What is the name of the cabin on the cable car? The longest cable cars in the world

The organizers of the two nearest Olympics - London 2012 and Sochi 2014 - are competing in the scale of the facilities being built for these events. And in both cities it was decided to launch cable cars. The London one will be the first in the British capital, and the Sochi one claims to be the “twice first” in the world - in length and in its ability to transport not only passengers, but also cars.

By the way, the first, even ancient, cable cars were used precisely for transporting goods. In the Middle Ages, residents of mountainous areas began to cross gorges in baskets. Such crossings are still used today, for example, in the Himalayas.

Today in the lens are 12 of the most terrible, longest, high-altitude, oldest and other outstanding cable cars in the world.

Text: Anastasia Novikova, Forbes

The first of the cable cars in the modern sense was launched in Switzerland in 1866 and delivered tourists to the observation deck. In Russia, the debut of the cable car took place in 1871: it was used to transport timber through wetlands. And the real boom in the construction of cableways occurred in the second half of the 20th century, when skiing began to actively develop.

1. Genting Cable Car (Malaysia): the fastest

Genting is a city of entertainment at an altitude of 2,000 meters above sea level. It is called the Las Vegas of Malaysia: 20 luxury hotels, several amusement parks and even the only legal casino in the country have been built here.

The Genting Empire is the brainchild of the Chinese Lim Goh Tong. When he first voiced the idea of ​​​​building a high-mountain resort, he was laughed at: in the late 1960s, the area was covered with virgin tropical jungle. But Tong persisted, and in 1971 the first hotel opened its doors. Then the casino started operating, after which crowds of visitors flocked to Genting.

In addition to numerous laudatory epithets, Genting also boasts the world's fastest cable car. The speed of the suspended cabins is 6 m/s, and travelers cover the 3,380 meters separating Genting from the lower station, which is located in the village of Kuala Kubu Baru, in just 11 minutes.

Most of the route of the cable car, which opened on February 21, 1997, runs over the jungle, and in cloudless weather from above you can see monkeys scurrying below.

Fare: 10 Malaysian ringgit ($3) round trip.

2. Gulmarg cable car (India): the highest mountain

Since 1948, Kashmir has been a bone of contention between India and Pakistan. The two countries have been dividing disputed territory for more than half a century, which is why the region has long been considered dangerous for tourism.

In recent years, fighting in the state of Jammu and Kashmir has ceased, and local authorities have been able to develop tourism infrastructure. Today there are a dozen tourist places in the state, and one of them is Gulmarg, the largest ski resort in the Himalayas.

It was here that Sonia Gandhi launched the cable car in 2005, which remains to this day the highest mountain in the world. The first section of the road began operating in the spring of 1998, and then the maximum lift height was 3,100 m. The second section allowed the rise to a height of 4,114 m.

The total length of the cable car is 5 km, and its capacity is 600 people per hour. By the way, before the opening of the cable car, skiers were lifted to the mountains by helicopters, which made the cost of skiing in every sense of the word exorbitant.

Fare: one-time lift - first phase 150 rupees ($2.7), second phase - 250 rupees ($4.6).

3. Sternensauser cable car (Switzerland): the worst

The most unusual cable car in the world operates in the Swiss resort of Hoch-Ibrig. In order to ride it, you don’t need to sit in the booth and have your camera ready - you need to put on a helmet and fasten your seat belts. The fact is that on the Sternensauser cableway, passengers move under the weight of their own body. The cable car is a cable stretched between several platforms at a height of 75 m above the ground. By the way, it is Sternensauser who is the longest cable track of its type in the world.

The trail starts near the top station of the chairlift and leads down to the station located in the valley. While driving, the passenger reaches a speed of 70 to 90 km/h, which creates a feeling of free flight. They say that the adrenaline rush during the descent on the Sternensauser is no less than when jumping with a parachute.

The only disadvantage of the cable road is that you can ride along it only in the summer. Adults and children who have reached the age of nine and are at least 130 cm tall are allowed to descend. The permissible passenger weight is from 30 to 125 kg.

Fare: 70 Swiss francs.

4. Cable car to Sentosa Island (Singapore): the most glassy

Sentosa Island is located 25 km south of Singapore, and it is said that the future state began with a small fishing village located here. Sentosa today is an Asian island Disneyland, a magnet for tourists and a favorite vacation spot for Singaporeans themselves. There is an amusement park, an aquarium, and three kilometers of snow-white beaches.

You can get to Sentosa by public transport and even on foot, but most visitors choose the cable car stretching over the strait. The Singapore government started thinking about its construction in 1968, and four years later it was launched. Initially, the cable car had 43 cabins. Today their number has reached 81, and the local cable car has become the first in the world to offer cabins made entirely of glass.

But this was not enough for Singaporeans. For the cable car leading to Sentosa Island, they achieved the definition of “the first jewelry store”: in 2010, seven VIP cabins were launched, the roof and glass sides of which are decorated with Swarovski crystals. Is it any wonder then that the cable car is one of the most expensive ways to get to Sentosa.

Fare: 26 Singapore dollars ($18.6) round trip.

5. Tatev cable car (Armenia): the longest

On October 16, 2010, a cable car was launched in Armenia, called “Wings of Tatev”. And just seven days later she was brought into the longest in the world.

The first passengers of the cable car, which stretches 5.7 km over the gorge of the Vorotan River, were the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, the Catholicos of All Armenians Garekin II, as well as one child each from the nearest seven villages.

The construction of the cableway was conceived in 2009 as one of the stages of the “Revival” program of Tatev, a medieval monastery of the 9th century. In 1390, a university was established there, where both theological and secular disciplines were taught. In 1931, the monastery was severely damaged by an earthquake, and restoration work has not yet been completed.

