Leitner Boosts Ropeway Business In Eastern Europe

LEITNER is positioning itself as a strong partner for the further development of winter sports in Eastern Europe with nine installations in Slovenia, Bosnia, Poland and Bulgaria.

These projects will significantly improve transport quality and drive the upturn in tourism.

• The Slovenian ski resort Velika Planina, a favoured family destination near Ljubljana, has replaced an outdated double-seater with the new CD6 'Šimnovec' 6-seater chairlift. The ropeway, which can transport up to 1,500 passengers per hour, covers a distance of 1.3 kilometers to the summit slope of Gradisce mountain. It is equipped with a total of 41 6- seater chairs. The ropeway serves as a modern feeder lift to the high plateau, connecting to the existing gondola lift from the valley, where winter sports enthusiasts can enjoy three kilometers of slopes, popular cross-country ski trails, toboggan runs, and hiking trails.
• The Krvavec ski resort is also upgrading its ropeway infrastructure. LEITNER has constructed a new 6-seater chairlift with a maximum transport capacity of 2,400 people per hour. The winter sports area in Gorenjska is considered the local mountain of the capital Ljubljana. It offers 30 kilometers of slopes and 13 lifts, ranging in altitude from 1,450 up to 1,970 meters. The new CD6C 'Zvoh' chairlift, equipped with Premium Chairs EVO, seat heating, and comfortable upholstery, replaces a 2-seater chairlift, and offers optimal conditions for transporting all skiers.
• The Kope ski resort in Koroška, one hour from Maribor, is currently undergoing extensive investments, including the construction of three new LEITNER installations and three freestyle slopes. This has made it one of the most popular ski destinations in the region, offering a variety of fun on the slopes for both children and experienced skiers. The two new 4-seater chairlifts, CF4 'Kopnik' and CF4 'Pahernik', as well as the SL1 'Velika Kopa' surface lift, have now been completed, adding to the resort's quality. The two chairlifts are equipped with 56 and 69 seats, both with a capacity of 2,000 people per hour.
• In Mariborsko Pohorje, Slovenia's largest ski resort, a new 4-seater chairlift was also built. The resort, which hosts women's World Cup races, boasts 35 kilometers of slopes and 14 lifts. Despite the relatively low altitude, the slopes are extensively groomed, providing ideal skiing conditions. The Mariborsko Pohorje winter sports region has one of Europe's longest night skiing slopes. The new the CF4 "Ruška" is almost 1.3 kilometers long and has 102 chairs, with a transport capacity of up to 2,000 people per hour.
• A new detachable 6-seater chairlift from LEITNER brings state-of-the-art ropeway technology to the Igrišta - Vlasenice ski resort. The resort was taken over by the company OC Jahorina in 2021 and is to be successively modernized over the next few years. With a maximum transport capacity of 3,000 people per hour, the CD6 "Igrista" installation will provide an initial quality boost to the ski resort.
• In the Polish ski resort of Szcyrk, LEITNER is constructing a detachable 6-seater chairlift ‘Doliny III’ this year, in addition to the already completed SL2 'Jaworzyna' surface lift. The new surface lift has a capacity of 800 people per hour and is the latest of several investments made since 2017. The area also features a 'summer-winter toboggan run' known as the Mountain Coaster, which is accessible via this lift. Additionally, there is the ‘Doliny III’ 6- seater chairlift, which is currently under construction and is expected to be completed in 2024. It spans 1,150 meters and has a capacity of 1,800 passengers per hour.
• Another new 6-seater chairlift, the CD6 'Malina', has been constructed in Bulgaria to replace a detachable 3-seater chairlift from POMA. The new installation in the Pamporovo ski resort, one of the three largest in the country, equipped with LEITNER DirectDrive and 104 Premium Chairs EVO with comfortable upholstery transports up to 3,000 passengers per hour. LEITNER's debut in Pamporovo ensures maximum efficiency and modern transport quality for the almost 30 kilometers of slopes, which are popular with winter sports enthusiasts of all ages and ski levels.