Piz Val Gronda E5 in Ischgl

It’s majestic when the Piz Val Gronda cable car floats over the snow of the Tyrolean mountains. The cable car also nicely blends in with the landscape – ecological concerns were taken into account when the 2-cable aerial tram was built in 2013. The facility made the Piz Val Gronda accessible at 2,812 metres above sea level. By the way: the border between Austria and Switzerland runs right across the summit. 

The construction of this aerial tram was the most environmentally-conscious option. A detail that is immediately noticeable: only two buttresses were needed and a cable trench along the cable car’s path wasn’t necessary at all.

Tip:
You should ski down slope number 42 from the Piz Val Gronda into the Vesil. This slope was developed in a resource-conserving way as well and without much groundwork. 

• the open architecture of the mountain and valley stations blend in perfectly with the surrounding scenery
• one cable car fits up to 150 people – the 34 seats are heated; two cable cars are in use
• maximum avalanche protection around the cable car – with eight avalanche towers
• the ascent from the valley up to the mountain station takes about five minutes
• it transports up to 1,300 people per hour

The Piz Val Gronda E5 is a classic aerial tram with two cables and a continuous haul rope loop. Two cable cars that fit 150 people each without a carrying rope brake are in service. 

In order to supply the mountain station, data and power cables are integrated into the carrying ropes. That’s what makes a cable trench between valley and mountain station obsolete. 

To span the distance between Vesil and Piz Val Gronda, two buttresses were necessary. The first buttress (about 90 metres high) is about 463 metres (of cable length) away from the valley station. The second one (about 64 metres high) is about 388 metres away from the mountain station. 

The emergency drive concept of the facility is supposed to take over in case of a standstill (emergency, power outage, technical defect, …). That makes it almost impossible that guests would have to be rescued from the cable cars. 

According to the concept of maximum avalanche protection and in combination with the construction of the 150-ATW Piz Val Gronda, eight avalanche towers (but no avalanche barriers) were necessary to secure the slope. 

If you have any questions about the Piz Val Gronda, its construction and all technical intricacies, the team of the Ischgl cable cars will be happy to help you!