MND Unveils Future Saint-Lary 10-seater Gondola

The French industrial group MND, a specialist in cable mobility, snowmaking systems, mountain safety and thrilling leisure facilities, unveils its new and latest innovations at the international landscaping exhibition in Mountain Planet in Grenoble/Alpexpo from April 26 to 28, 2022. More than 18,000 professional visitors from more than 70 countries are expected for this international mountain development event, a showcase of market trends for professionals and the global mountain ecosystem (industrialists, elected officials, communities, accommodation providers, ski area operators, etc.).

Saint-Lary, the largest ski area in the French Pyrenees, entrusts MND ROPEWAYS with the construction of three strategic ski lifts

Altiservice, a key player in the ski areas of the Pyrenees, has chosen the French industrial group MND to build three new ski lifts on its area: the "Espiaube" gondola and two detachable 6-seater chairlifts, "Forêt" and "Tourette ". Won in 2021, it is the largest cable transport investment in France for winter 2022/2023 in the mountains. The "Espiaube" gondola strengthens the sector of the same name, a real meeting place between the foot of the slopes as well as the Col du Portet (2215 m altitude) and the summit of La Tourette (2320 m altitude). This new 10-seater gondola will operate in winter and summer and will be delivered with cabins from the manufacturer MND ROPEWAYS, for optimal comfort for skiers and pedestrians. The installation includes an automatic cabin storage garage in the bottom station, which will improve the availability rate of the aircraft and reduce maintenance costs. The two detachable 6-seater chairlifts, “Forêt” and “Tourette”, will streamline the customer journey and improve intra-station connections. The infrastructures of "Tourette" and that of "Espiaube" together ensure the connection to the heart of the resort and will be delivered for the winter of 2022, while the "Forest" device will be commissioned in 2023. 

Key figures 

• Espiaube: Length 1862 m / drop 724 / 2800 p/h / journey time: less than 6 min
• Tourette: Length 1290 m / elevation 292 m / 2800 p/h / travel time: 4 min
• Drill: Length 1560m / Elevation 604m / flow rate 2400 p/h / journey time: 5 min

Chamrousse, a 4-season mountain with the longest pylon zip line in the world and a suspended footbridge 130 meters above the Casserousse corridor.

To support the development of the winter and summer attractiveness of the resort of Chamrousse, in Isère, MND will build a giant zip line and a suspended footbridge. With a length of 1,904 meters, it is the longest zip line with two intermediate pylons and 600 meters of vertical drop. It will be stretched between the summit of the Croix de Chamrousse at 2,253 m and the Coeur de station in Recoin, on the path of the gondola. The 130-meter footbridge will fly over the black track of the Casserousse corridors, a mythical track of the Olympic Games in Grenoble in 1968. Work will begin this spring for commissioning in the fall. 

MND unveils its latest innovations at Mountain Planet

Avawatch : artificial intelligence to model avalanche risk 

World leader in remote control of avalanches, MND SAFETY has developed an autonomous device placed in the corridor downstream of the exploder which detects the passage of the avalanche and models its importance. Key data for operators who, remotely, must be able to ensure the firing to guarantee the proper securing of the track, road or protected infrastructure. 

O’Bell’X option + 

O'BellX  ^TM  is a removable remote avalanche triggering system based on the explosion of a hydrogen/oxygen gas mixture inside an open cone. This non-polluting, low visual impact and completely removable system respects the environment and is suitable for nature reserves and protected sites. The new O'BellX  ^TM  option + has already been installed and put into service this winter at 7 sites around the world, including 5 in France: Val Thorens, Morzine, Flaine, Les Carroz and Les 7 Laux). The O'BellX  ^TM option + offers twice the firing power of its initial version, to better adapt to all terrains integrating all the advantages of a 100% removable device thanks to its patented transport hook facilitating its installation and maintenance by helicopter transport. 

New software to remotely control avalanche triggering systems

To react as quickly as possible to the avalanche risk and to control it remotely, MND SAFETY deploys the latest generation of its remote control software. Accessible on PC, tablet or smartphone, this new digital interface allows a more intuitive use and integrates all the existing functionalities as well as the control of all the latest MND SAFETY security solutions. 

MND SNOW facilitates the management of automated snow networks

A pioneer in automatic control of snowmaking installations with the deployment of the first dedicated software in 2002, MND SNOW is launching a new version of its operating software. Optimization of resources, real-time monitoring, intelligent programming of snow cover…  As many historical options reinvented as new features such as 3D viewing for more efficient fleet management.