Schmittenhohe Opens Renewed Sonnkogelbahn & Renovated Sonnkogel Restaurant

Schmittenhöhe in Zell am See has celebrated the opening of the new Sonnkogelbahn, a unique combination lift consisting of a 6-seater chairlift and an 8-seater gondola, which is considered the first lift of its kind in the world, and at the same time also opened the newly expanded Sonnkogel Restaurant. Dr. Erich Egger, board member at Schmittenhöhebahn AG: “The new Sonnkogelbahn meets the needs of our guests in its uniqueness - with the usual high quality in summer and winter. On the sun terrace with a wonderful view of Lake Zell and the surrounding mountains and in the modernly designed Sonnkogel Restaurant, regional delicacies invite you to culinary delights, another delight for skiers, hikers and mountain enthusiasts on the Schmitten!

Schmittenhöhebahn AG, operator of a total of 28 cable cars and lifts, is relying on the latest technology and the highest safety standards with the “Sonnkogel Neu” project. The “Sonnkogelbahn”, which has existed since 1984, was replaced by a unique combination lift (6-seater chairs or 8-seater gondolas) in order to ensure both the legal requirements and, above all, to meet your own requirements for comfort and safety.

The seasonal use of the combined railway ensures all amenities in both summer and winter. In winter, the 6-seater armchairs enable quick ascent thanks to heated seats, weather protection hoods and automatically locking strikers, while in summer the spacious 8-seater cabins comfortably transport hikers and families.

The valley station is a completely new building, while the mountain station was moved for reasons of space and the existing station building there was used to adapt the restaurant. This is now connected underground to the mountain station of the Sonnkogelbahn, so that guests can also reach the restaurant directly from the platform.

The Sonnkogel Restaurant opened with expanded seating and a sun terrace that offers a unique view of Lake Zell, the Schmittenhöhe and the Hohe Tauern. The mountain restaurant presents regional Pinzgau delicacies with distinctive creations made from local herbs and focuses on down-to-earth classics. Restaurant manager Alfred Bürki is an herbal expert and collects most of the ingredients himself from the surrounding mountain pastures. The game also comes from local hunters. From the homemade wild herb lemonades to the alpine Gröstl from the pan - the fine delicacies can be really enjoyed in the Nordic-chic hut atmosphere.

There is also an exclusive event room on the upper floor of the restaurant. This bright room, equipped with many window fronts, offers a magnificent view over large parts of the ski area and the Hohe Tauern to Lake Zell. It is particularly suitable for private celebrations or company events for up to 50 people.

Project information at a glance:

• Attachment: 6/8-CGD
• Oblique length: 1,290.67 m
• Height of valley station: 1,378 m
• Height of mountain station: 1,830 m
• Elevation difference: 452 m
• average slope: 40.5%
• Travel speed: 5.0 m/s
• Drive: mountain
• Number of supports: 12
• Capacity cabin | Armchair: 1,200 P/h | 2,500 p/h
• Travel time cabin | Armchair: 5.69 minutes | 4.63 minutes
• max. number of cabins | Armchairs: 28 | 64
• Cabin capacity | Armchair: 8 people | 6 persons
• Equipment cabin | Armchair: Barrier-free entry, comfort padding | Heated seats, weather protection hood, automatically locking strikers
• Interval cabin | Armchair: 24.00 s | 8.64s
• Track width: 6.90 m
• Width of the route: 16 m