The "Skyline" Wonder Carpet at Dachstein Resort.

“Do as you like!” That's what Dachstein Ski Resort promises its guests. The unique offering extends from all types of sports and outdoor activities to visiting the Sky Walk and the Ice Palace. With such a large number of activities at nearly 9842 feet above sea level, guests sometimes return to the bottom of the lift somewhat "breathless". However, a short but steep uphill climb by foot used to await visitors before they could reach the lift entrance... but those days are over now. This summer, a SunKid Wonder Carpet with gallery enclosure now offers a comfortable alternative.

: Left: The "Skyline" Wonder Carpet transports visitors to the lift. Right: The nearly 3,000m pic of "Dachstein" ©SunKid

Up until now, many visitors were left breathless – and not only because of the number of fun activities available at Dachstein Resort. The challenging ascent from the glacier level up to the lift entrance used to steal the last breath of many visitors. Particularly for visitors from low-lying regions, the climb at this altitude presented a considerable challenge.

But now that's all a thing of the past! A SunKid Wonder Carpet with Gallery enclosure is available as a lift to carry visitors to the cable lit entrance – and visitors may number over 3000 on peak days. The continuously adjustable belt speed of 7” to 11” per second (0.2 - 0.6 m/s) carries passengers in comfort all the way up – nearly to the outdoor seating of the lift restaurant.

A supported conveyor instead of an inclined lift

: The lower, 127-feet long conveyor belt (39 meter)

: supported entirely on four steel shorings. ©SunKid

The operators decided against the original plans for an inclined lift, and chose to go with an environmentally friendly, more affordable solution in the form of a SunKid Wonder Carpet. In order to keep the impact on the environment to a minimum, the conveyor belt structure – at nearly 328 feet (100m) in length – was designed in two sections. The lower of the two conveyors in this design is entirely held on four supports. This form of bridging work with no corresponding, irreversible modifications to the terrain constitutes something entirely new for the Alpine industry. However, during planning, the engineers at SunKid were able to draw on their experience constructing three supported conveyors in the USA.
(For more information, see the reports on Keystone, Heavenly Valley and Vail)

The entire building phase of the project took place in high summer. Nevertheless, the weather presented serious challenges for the installation. This year's particularly wet summer blanketed the high-Alpine region with frequent snows and icy cold. However, thanks to very hard work from everyone taking part in the project, the team managed to complete installation of the SunKid Wonder Carpet within just a few weeks.

: Just above the Glacier, ...

: ... guests can step onto the lift, and then from the “middle station” …

: … continue to the end of the Wonder Carpet, ...

: ... landing almost right in the guest patio of the lodge restaurant ©SunKid_

Extra safety feature: emergency exits lead to escape stairways.

From a terminal between both sections, a worker can monitor all activity on and around the "Skyline" conveyor belt. The stream of passengers can be monitored through the entire length of the construction on four display screens. As an additional safety device, an emergency exit ramp was also constructed running along the entire length of the lift parallel to the conveyor belt. The ramp can be reached by emergency exits located every 19 feet (6m) along the lift.
Summer guests have already reacted very positively to this new convenience in the first weeks of operation. However, winter guests will be particularly excited about the improvement in quality, saving plenty of energy that would otherwise have been spent climbing the steep slope in ski boots.

Click here to view a report on planai.tv about the "Skyline" Wonder Carpet.

Data:

Installation location: Hunerkogel/Dachstein Austria (Südwandbahn lift station)
Purpose of the conveyor belt construction: lift alternative for transport from the Glacier to the chair lift entrance
Total length: 314 ft - 96m (1x187 ft and 1x127 ft)
Unique feature: the 127-feet long conveyor belt (39m) is supported entirely on four steel shorings
Speed: 7” to 11” per second (0.2 - 0.6 m/s)
Average inclination: approx. 20%
Drive: 15 kW motor
Conveyor belt width: 5” (750mm)
Capacity: 1880 passengers/hour
Equipment:
- SunKid Gallery enclosure, made of aluminum beams and polycarbonate panes; painted white to prevent excessive brightness
- Emergency exits and egresses on one side of the Gallery
- Monitoring terminal with 4 display screens.