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Hello all, I had a quick question on one of the towers on Doppelmayr's new D-Line gondola in Solden, Austria. One of the towers appears to be set on an elevated platform rather than directly anchored to the ground and I was wondering if anybody knew the reason why. My only guesses would be avalanche protection or difficult foundation work. Here is a picture of the tower for reference, thanks to Remontees Mechaniques


For those who haven't heard of the system, it is pretty unique. New larger CWA 10 passenger cabins and Doppelmayr grips, capacity of 4,500 people per hour, and a unique unloading system at the top terminal where the cabins swing around to create a long straight unloading zone perpendicular to the liftline that allows for easier unloading at the high speeds the lift is capable of.

Full Article From Remontees Mechaniques: https://www.remontee...lmayr-5999.html
Doppelmayr Video: https://www.youtube....h?v=BaVcmKD1fQ0

That is a very cool video (teaser really).

It's avalanche protection. I'm trying to convince our guys with the money we need one as the wizard replacement.
This post has been edited by Aussierob: 11 April 2017 - 05:34 PM

That is not the only tower in Soelden that has a unique foundation. They had to remove the ice to put this one on solid ground:



It has a heating system on one side to keep the moving glacier away (apparently it was never used):