The 10 most insane rope of the Alpine Railways

Switzerland has done in terms of mountain railway a pioneer: The story began prior to 153 years of very modest at the Rhine falls at Schaffhausen with a cable car, floating with hand-drive, transported to the turbine, a guard over the Rhine to your workplace.

As the world's first tourist cable car, the funicular railway was built in 1879 from lake Brienz to the Hotel Giessbach, which departs today. The first aerial cableway should lead 1908 of Grindelwald in four stages on the weather horn; it was built only the first section. In 1927, the air funicular to Gerschnialp-Trübsee was opened in Engelberg. In the meantime, we have the agony of choice – and here are 10 tips:

10. A Double-Decker in Savoy

The largest double-deck aerial cable car in Europe to the Vanoise Express in Savoy, France. It consists of two parallel plants, each with a cabin and connects across the valley to the ski resorts of La Plagne and Les Arcs. People suffering from dizziness should not ride, because the train has no Support, and the maximum height is 380 meters. Claustrophobic, you should not be also: In each cabin of 200 passengers can fit. This is a world record.

9. G-Link cable car in Wagrain

The two-Kilometer-long G-Link Wagrain connects the two skiing and Hiking mountains in the Salzburg sports world ("Snow Space Salzburg"), which are separated by the valley with the village of Wagrain. From the middle station of the Flying Mozart cable car (the real name!) on Griessenkareck (1233 m a. s. M.) takes you over to the middle of the Grafenberg's on 1240 meters. The aerial tramway, completed in 2013, it floats freely between the two stations and allows for a dizzying view down into the valley.

8. Protected as a historic monument on the sermon chair

at the same time as the signal cable car in St Moritz was built in 1928, in upper Bavaria, the large-cabin cable car from Bad Reichenhall on the sermon chair. In contrast to most of the other tracks from the period after the First world war, the predigtstuhlbahn is still in operation. Even the original rope is still in operation today, and should remain, the only cable car in the world, the predigtstuhlbahn is under monument protection.

7. Downhill in Val d'isère

On the Leissieres Express in Val d'isère, a chair-lift, rising to first steep the hill. On top of the crest, the view suddenly goes Blank, and you will be gripped by panic, because one gets the impression, vertically down the mountain to rush. Who is already thundered once, a roller coaster down, you can imagine the feeling of being lively.

6. Turned on the Titlis

rotation of restaurants to mountain peaks, you know. Above Engelberg in Obwalden, however, the first revolving gondola of the world spirals up since 1992, at 3020 metres. It was renewed in 2014. During the five-minute journey from the intermediate station (2434 m above sea level. M.) up to the mountain station Klein Titlis, the gondola rotates once around its own axis. The rotation is gentle; bad, it should be to anyone. However, a constantly changing panoramic view; the view sweeps over the steep walls of rock, glaciers and snow-capped peaks. At the mountain station, you can also find the highest suspension bridge in Europe, called "Titlis Cliff Walk".

5. Steep in the Zillertal

The new Penkenbahn in Mayrhofen in the Tyrolean Zillertal valley went into operation in December 2015, state of the art 3S-Bahn: three rope-orbit means that the track slides on two fixed ropes and a circulating haul rope is moving. The railway, costing nearly 50 million euros and a 20-year-old facility replaced, can heave in 33 gondolas with Seating for 24 people, almost 3000 passengers per hour on the mountain. Spectacular is the angle of inclination of the web from a maximum of 74 per cent. On the drive up the mountain, you will feel almost like in a Lift, on the descent, almost as if in free fall.

4. The top without the top of the Stanserhorn

Only from spring to late autumn, the stanserhorn railway (officially called "convertible") in the Nidwalden, and the mountain station is only 1800 meters. However, it has it all: It is the world's first Cabrio cable car. It consists of two glassed-in cabins with space for 60 passengers, of which an elegant spiral staircase leads up to the open upper deck, where a further 30 people. The project, completed in 2012, cost proud of 29.5 million Swiss francs. But it has paid off twice: first, from the upper deck with an incredible panoramic view. And secondly, the track recorded since the opening of a record year after the other.

3. With the sky arrow high

With its 48 years, the cableway Freccia nel cielo (sky arrow) is almost a classic. It brings skiers from Cortina d'ampezzo in the Italian Dolomites, at more than 3200 meters of altitude. Scared you may have in this track no, because it does not float several Hundred meters above the ground, but there are also strange noises. Although the Film "Cliffhanger" with Sylvester Stallone in 1992, was filmed only here because the production company in the Rocky Mountains for reasons of environmental protection no permission to film got. But anyone who has ever used the Freccia, understand why Stallone recusal here terrible fear of heights.

2. Tour of Mont Blanc

Yet more than a decade older than the Freccia nel cielo cable cars of Chamonix, the highest mountain massif of the Alps, the Mont Blanc. In 1955, the Télépherique de l'aiguille du Midi was opened. Takes you from Chamonix in two sections on the top of this rock. From the mid-station at the Plan de l'aiguille (2310 m above sea level. M.) depends on the rope spectacular, because, without intermediate supports, kilometers long and 1.5 kilometers up to the mountain station at 3777 meters. The Télécabine Panoramic Mont-Blanc, opened in 1957, connects the Aiguille du Midi with Pointe Helbronner (3462 m a. s. M.). The journey is stunning, as it offers an incredible view on the Mont Blanc and other craggy rock giant, the glacier and the Vallée Blanche. From the Pointe Helbronner you can travel with the Funivie Monte Bianco to La Palud in Italy's Aosta valley, down with the cable car over the Alps to cross.

1. Superlative high above Zermatt

The Name of the Klein Matterhorn is an understatement: of The is the neighboring mountain of the Matterhorn with his 3883 meters, a very stately appearance, and for nearly 40 years with the cable car Matterhorn-Express with two cabins, each for 100 people developed. It comes at the top, one has the impression of being directly in the rugged, almost vertical rocky wall to enter. The mountain station is the highest in the entire Alps. To cope with the growing crowds, was built the new "Matterhorn Glacier Ride" with 25 of the Pininfarina styled nacelles parallel to the existing railway and in time for the ski season 2018/19 the operation. He can carry instead of a maximum of 600 now 2000 people per hour, more on the Klein Matterhorn. Remained one of the most spectacular views in the entire Alpine region, especially because of the new gondolas have glass floors.

(Artur K. Vogel/travel content)

Created: 25.01.2019, 18:32 PM