Ischgl/Samnaum ski area began operation in 1973 and opened up some highly prized ski runs in the Palinkopf area. Then in 1985 this lift was replaced by a double-seat lift, which was then replaced in 1996/97 by a flexible four-seat lift. In the summer of 2017, after 20 years of operation and moving about 12 million skiers, this unit was replaced by the newest-generation six-seat lift manufactured by Doppelmayr Corp. (cable lift engineering).

The valley station at 2,413 m is located near the Schwarzwand restaurant in the middle of the Silvretta Arena; the 16 steel tube towers pass over one of the most lovely and highest sites in the ski area – the Palinkopf (2,853 m).

DESIGN
Everything on the Palinkopf lift was fully redesigned – from the entryway to the comfortable seat upholstery. The unique back sides of the seats are especially interesting; they depict the stars from previous Top of the Mountain concerts.

INNOVATION
The new facility is packed full of the latest technology. The D-line cable system incorporates 205 new features, 31 innovations and 14 patents.

CONVENIENCE
Great convenience for users and smooth operation make the new Palinkopf lift a first-class unit. The new high-tech cable lift incorporates a number of noticeable improvements:

•          Individual, ergonomically designed seats
•          520 mm-wide, heated seats
•          Optimized safety design
•          Convenient safety lock bar
•          The next generation cable lift is very low in noise and vibration – all to ensure maximum comfort and convenience for guests