The Thanellerkarlift in Berwang is in demand. It is long and leads to one of the highest points of the Berwang ski area. There are red runs - i.e. moderately difficult - in the upper section and easier blue runs in the lower section. But above all: the lift is located on the sunny side of the Thaneller, so skiing here is a real pleasure on nice days. The only disadvantage: waiting times at the start of the Thanellerkarlift cannot be ruled out.
The goal: relaxation at the Thanellerkarlift in Berwang
And they became more frequent. Because the Berwang ski area is popular, especially with families with children and beginners. The number of guests has risen steadily over the years. As a result, the ski lift technology, some of which dates back to the 1960s, has reached its limits. The Thanellerkarlift in Berwang in particular, a drag lift, threatened to become a nuisance. "T-bar lifts were and are not easy to master, especially for children and beginners, which naturally lengthens queues as crowds grow," says Florian Singer, Managing Partner of Bergbahnen Berwang, summarising the situation.
One important component of the modernisation of the ski area was to remedy this situation. This is why the Thanellerbahn, a child-safe six-seater chairlift, was built last year. It runs parallel to the old T-bar lift up to half of its route. It thus covers the lower, easier part of the Thaneller slopes. In other words, the actual family terrain.
The technical equipment of the chairlift also takes this into account: it has individual seats and weather protection bonnets. A liftable conveyor belt makes it easier for very young children to get on. The chairs themselves are equipped with stirrups including a safety bar between the legs, which ensures that no one slips off the seat. "And no six-seater chair leaves the bottom of the station without the bar actually being locked in place," emphasises Singer. The Thanellerbahn can transport 2,600 people per hour, double the capacity of the old T-bar lift. "Our new motto: long waiting times are a thing of the past on the Thaneller," says the Managing Director happily.
Ultra-modern ten-passenger gondola lift
The centrepiece of the Berwang modernisation concept is the Obere Karbahn, a detachable ten-passenger gondola lift. It will run in two sections on a new route from the car park of the Egghof Sun Jet six-seater chairlift to the so-called Obere Kar. This is around 100 metres higher than the previous mountain station of the Thanellerkar lift in Berwang. The first section, which ends at the Biligkopf, was completed in 2019 and has a capacity of up to 2,400 people per hour.
Another advantage of the Obere Karbahn: "Previously, you could only get from the Egghof Sun Jet to the Thaneller lift using the Bilig T-bar lift," says Singer, "which has become a bottleneck with the increase in ski courses." The first section of the Obere Karbahn lift is now resolving this. The reason for this is the future middle station next to the exit of the new Thaneller chairlift. Its obsolete Bili lift has been dismantled.
New buildings in the ski area
In addition to expanding the lifts, the Berwang ski resort is also investing in the quality of the pistes. New and modified slopes, additional avalanche barriers and blasting systems as well as an expansion of the snowmaking facilities, which reach up to 90 per cent of all slopes, are being built step by step. New buildings are also being built - such as the B-Active Centre at the Egghof car park in 2019 with a sports shop including ski hire and depot, office and children's catering room for the Berwang ski school, indoor ticket offices for Bergbahnen Berwang and public toilets including a nappy-changing room. The future middle station of the Obere Karbahn, which has already been completed, will be extended by a mountain restaurant in the coming years.
Successful modernisation thanks to a 25 million investment
"Our aim was to significantly increase comfort for our guests," says Singer, describing the motivation behind the comprehensive modernisation of the ski area. The measures have already noticeably upgraded the Berwang leisure and family ski resort. This will be particularly noticeable in 2025, when the modernisation, worth a total of 25 million euros, is completed. The second section of the Obere Karbahn lift, the demolition of the Thanellerkarlift, which will then no longer be needed, and the new mountain restaurant in Berwang are still to follow. So these are really good prospects.
