South Tyrol Approves New 16-Person Ciampinoi Gondola in Val Gardena

Ciampinoi's ageing 12-person gondola in Val Gardena has cleared a major approval hurdle

South Tyrol's provincial government has signed off on a full rebuild of the Ciampinoi cable car above Selva di Val Gardena (Wolkenstein), adopting the environmental advisory board's June recommendation to approve the project with conditions attached. It's an important procedural step, but not a green light for construction to start straight away - no timeline for building or opening has been released.

Bigger cabins, smaller capacity increase than requested

The current gondola dates to the late 1980s, runs 12-person cabins, and tops out at 2,400 people an hour - not enough at peak times, according to the operator, given the lift carries both Ciampinoi skiers and Sellaronda circuit traffic passing through Val Gardena. The new system will run 16-person cabins, but South Tyrol's environmental advisory board capped its capacity at 3,200 people an hour rather than the 3,600 the operator had applied for. That's still 800 more than the current lift manages, just short of what was requested. The approval also comes with a 250,000 euro compensatory measures requirement, though the specifics haven't been detailed.

A restaurant rebuild and an eye on 2031

The mountain station's restaurant is being rebuilt alongside the new lift, with the operator describing a 360-degree panoramic outlook over the Val Gardena Dolomites - details on size or seating haven't been released. The renewal carries extra urgency because Val Gardena is a host venue for the 2031 Alpine Ski World Championships, and the Ciampinoi lift already plays a key role each year in the Saslong World Cup races, carrying athletes and team staff up to the race area. Project backers say the current bottleneck needs solving well before 2031, though which winter season the new gondola actually opens in is still unknown.