November 30, 2025, 1:46 pm | Read time: 7 minutes

New season, new facilities: The Alpine ski resorts have upgraded for winter. A selection of the new features shows a trend toward gondola lifts. And when new chairlifts are introduced, they are generally designed for up to eight people. A tour through the Alpine ski resorts in Germany, Austria, France, Italy, and Switzerland.

Germany

Garmisch-Partenkirchen

In the Garmisch-Classic ski area, the Kreuzwankl-Bahn has been renewed. The “hub” of the area has been upgraded from a six-person to an eight-person chairlift. This aims to make the ascent faster and more comfortable. Operators are optimistic about the slower circulation speed at the valley station. Ski beginners and children should find it easier to board, reducing the need to stop the chairlift as frequently as before.

Austria

Zugspitzarena

From Garmisch-Partenkirchen, it’s not far to the Tyrolean Zugspitzarena in Austria. There, a new gondola lift is opening in the Berwang ski area, with cabins accommodating up to ten people. This new construction is the second section of the Obere Karbahn and replaces the old Thanellerkar drag lift. The ride becomes more comfortable and faster, and the descent longer. Because the mountain station is higher up, the slope gains 140 meters in elevation.

Sölden

In the party-famous Tyrolean ski resort, the two new eight-person chairlifts are not the biggest news. The real highlight is the new slope connection between the valley runs Gaislachkogl and Giggijoch. A look at Sölden’s slope map shows why: It connects the two central entry areas in the region, saving ski bus and car trips between the valley stations.

Carinthia

Two new gondola lifts replace old chairlifts in Austria’s southern state: At Katschberg, the Almbahn with eight-person cabins now ascends to Aineck instead of a triple chairlift, and at Nassfeld, the Gartnerkofel-Bahn with its 55 cabins for up to ten people each replaces the old four-person chairs.

Paznauntal

In the Kappl ski area in Paznauntal, they are following Zauchensee’s lead: The new Diasbahn replaces an old facility, increasing cabin capacity from four to ten. The unique aspect is that the lift has been used in several countries. In 2022, it operated at the Floriade Expo in the Netherlands, and in 2023 at the Federal Garden Show in Mannheim. Now it stands in the Tyrolean mountains—and will remain there longer.

Schladming

Recycling is also practiced in Styria: The new eight-person gondola lift at Fageralm was purchased from the Großarltal ski area. It replaces two old two-person chairlifts. At Hauser Kaibling, the Senderbahn is opening, with cabins for up to ten winter sports enthusiasts. A four-person chairlift makes way for it. And as a connection between Hauser Kaibling and Planai, an eight-person chairlift has been built to transport more people faster than the previous four-person chairlift.

Zauchensee

For 40 years, the Schwarzwandbahn in the Zauchensee-Flachauwinkl area in Salzburg was in operation, with small cabins holding a maximum of four people. This season, the lift has been completely renewed, and the gondolas now hold up to ten people.

France

La Plagne

In the La Plagne ski area, a new ten-person gondola lift is opening: It connects the town of Plagne Bellecôte over the Col de Forcle with the Roche de Mio and aims to make access to the ski area even easier.

Trois Vallées

Trois Vallées, with its approximately 600 kilometers of interconnected slopes, is considered the largest contiguous ski area in the world. This winter, the new ten-person gondola lift Côte Brune starts from Val Thorens to Mont de la Chambre. A four-person chairlift built in 1991 has been replaced. The goal: To transport more winter sports enthusiasts up the mountain faster. In Méribel, the Telécabine des Rhodos has been extensively modernized after 36 years of operation. Even longer, for 50 years, the gondolas of the Chenus lift were in use. They have also been replaced by a modern successor. With new ten-person cabins, the transport capacity is expected to double.

More on the topic

Cable Car to the Langkofel Massif The Strange “Coffin Lift” in the Italian Dolomites

Winter vacation away from the crowds These 7 ski resorts in Europe are still hidden gems

Switzerland

Flims Laax

The FlemX in Flims Laax in the canton of Graubünden is entering its third winter season—now the last section is opening, providing access to a freeride area at Cassonsgrat. The new 2.3-kilometer route replaces a cable car dismantled in 2015 that dated back to 1956. The FlemX uses its rope taxi technology to automatically couple gondolas as needed: This is intended to avoid empty runs and save energy. With its completion, it includes six stations in the ski area.

Matterhorn

At Switzerland’s most famous mountain, a new chairlift to Gifthittli has been built, offering views of the iconic Matterhorn. It features eight-person chairs and replaces an older facility with slightly less capacity, which reportedly transported 1.2 million passengers per year. The new lift has a slightly higher capacity and offers more comfort with weather hoods and a newly designed entry in the direction of travel.

Verbier

Since 1970, the cable car from Verbier to Les Savoleyres has been in operation, making it the oldest in Switzerland according to the operators. But now the aging gondolas with their retro steel look are retiring. They are being replaced by a combination lift. Up to the middle station, only cabins run, and from the middle station to the mountain station, cabins and chairs alternate. This way, you can choose: Either sit in the warm cabin or strap on your skis and take the chair to start directly on the mountain.

Bernese Oberland

In the Mürren-Schilthorn winter sports area in the Jungfrau ski region in the Bernese Oberland, the cable car from the mountain village of Mürren to the Birg middle station is getting a second track: This will achieve the full capacity of 800 people per hour. In April, a second mountain railway track to the Schilthorn summit station is also set to open.

Italy

Dolomiti Superski

News in Val di Fassa: Between Campitello di Fassa and Col Rodella, a new lift with 18 cabins is in operation, each accommodating up to 30 people. It replaces the old facility, which had two cabins with space for up to 120 people each but had reached capacity limits. According to the operators, the “problem of waiting lines” should now be a thing of the past. In the Fiemme Obereggen ski area, which—like Val di Fassa—is part of the large Dolomiti Superski network, a ten-person gondola lift is set to replace the old four-person Latemar chairlift. The goal, as with many other new features: more comfort, more capacity, faster travel times.

Alpe Cimbra

In the Alpe Cimbra ski area in Trentino, a ten-person gondola lift will run from Francolini to Sommo Alto starting this winter. It replaces a chairlift from the 1970s. In the process, a new ski slope over three kilometers long through the forest has also been created, according to the mountain railways.

With material from dpa