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Courchevel recovers the Saulire cable car after the 2021 collision

Published: Jul 16, 2024
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On September 29, 2021, and as part of the tests that are always carried out on the ski lifts before the start of the season, Courchevel staff carried out extreme load tests, forcing the lift to travel at 8 m/s (about 30km/h), about 50% faster than its usual speed. The cabins ended up embedded against the departure and arrival terminals. After a thorough analysis, they were deemed unusable.

 

The Saulire cable car provides access from Courchevel to the mythical peak after which it is named. It was inaugurated in 1984 (to replace a simple 1952 lift), and was equipped with huge cabins for the time that could accommodate up to 160 people inside. Quite a record for that time.

 

Until 2011, this cable car was the only way to reach the summit by ski lifts. That year its neighboring ski resort, Meribel, installed the Saluire Express 2, an 8-person gondola lift, which since the accident of 2021, is the only way to reach this ski area.

 

After ruling out abandoning access to the summit of Saulire from Courchevel, several solutions were considered by the Société des Trois Vallées de Courchevel. One was to demolish the whole thing and commission a completely new ropeway. Another was to install a 3S, and finally to take advantage of the existing installations and replace what had become unusable.

 

Evidently, the third option was chosen, which was the most economical, but not the cheapest. Apart from some repairs to the terminals, affected by the collision, what has been changed is practically the two cabins. And this has cost a whopping 10 million euros.

 

The cabins are little more than spectacular, adapted to the current requirements of tourism, i.e., they can be modular to change them from winter to summer mode. Thus, in ski season we will find bars to support the equipment , and from spring, once the slopes are closed, are removed to make room for people for tourists traveling with mountain bikes or for hiking the top of the Saulire.

 

It also incorporates multimedia screens to give explanations of the surrounding landscape, as well as warnings of the state of the slopes, operation of ski lifts, and perhaps of the waiting in the queues.

 

For these cabins, glass windows have been chosen instead of the traditional plexiglass, which is more prone to scratches that prevent the correct vision and therefore the travel experience. However, this decision has its cost in terms of capacity, since the windows are now heavier than when they were made of plastic, and therefore the number of passengers that can enter each of the cabins has been reduced to 140.

 

The cabins, designed to provide maximum visibility, will have glazing that will extend almost to the floor. This feature promises a breathtaking journey, where passengers will be able to fully enjoy the alpine scenery.

 

Courchevel is one of the ski resorts included in the huge Les 3 Vallèes ski area, considered one of the largest in the world. The Saulire cable car is an important element to go to Meribel - Mottaret and therefore continue skiing in the rest of the more than 600 kilometers of slopes that are formed with the physical union of up to seven winter resorts in which, in addition to the two mentioned above, we find Brides-les-Bains, Les Menuires, Saint Martin de Belleville, Val Thorens and Orelle.

 

Nuevo  teleférico Saulire de Courchevel

 

Interior del teleférico Saulire de Courchevel

 

Design of the exterior and interior of the new cabins of the Saulire de Courchevel cable car.

 

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