Meran2000 - New 10-Seater Naifjoch Gondola To Go Into Operation.

In the 2022/2023 winter season, the new 10-seater Naifjoch gondola will go into operation. The modern lift system replaces the 30-year-old fixed-grip Piffing chairlift. The facility was built on a slightly modified route and has a middle station with an accessible roof terrace.

37 spacious cabins, each for 10 people, take winter sports enthusiasts from the Piffinger Köpfl zone/Meran 2000 mountain station to the rear ski area in just over 6 minutes. From the Naifjoch middle station to the valley station, the Naifjoch piste, which was already in use in the past, will be reactivated. At the same time, part of the existing ski trail was modeled in such a way that the lift facilities on the Piffinger Köpfl can be reached easily. As an alternative to using the ski trail, the return journey can be made comfortably with the cable car from the Waidmann Alm to the middle station. From there it goes over the new Naifjoch slope to the mountain station of the Meran 2000 cable car, to the valley station of the Naifjoch lift system or down to Falzeben.

MIDDLE STATION NAIFJOCH

The landscape-friendly integration of the new middle station on the Naifjoch was a special concern of Bergbahnen Meran 2000 AG from the start. In addition to the implementation of the spatial structures for the middle station, the main focus of the architectural planning competition was to design the immediate surroundings while carefully incorporating the natural landscape. The project proposal by ARTEC Architects Vienna | Vienna solved this demanding task convincingly and finally emerged as the winner.

With the lowering of the access level, the alignment of the height to a uniform level up to the nearest supports, the interlacing of the railway station with the contour line of the summit plateau and the connection of the viewing terrace on the roof with the natural topography, the new station becomes harmonious with the existing one incorporated into the natural landscape.

In its assessment, the jury emphasizes in particular that the winning project dared to reduce the zero rate as much as possible, knowing full well that from a landscape point of view - especially in the construction phase - this would involve significant additional work. This makes it possible to reduce visibility and to mitigate the structural intervention in the long term. The jury also gave praise and recognition for the fact that dynamic architecture was deliberately avoided and the focus was specifically on a landscape-friendly approach.

ROUTE NAIFJOCH

In winter, the new route of the Naifjoch cable car runs from Piffing/Merano 2000 mountain station up to the middle station on the yoke of the same name and further into the rear area, to the terminus in front of the Waidmann Alm.

The new middle station allows you to get off and ski down a family-friendly slope, which leads to the mountain station of the Meran 2000 cable car or down to Falzeben.

In summer, operations are switched to a cable car and 8 gondolas travel the route from the valley station to the Naifjoch, from where you can continue hiking or enjoy the spectacular view from the roof of the station.

NUMBERS AND FACTS

THE 10-PERSON CABIN

The new premium cabins of the "OMEGA V" line from CWA, a Swiss company of the Doppelmayr Group, enable barrier-free entry during the summer months and thus free access for prams and wheelchairs.
The interior feeling is new and unique, because the modern cabin equipment allows a visible and free all-round view of South Tyrol's mountains. The comfortable, ergonomically shaped individual seats also offer maximum driving pleasure for young and old.