Cable Blog ^beta

Translated from original entry 05-08-2015

In the following summer travelogue the eastern region of Tyrol in Austria will be presented.

Zillertal - Ahornbahn:

The cableway from the holiday resort town named Mayrhofen at Ziller-valley leads to the Ahorn ski-center (1965 m / 6447 ft), whereon a pair of 160-person cabins run. The large-scale lifts investment in 2006 resulted in a capacity increase of more than 3 times compared to its predecessor, which was put into operation in 1968. The new cable car was awarded the title of largest aerial tram in Austria.

 Giant cabin needs grandiose station house, that really reminding of a huge carton. The valley terminal is made of fair-faced concrete, according to the trend of today's architecture.

One of the cabin-pair is just at the mountain station, that is why the right side of the terminal is empty. It's interesting that no warning sign or no enclosure is placed around the station at all. Not so noticeable on the photo, but if I came under the arriving cabin (with my 180 cm / 5 ft 11 in height), I would fit. Except the salients of the automatically descending platforms (see a photo sequence of the opening platform by clicking on the link).

Zillertal - Penken:

An another ski center of Mayrhofen named Penken can be reached by three different cable cars. One of them built on a steep hillside above the settlement: the gondola-lift of village Finkenberg. This cableway is not so young, it was built in 1987. The four-seated CWA-manufactured cabins look a bit slim nowadays.

As the village built on a steep area, so have to husband its horizontal areas: for example there is a tennis court directly below the cableway.

The another lift of Penken starts from Mayrhofen directly. Currently this cableway is completely renovated. As a memento, a cabin of the demolished lift was put down in the parking of Ahornbahn. Who knows how long..

Achensee - Karwendelbahn - Pertisau:

The scenic lake Achensee, located in the north of entrance of Ziller-valley, has two ski-centers. One of them is the Karwendelbahn at Pertisau. The cableway is situated at the edge of the grand Karwendel National Park which is divided between Tyrol and Bavaria.

Type of Karwendelbahn is a group-lift, or more precisely: monocable gondola fixed pulsed. Its base structure: one or more pairs (in this case one pair) of cabin groups, involved 3-5 pieces of carrier per group, are fastened on a circulated cable loop. As the cabins which are equipped with fix grip systems arrive to the end station, the whole cable system stops. After loading and unloading, lift is restarted first with carefuly speed, because the group of cabins turns back around the bullwheel before continues the trip back.

The valley station. After boarding, we can hear a warning tone, the doors of the cabins are closed and the cableway is being started with a carefully speed.  Another curiosity of the lift is that the tension of the rope is being permanently monitored and corrected, in such a way that the entire propulsion system (is seen on the picture) is sliding back and forth underway.

The upper endstation.

Achensee - Rofan:

The other ski resort of Achensee, named Rofan, can be reached by aerial tram system. Each pair of cabins, which are shuttling between 985 and 1840 meters (3232 and 6037 feet), have 60-person capacity. The approx 2.2 km (~ 1,37 miles) long cableway is supported by only one lift-pylon. The journey time is 6,5 minutes. In addition to the hikers, paragliders also use it in the summer. In this regard, the aerial tram with roomy cabins is ideal, because they can stay easily with their equipment, which are slightly big despite it is folded up and packed in a bag.

 Cabin number 2 of Rofanbahn is arriving.

The station house was built for a smaller sized cabin at that time. It is a general and cost-effective solution, instead of demolishing the building, installing a sliding-platform. Looking at the photo above: when the left one (cabin no. 2) leaves the station, the platform automatically slips to the other side, receiving the another passenger unit (cabin no. 1) from the right side.

 Behind the upper station led the robustly anchored supporting ropes, on which roller gears of cabins are running along.

Cabin goes back to the valley. In the background the Achensee can be seen.

 The another feature of the place is the cableway called Sky Glider Air Rofan, which leds from the mountain peak to the woody area seen in the foreground of the photo. With this vehicle, wherein 4 passengers are fastened vertically, can glide along the cable with approx 80 km/h speed. Under it, the huge deepness. Feeling like an eagle..

Unfortunately, extraordinary maintenance was carried out when this photo was taken, so only one mechanic traveled behind it, sitting in a rolling unit at a snail's pace.

The four-person "eagle-machine" on closer, behind it the maintainer travels.

 The valley station of Sky Glider Air Rofan. Here are passengers fastened in the gliding-vehicle and hauled up to the mountain.

Chairlift of Ski Area Rofan hibernate in summer.

 Another ski lift in Rofan, which is stopped too in the summer break.

Alpbachtal:

One can also find picturesque villages in Alpbachtal, which is a side valley of Inn valley. So much so that, the village of Alpbach won the title of "Austria's Most Beautiful Village" in a contest organised by the Austrian national public service TV in 1983. Of course, the settlements are full with skiers in winter there, but in summer they are rather silent compared to the Zillertal valley. A smaller and a larger type of gondola lift operated around here.

Rich meadow located around the surface lift at Inneralpbach. In winter functioning as ski slope among the cow barns.

 An unusual scene from the Tyrolean Alps: skeleton of an old cabin is thrown away next to the main road of the picturesque village.

 At the mountain station of Alpbach two dismounted chair got a new function: as swingbed..

Zillertal - Zillergrund:

Again in Zillertal - in a side valley from south of Mayrhofen. The reservoir named Zillergrund (1850 m / 6070 ft) which is built for producing electricity can be reached in a toll-road. At the tail-end of the road, scheduled busses transport passengers through a narrow serpentine. By the artificial lake, there is an excursion path too. From it, up to 2360 meters / 7743 feet high the rest-house Plauener Hütte can be reached.

 The red circle on the picture shows the Plauener Hütte. The so called "ribbon" above the artificial lake is the footpath by the reservoir.

The raw materials which are needed to operate the restaurant in Plauener Hütte would be difficult to deliver on foot. The well-proven and cheap cargo system of high alpine huts is the ropeway conveyor which is called "Materialseilbahn" in german speaking areas.

 The valley station of the Materialseilbahn is situated at midway of the excursion path. Some people can enter by car with special permission, for example in order to transport goods. Of course, the cableway is not suitable for passenger transportation, so staff have to approach the mountain rest-house on foot..

After loading the cargo lift, the lady seen on the previous photo called the staff by phone to start the cableway. After closing the van she went up along the hiker road.