Leitner Ropeways Connects The Haideralm And Schoneben Ski Areas

Plans to connect the Haideralm and Schöneben ski areas have been on the cards for many years. As long ago as 2010, the environmental sustainability assessment was successfully completed, laying the foundation for the project. However, it was only in 2017 after the merger of the Schöneben AG and Haider AG companies, as demanded by the Province of South Tyrol, that things began to get moving again. The connection project has now been submitted and approved, and LEITNER ropeways, with its construction of two 10-passenger gondola lifts, can make the dream of the operators and many visitors come true.

The creation of a unified ski area is of enormous importance for the Reschenpass tourist region. As a recreational area, the destination focuses equally on families, sport and nature enthusiasts from the Vinschgau valley, and tourists. In view of the ever increasing number of overnight stays, it is hoped that the new range of winter sports facilities will further enhance the appeal of the modern resort in a sustainable way. This is where connecting the Haideralm and Schöneben ski areas will play a decisive role. Ideally located on the borders with Austria and Switzerland, these ski areas have a special appeal for families, beginners, returners, snowboarders and freestylers. The new project will make it possible to achieve a significant qualitative and quantitative expansion of the range of provision, at the same time bringing benefits to the area all year round.

This will be achieved through the clever positioning of LEITNER ropeways’ two new 10- passenger gondola lifts. The "GD10 St. Valentin-Schöneben" runs from the village of St. Valentin via a middle station to the Schöneben ski area. This new facility provides the project with two important advantages. Firstly, the route avoids crossing inhabited areas and, secondly, the ropeway will serve as a central hub between the Haideralm and Schöneben ski areas. A special feature of the new 10-passenger gondola lift is its length: At 4.3 kilometers, the system is one of the longest of its kind.

In addition, the "GD10 Höllental" provides another gondola lift to make it possible to travel on from the upper station in Schöneben. This gives access to the Höllental piste and from there to the new connecting piste to the middle station of the GD10 St. Valentin- Schöneben. This will also be the end of the recently planned "Plan Grand" piste from the Haideralm.

Connecting the two ski areas will mean that the strengths of Schöneben in winter and of
Haideralm in summer can be optimally complemented and shared. The result will be an attractive, all-year-round ski area integrated in two strong ticketing networks: The "Zwei-Länder-Skiarena" and the "Ortler Skiarena". With this powerful commitment to the new, unified ski area by the Reschensee lake, the now enlarged, economically optimized and thus much stronger company can look positively to the future. True to the motto: "Everything comes to him who waits."

"We’re very pleased to be able to implement the two systems with LEITNER ropeways. We look back on a long and successful cooperation with LEITNER ropeways. The company stands for the highest quality and reliability. As Andreas Lechthaler, Schöneben AG Chairman, confidently states: “We’re sure, therefore, that our project will be a success and that we’re laying down a milestone for the successful future of Schöneben AG”.

GD10 St. Valentin – Schöneben

• Inclined length - 4,324 m
  Vertical distance - 421 m
  Transport capacity - 1,600 people per hour
  Speed - 6 m/sec
  Number of cabins - 73
  Number of towers - 24

GD10 Höllental

• Inclined length - 1,360 m
  Vertical distance - 414 m
  Transport capacity - 2,400 people per hour
  Speed - 6 m/sec
  Number of cabins - 38
  Number of towers - 10