TL;DR
Construction has started on a new 10-person gondola at Samnaun, the Swiss entry point to the cross-border Silvretta Ski Arena Ischgl/Samnaun. The Laret-Champs-Muller lift connects lower-lying hamlets directly to the ski area with a midway station adding flexibility on the slopes. It opens for winter 2027. Here's what's being built.
Samnaun has broken ground on a new gondola that will directly connect its lower hamlets to the Ischgl ski arena for the first time.
Construction began in May 2026 on the new Laretbahn L3, a 10-person monocable gondola lift linking the Samnaun hamlets of Laret and Compatsch to the Silvretta Ski Arena Ischgl/Samnaun. Planning and licence approval from the Swiss Federal Office of Transport was granted on 30 March 2026, and once that decision became legally binding, groundwork got underway. The lift is scheduled to open for the 2027-28 winter season.
Samnaun sits on the Swiss side of one of the Alps' most significant cross-border ski areas. The Silvretta Ski Arena spans the Swiss-Austrian border, with Ischgl - the larger and better-known resort village - sitting on the Austrian side in Tyrol. Samnaun provides an alternative entry point into the same lift network, and the new Laretbahn is a direct investment in making that access more competitive.
What's being built
The new lift runs from a valley station at 1,721m to a top station at 2,503m near the Muller M2 six-seater chairlift, covering a vertical rise of 782 metres over a horizontal distance of 3,180 metres. An intermediate station sits at 1,966m. Twenty support towers are planned along the route.
