Successful 12th International OITAF Congress In Vancouver

Over 170 participants from 20 countries took part in the Successful 12th International OITAF Congress In Vancouver, Canada.

The twelfth edition of the congress once again brought together international experts from the ropeway world, manufacturers, operators and government representatives from all over the world. The theme of this year's conference, "Ropeways - Smart Transport Solutions", was divided into four different focus areas, which enlivened the two-day series of lectures.

The event began with the development of cable cars in urban and tourist areas, and from this perspective it was possible to follow the experiences of concrete cable car solutions in places such as Mexico City, Medellín, Toulouse and Brest. But it was also an opportunity to look to the future - to ongoing projects, such as the one that is set to become a reality in Vancouver in the next few years, namely a cable car connection between a subway station and the university campus in Burnaby.

The second focus was on the operation of cable cars. Here, particular attention was given to issues related to maintenance, training and workplace attractiveness.

Regarding new developments resulting from recent developments in the cable car sector, new solutions related to autonomous mobility and remote monitoring of cable cars and intermodal transport systems aroused the interest of the congress participants.

The two days concluded with the topic of sustainability with inevitable allusions to climate change, but also to the optimization of snowmaking systems with interesting current data on energy consumption and CO2 emissions and the topic of energy saving, which also shapes the technological development of cable cars.

Two particularly intense days, during which up to 30 international speakers took turns, in front of an audience that followed the conference with great interest throughout. This was also confirmed by the numerous interventions by the audience that characterized these two days.

The official conclusion was the gala evening, which also offered a good opportunity to introduce the participants to the new President of the OITAF, Aureli Bisbe from Catalonia (E), who will represent the operators in accordance with the rotation principle, and the new Secretary General Nicola Barbolini from the South Tyrol Cable Car Authority (I). They will succeed the outgoing President Jörg Schröttner and the outgoing Secretary General Markus Pitscheider, who received the applause and thanks of those present.

Following the two-day conference at the Hyatt Hotel in the heart of the Canadian metropolis, the event was complemented by two very interesting excursions to Grouse Mountain and Blackcomb/Whistler Mountain, the mountain bikers' Eldorado, with a detour to the Sea to Sky Gondola - all important year-round destinations near Vancouver. Many participants were surprised by the large number of always friendly employees in the cable car stations.

The OITAF World Congress of Cable Cars, which takes place every six years, was once again an ideal opportunity for international comparison and exchange of ideas between professionals from the cable car world. After the last congresses in Bolzano (I) in 2017 and Rio de Janeiro (BRA) in 2011, the congress in Vancouver also ended with a very positive result.

All reports, including video recordings in the original sound, are available on the OITAF website under Documents https://oitaf.org/