construction diary

The new Hornbahn 2000

Getting up to the "Top of Alpbachtal"

After 23 years, 16,567 operating hours and 7,129,813 people transported, the Hornlift 2000 has reached the end of its service life. Originally, the project was to start in 2020. However, the corona-related break was used for careful planning and preparation of the investment.
With the new construction during summer 2022, Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau is taking another step towards modernity and comfort. Instead of the Hornlift 2000, a new detachable 6-seater chairlift with weather protection bonnet and seat heating is being built, which will take skiers to the highest point in the ski area in 3.45 minutes. As the transport capacity will be greatly improved by the new lift, measures have already been taken in summer 2021 to make the area around the Hornbahn 2000 accessible to skiers of all levels.

Step by step ...

The top station of the Hornbahn 2000

360° panoramic view at the highest point in the ski area!

The new mountain station is an absolute highlight. Named "Top of Alpbachtal", it has a 13-metre high observation tower with an interior with panoramic windows and a viewing platform with a unique 360-degree panoramic view. Snøhetta, an internationally renowned architectural firm with a branch office in Innsbruck, was responsible for the architecture. "We planned as resource-efficient and sustainable as possible," explains architect Patrick Lüth from Snøhetta.

Traditional craftsmanship & regionality

In keeping with the tradition of the Alpbachtal, the tower is built of wood and clad with handmade shingles. Large glass fronts provide light and a far-reaching view of the surrounding mountains. The interior corresponds to an informal seating landscape. A Tyrolean parlour reinterpreted architecturally. "The Stube is protected from the wind, but not heated," says Lüth. That also saves energy, because skiers already wear warm clothes. Visitors can take a short rest there and enjoy the view.

A look behind the scenes is provided by Hans from Alpbach, who manufactures the shingles for the "Top of Alpbachtal".

Facts & Figures
Type of lift: 6-seater chairlift with weather protection bonnet & heated seats
Speed: 5 m/s
Altitude of the bottom station: 1,638 m
Altitude of the top station: 2,030 m
Difference in altitude: 391,00 m
Length: 1.123,11 m
Length of the trip: 3 min 45 sec
Number of pillars: 11 pillars
Number of seats: 61 seats
Capacity: 2,600 persons per hour
Investment: approx. € 10,5 million
Location: Alpbach
Manufacturer:

Leitner GmbH, Telfs

Architect / Planning: Snøhetta, Innsbruck & Seilbahnbüro Gröbner, Kitzbühel
Start of construction: June 2022
Completion: Start of winter season 2022/23
21 November 2022

The test drives already started last week. This week, the brake tests are also on the agenda.

Why not take your first test drive with us?

24 October - 03 Nvember 2022

On 24 October 2022, the first chairs are brought to the valley station. There they will be finished and hung in the garage.

Further work at the valley station and the mountain station is proceeding according to plan. The "Top of Alpbachtal" observation tower is already being fitted with the last shingles. The next big steps are the completion of the interiors.

But how is an chair produced  and how is it then assembled? 
You can watch it here.

06 October - 07 October 2022

The rope splice involves joining the two ends of the rope together. It is a matter of cutting off the cores on each side and braiding them back in at the opposite end.
The splice is necessary so that the connection is break-resistant and thus withstands the permanent load. 

Here we have summarised the impressions of the last weeks in a video for you.

03 October - 05 October 2022

On 03 October, the assembly of the ropse is started. First, a thinner and lighter support rope has to be pulled. Then a thicker rope is knotted to the first rope, so then the main rope can be assembled.

23 September 2022

Today the rope was delivered to the bottom station with a special transport.  Next week, the rope splicing can be started.

12 September 2022

At the moment, the assembly of the pillars is in full swing. This morning at 9:00 a.m., the helicopter of the company Heli Tirol was used to assemble columns 3, 4, 7 and 8. The individual parts were delivered to the mountain in advance by truck, flown into place by helicopter and assembled immediately. About 5-6 flights were necessary per pillar. In total, 2,5 hours and 23 flights were required for today's assembly.

In the meantime, the work at the bottom station is also going according to plan, and the glazing at the top station has already been assembled.

Here we have summarised the impressions of the last weeks in a video for you.

29 August to 02 September 2022

During the week from 29 August to 02 September, the installation of the top station takes place.
The first pillars are also already being set up. Columns 9, 10 and 11 are installed this week according to plan.

In addition, the delivery of the engine takes place on 02 September 2022. As it rained heavily in the previous days, the path to the top station was increasingly washed out. Therefore, it was not clear at the beginning whether the delivery could take place as planned. 
However after the successful delivery, the installation can now be started.

17 August 2022

Work on the top and bottom stations is in full swing and on schedule. In the past few days, the ceilings at both stations have already been concreted. At the top station, 67 cubic metres are necessary for this purpose.
At the same time, the main foundations for the 11 pillars are being installed. At the moment, 9 pillars are already finished, after which Leitner company will assemble the pillars.

You can see the video of the current developments on the construction site here.

01 July 2022

After the successful construction negotiation on 17 May 2022, Alpbacher Bergbahn is presenting the plans for the new construction of the Hornbahn 2000 with an investment volume of 10.5 million euros.

With the new building, the Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau is taking another step towards modernity and comfort. In addition, as the lift will greatly improve the transport capacity, there is a new blue run in the area of the new Hornbahn 2000 since the start of the 2021/22 winter season. This will allow skiers of all levels to reach the area around the new chairlift.

The new chairlift is a replacement investment. "Alpbacher Bergbahn is thus investing in the Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau not in expansion, but in the quality of the offer with the aim of providing guests with a special mountain experience," emphasises Reinhard Wieser, managing director of Alpbacher Bergbahn.

This view ...