The third and final summer season of construction of Zermatt’s spectacular new 3S giant gondola lift up to the Klein Matterhorn is yet to take place but the famous Swiss resort has announced its opening date: 29th September 2018
Work began on the 3S lift – a kind of combination cable car/gondolas type lift which carries giant 28-passenger gondola cabins on a continuous loop suspended below twin cables like a cable car for speed, stability and high passenger capacity – in spring 2016.
The lift, which will provide a second access to the Klein Matterhorn to the existing cable car, which will continue to operate, is being built over 300 days, broken down in to three 100 day construction weather windows around the summer months each year.
The new Leitner built lift will be significantly quicker, and the modern cabins, designed by Pininfarina, will have a capacity of 2000 passengers per hour.
The lift will climb 900 vertical metres to Europe’s highest cable car station at 3821m in nine minutes, accessing Zermatt’s year-round glacier ski area, one of only two centres to operate their ski slopes 365 days a year (weather permitting).
