Leitner: Kicking off a new season packed with innovation!

Ropeway operators in Italy are announcing a whole host of new developments ahead of the upcoming winter season, relying on LEITNER’s innovative product portfolio. In addition to Italy’s first new 10-seater gondola lift with LeitPilot, key projects include the commissioning of the new “Bernhard Glück” 6-seater chairlift in the Speikboden skiing area in South Tyrol. It is the first facility in the world built according to LEITNER’s new ROPERA® standard for monocable uni-directional ropeways.

With ROPERA®, LEITNER has advanced the previous standard for monocable uni-directional ropeways in a fundamental way. All core components, from the chassis and the grip to the station mechanics and controls, have been optimized for maximum performance, energy efficiency, modular design, noise minimization, occupational safety, and service-friendly maintenance processes. The implementation of this standard on the “Bernhard Glück” 6-seater chairlift this winter season, is a world first. The facility replaces an existing 4-seater chairlift in the Speikboden skiing area in the Ahrntal Valley in South Tyrol and will transport up to 2,400 people per hour in 61 chairs over a distance of 1,252 meters.

To kick off the season, numerous Italian skiing areas are putting new gondola lifts into operation. These include the GD10 “La Crusc 1” in Alta Badia, which now takes passengers up from the valley to the historic church of La Crusc in the middle of the skiing area. The facility, which can be used all year round, covers a distance of more than two kilometers. 57 cabins with seat heating and panoramic doors ensure quiet, fast transport at a speed of six meters per second, regardless of the weather – a clear improvement in comfort, especially for families.

In the neighboring Fassa Valley, the new 10-seater “Lezuo” gondola lift along the Sellaronda contributes to an important increase in capacity. It connects the Pordoi Pass with the Fassa Valley and boasts an impressive capacity of 3,400 people per hour.

The modernization of the infrastructure is also progressing apace in the Pila skiing area in the Aosta Valley. The 10-seater “Couis 1” gondola lift, which transports passengers from Couis to the Stella di Pila mountain hut, was already completed last year. The facility forms the upper section of the connection from Aosta to the highest point of the skiing area. The gondola lift from Pila to Couis has now also been completed, ready for this season. Together with the 8-seater gondola lift from Aosta to Pila, the facility now enables passengers to reach the panoramic restaurant at an altitude of over 2,700 meters in just 30 minutes from the town.

There has also been a push for innovation in the Folgaria skiing area on the Alpe Cimbra, in Trentino. The new 10-seater “Francolini” gondola lift replaces an outdated 2-seater chairlift and enhances the region’s year-round tourist appeal. The facility is designed to transport 2,000 people per hour at a speed of six meters per second and has 57 cabins.

In the Carezza skiing area, the 10-seater “Franzin” gondola lift creates a continuous connection between Welschnofen and the Karerpass. The new facility runs from the Hotel Moseralm directly to the Franzin Alm, at an altitude of 1,739 meters, eliminating a previous bottleneck in the Carezza skiing area. The 10-seater gondola lift is equipped with the latest Leitner technologies, including LeitPilot at the top station. The system enables autonomous, unmanned station operation, which, in combination with the LEITNER DirectDrive, also optimizes energy consumption. The lift covers a distance of 1.2 kilometers and transports up to 2,400 people per hour.

Florian Eisath, CEO of Carezza Dolomites, comments on the new gondola-lift: “The new 10-seater Franzin gondola lift represents a significant leap in the quality of our infrastructure and makes daily skiing activities even more comfortable and efficient for our visitors. We are particularly proud of the state-of-the-art technologies used: the autonomous station operation with LeitPilot and the energy-efficient LEITNER DirectDrive set new standards in terms of safety, sustainability, and operational quality. The collaboration with LEITNER has been professional, reliable, and cooperative from the outset, offering genuine benefits for our skiing area and our visitors.”

The new 10-seater gondola lift from Kastelruth to the Marinzen recreation area, which has been in operation since the summer, provides the same capacity. In place of the old chairlift, passengers now benefit from 45 spacious Diamond EVO X-Line Deep cabins with panoramic windows offering breathtaking views of the Dolomites.

The skiing areas of Alta Badia in South Tyrol and Artesina in Piedmont have also installed new 6-seater chairlifts. While the construction of the new CD6 “Forcelles” in Calfosch marks another step in the long-standing collaboration with LEITNER, the new CD6 “Turra – Cima Durand” improves access to the Turra plateau. Equipped with LEITNER DirectDrive, the lift transports up to 2,700 passengers per hour and has 82 chairs for the 1,500-meter-long route.

Two new 4-seater chairlifts help make the use of existing routes more efficient. The CF4 “Valle dei Nibbi” will replace an outdated facility in the Campo Felice skiing area in the Apennines, while the CF4 “Gilberti” in Sella Nevea continues the long-standing collaboration with Promoturismo.

With a new inclined elevator, LEITNER is providing an essential element for the modernized, competition-ready infrastructure of the ski jumping hill in Predazzo. The project is part of the preparations for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina. The IE20 “Predazzo” leads right from the landing area to the tower via two intermediate stations at the judges’ tower and the coaches’ section.

Five new surface lifts round off the comprehensive construction program, improving low-threshold access to village lifts and thus making an important contribution to promoting young talent and regional ski sport development.