TL;DR
A two-seater chairlift from 1981 is making way for a 10-person gondola in St. Johann in Tirol - and if you never rode the old Jodlalm double chair, you missed something. Construction is underway now, capacity jumps from a crawl to 2,400 people per hour, and the new gondola runs direct to the Harschbichl summit at 1,603m without a transfer. Opening planned for winter 2026-27. The chairs from the old lift were sold off - someone's getting a unique garden feature.
Construction has started on a new 10-person gondola at St. Johann in Tirol, replacing a two-seater chairlift that has been running since 1981.
The new Jodlalm cable car will run direct to the Harschbichl summit at 1,603 metres, removing the transfer that the existing lift system required. The project is targeting operation from winter 2026-27.
What's Being Built
The replacement is a 10-person gondola with a capacity of 2,400 people per hour. The valley station is being relocated slightly to the northwest as part of the construction, and the mountain station will sit directly at Harschbichl with the drive unit housed there. The direct line to the summit - no transfer required - is the headline operational improvement, with the resort specifically noting that families and ski schools are expected to benefit most. The new gondola cabins are designed to be easier for children to board and ride independently.
The End of a Slow Classic
Anyone who skied St. Johann in Tirol will know the old Jodlalm double chair. A fixed-grip two-seater from 1981, it took a good 10 to 15 minutes to reach the top - slow enough that planning a break around the ride time was genuinely worthwhile. Riders were helped onto the chair at the valley station because the fixed-grip design meant no slowing at the terminal - you were scooped up with a bit of momentum and on your way. The kind of lift experience that barely exists in the Alps anymore.
The chairs from the old lift were sold off rather than scrapped - anyone who wanted a piece of the mountain's history had the chance to take one home.
What It Means for the Resort
The new gondola addresses a known pressure point. The existing system's slow throughput and transfer requirement created noticeable bottlenecks during peak holiday weeks, and the increase to 2,400 people per hour is a substantial jump in capacity. The direct route to Harschbichl also simplifies the mountain access experience considerably - particularly for first-timers and less confident skiers who found the transfer awkward.
If construction stays on schedule, the new Jodlalm gondola will be spinning for the start of the 2026-27 season.
About the author
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
