TL;DR
Construction has started on a new Kapellenbahn chairlift on the Schmittenhöhe above Zell am See, with the goal of having it operational for the 2026-27 ski season. The existing 4-seater from 2001 is being replaced by a detachable 8-seater with a capacity of 3,400 people per hour - a 42% increase on the current lift.
Construction has started on a new Kapellenbahn chairlift on the Schmittenhöhe above Zell am See, with the operator targeting completion before the 2026-27 ski season.
Schmittenhöhebahn AG received the building permit following an extensive approval process and has moved straight into construction. The new lift replaces a 4-seater chairlift that has been running since 2001.
The New Lift - Key Specs
The replacement is a detachable 8-seater chairlift running between valley station at 1,728m and mountain station at 1,964m - a 236m vertical climb across 10 towers. Capacity increases from 2,394 to 3,400 people per hour, a 42% improvement. Travel time drops to approximately three minutes at speeds of up to 5.5m/s, with a maximum of 42 chairs on the line.
Passenger comfort features include heated individual seats, weather protection hoods, automatically locking safety bars, and a conveyor belt entry system at the valley station. The slower detachable speed at boarding and alighting points is a significant upgrade over the fixed-grip predecessor.
The mountain station will also incorporate Doppelmayr's AURO system - the same camera and sensor-based safety monitoring already installed on the resort's Breiteckbahn - which automatically responds to issues in the disembarkation area. Doppelmayr is the manufacturer.
