Doppelmayr/Garaventa 80-ATW "Skyway Monte Bianco" Courmayeur, Italy - English (2015)

Monte Bianco (Mont Blanc) on the Franco-Italian border is regarded as Europe’s highest mountain and every year provides the destination for many thousands of tourists. Since June 2015, the massif in Aosta has had another unusual attraction to enhance its appeal. A new aerial tramway takes visitors up to an elevation of 3,500 meters and enables them to enjoy the spectacular scenery along the route.

The new tram is known as the Skyway Monte Bianco and replaces an older installation which covered the route in three sections and had been in operation for four decades. The connection between Courmayeur in Aosta and the Pointe Helbronner now consists of two sections. The tram climbs 2,200 vertical meters over the total length of 4.3 kilometers. The terminals themselves cover their energy requirements from a mix of photovoltaics and a heating installation with heat recovery. In addition, a regenerative braking system captures energy in the form of electricity from the cabins traveling downhill and feeds it back into the network. The specially developed cabins feature panoramic windows and rotate 360 degrees during the trip, giving a unique view of the fourthousand-meter mountains. The cabin interior incorporates ultra-modern fittings and leaves nothing to be desired.