This winter, three ski resorts opted for 6-seater bubbles with automatic restraining bar locking and footrests: Rifflsee in Pitztal, Steibis in Allgäu and Schmittenhöhe/ Zell am See.

The new restraining bar locking system with footrests is a world first. It addresses the comfort requirements of all age groups and once again highlights Doppelmayr’s leading role in the field of ropeway technology. European ropeway codes stipulate that children who are less than 1.25 m tall can only be transported on a chair without special safety equipment in the presence of one adult per child. This can pose considerable organizational problems for large families and ski schools. The design of the chair with restraining bar locking and footrests is based on the Gampen 8-CLD-B family lift in Serfaus (Tyrol) which went into service in winter 2008/09. Up to now, however, footrests were not included. This meant that during the trip children would not be tempted to slip too far forward to reach the footrest (like the grown-ups) and, at the same time, adults would not be overly restricted in their freedom of movement. Particularly on longer lifts, however, adults have tended to find it uncomfortable to ride without a support for their skis.

5 children, 1 adult plus a comfortable footrest

With the new design solution, this minor shortcoming has been eliminated and safety further enhanced at the same time. As soon as the chair passes the closing rail before leaving the station, the restraining bar is automatically closed. – Roughly six seconds after passengers have taken their seats, the bar is firmly locked. Passengers cannot open the restraining bar by themselves on the line. The locking mechanism is only released on entry into the top station and the restraining bar is automatically raised by the time passengers reach the unloading point *1). This system means that five children with a minimum height of 90 cm can be carried on a chair with just one accompanying adult. A major asset of this world first is that it dispenses with the need (official requirement in Austria) for the costly and maintenance-intensive LED display systems on entry into the top station *2). The new restraining bar locking system has also met with wide approval from the authorities.

SunnAlm lift in Pitztal chooses new chair type

The operating company, Pitztaler Gletscherbahnen, bought this highly innovative system for the SunnAlm lift which replaces an old T-bar known as the Muldenlift. The SunnAlm lift is reached from the village of Mandarfen (1,682 m) with the Rifflsee lift, a Doppelmayr 6-passenger gondola built in 1994. From the top station of the Rifflsee lift, two trails lead to the bottom station of the new SunnAlm lift (2,130 m). Riding up to the top station (2,350 m) gives passengers the option of skiing down to the gondola top station, which in turn is located at a meeting point for various ski trails. From here, you can get to the Rifflsee circuit (2,232 m) which is a great favorite for hikers in the summer and cross-country skiers in the winter. One of its many attractions is the magnificent view of the 3,000 m peaks of the Ötztal Alps and the tremendous icefalls of the Taschachferner.

6-CLD-B-S SunnAlm-Bahn
Transport capacity 2,000 PPH
Trip time 2.0 min
Speed 5.0 m/s
Chairs 23
Seat height 45 cm
Interval 10.8 s
Inclined length 469 m
Vertical rise 216 m
Towers 6
Drive Top
Tension Bottom

*1) In the event of a rescue operation, the restraining bar can be opened with the aid of a helper by activating a lever on the hanger arm.
*2) These displays signal when passengers can open the restraining bar.

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An ear for the customer

He is seen as someone who is innovative and gets things done: Dr. Hans Rubatscher, chartered accountant and tax adviser in Innsbruck, businessman – and with heart and soul a managing partner of Pitztaler Gletscherbahnen. He was also one of the first to recognize the value of the brand-new restraining bar/footrest system. Despite his enthusiasm for Doppelmayr’s existing automatic restraining bar system, he wasn’t entirely happy with the fact that passengers had to let their feet dangle. “That way, you can’t really relax during the trip,” he felt. So the further development of the system perfectly suited his needs. “Doppelmayr were willing to listen,” he points out and believes that Doppelmayr always take customer wishes seriously. Rubatscher’s innovation projects are certainly not limited to ropeways. At Lake Rifflsee, for example, he built a restaurant based on ecological “PassivHaus” principles (which included seven 120 m-deep bore holes to utilize geothermal energy and a solar energy system). He was also the first to buy a completely new, energy-efficient snowmaking system and is currently in the process of constructing a particularly innovative mountain restaurant on the Hinterer Brunnenkogel. It is not the novelty factor which drives Rubatscher to try out new things but a well-considered and calculated market strategy. Ultimately, innovations have to pay off.