Until the cable car appeared, it was possible to get to Tatev only along a steep serpentine road leading along the cliff at an angle of 45°, which was often washed away in winter. But now tourists and locals can visit Tatev all year round. The cabins move at a speed of 37 km/h and cover the distance to the monastery in just 11 minutes 25 seconds.

Travel cost: for locals - free, for tourists - €6.

6. Ropeway Miskhor - Ai-Petri (Crimea): the longest unsupported span

Translated from Turkish, the word “yayla” means mountain plateau. In the past, shepherds grazed cattle here, and in even more ancient times, yayls were given magical significance and stone idols were installed on them. Today the word “yayla” in Russian is most often used in Crimea, where one of the most famous is the Ai-Petrinskaya yayla. You can get to it on the Miskhor - Ai-Petri cable car, during the ascent along which - and it lasts about 15 minutes - tourists have time to enjoy the picturesque panorama of the South-Eastern coast of Crimea - from Sudak to Foros.

The construction of the cableway took 20 years. It started in 1987, and was opened to the public a year later.

But the Miskhor - Ai-Petri cable car is considered unique. Between its middle and upper stations stretches the included Europe's longest unsupported span: for two kilometers there is not a single intermediate tower.

Fare: 120 hryvnia ($15) in both directions.

7. Grenoble cable car (France): the world's first urban one

The writer Henri Marie Bayle, better known under the pseudonym Stendhal, wrote about his hometown of Grenoble that every street ends in a mountain. The most famous local landmark, the Bastille, is located on the slope of one of them.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the authorities of Grenoble thought about how to facilitate access to the Bastille and at the same time provide the capital of the French Alps with a tourist attraction. Thus was born the idea of ​​​​building a cable car, which forever changed the face of Grenoble.

On September 29, 1934, a loud whistle informed the townspeople about the start of the cableway, which became the world's first urban cable car. Very quickly, like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, it turned into a symbol of Grenoble, which it remains to this day.

The first passenger cabins were quite traditional: large “cars” that could accommodate up to 21 passengers. But in 1976, they were replaced by small six-seater spherical plexiglass cabins created by engineer Denny Kressel, which were soon dubbed bubbles and space eggs.

Fare: €6.80 return.

8. Masada cable car (Israel): the most historical

Masada is an ancient fortress built in the mountains of the Judean Desert by order of Herod the Great in 25 BC. e. Here, surrounded by inaccessible rocks, the king created a refuge for himself, where palaces, a synagogue, baths, warehouses for provisions and weapons were built, and even a water supply was installed.

In 73 AD e. Masada was taken by the Romans, who used it as one of their strongholds, and after the fall of the Roman Empire, the fortress was forgotten until 1862, when archaeologists stumbled upon its ruins.

Masada has always attracted tourists, but only after 1971, when a cable car was built to it, did it become one of the most visited historical sites in Israel. Before this, it was possible to climb to the top of the rock only along the so-called snake path, which was used in ancient times by rebels, and today by archaeologists.

The cable car leading to the top of the plateau is considered the lowest in the world: its lower station is located at an altitude of 257 m above sea level, and its upper station is only 33 m higher. The distance to the top of the cabin - there are only two of them on the cable car - covers in a few minutes, gradually opening up more and more breathtaking views of the surrounding desert and the Dead Sea.

Fare: 72 shekels ($19) round trip.

9. Prague cable car: the oldest

Exactly 120 years ago, Prague’s most famous cable car leading to Petřín Hill was launched. Today it is she who is considered the oldest operating cable car in the world. View of Prague from Petřín Hill:

It all started when in 1889 the Czech Tourists Club went to Paris and were amazed by the view of the Eiffel Tower. They built a copy of it on Petřín Hill, and then decided to build a cable car to it, which they built in less than a year. The cable car - not suspended, but a carriage on rails driven by a rope - easily lifted 50 passengers at a time to a height of 102 m, and the cables were rotated by a water wheel.

In 1916, the Petřín cable car stopped operating due to the First World War - for a long 16 years. Only in 1932 was it launched again, replacing the water wheel with electric motors and extending it to the current 511 m. The cable car stopped for the second time in 1965, when landslides destroyed part of the rail track. Residents of Prague had to wait another 20 years before the famous funicular could once again take them to the top of Petřín Hill. But since then it has been included in the city’s public transport system and stops only for scheduled inspections.

Climbing cost: 24 Czech crowns ($1.2).

10. Complexo do Alemao cable car (Brazil): the cheapest

The favelas of Rio de Janeiro have long been notorious as the most crime-prone neighborhoods of the city, dangerous not only for tourists, but also for local residents. The easiest way to get around here is on foot, since there is practically no public transport along the local hills and narrow streets.

Therefore, the Rio authorities decided to build a cable car over six suburbs of the Brazilian capital, which began operating in July 2011. Construction took a year and a half, and costs amounted to 210 million reais.

The cable car stretches over the favelas for 3456 m and became the longest urban cable car in the world. 152 cabins ply along it, capable of transporting up to 3,000 people per hour.

Local residents are entitled to two free tickets per day to travel to the Complexo do Alemao, and those who exceed this limit will have to pay 1 Brazilian real for the trip - the same as tourists pay.

The cableway, which can significantly facilitate access to the city’s sports facilities, has acquired additional relevance on the eve of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games, which will be held in Rio de Janeiro.

Fare: 1 Brazilian real ($0.5).

11. Cable car Manhattan - Roosevelt Island: the most cinematic

Despite the fact that New York is located in a flat area, the Americans decided to build a cableway here too.

The cable car, which connected Manhattan with Roosevelt Island in 1976, was supposed to function only while the F subway line was being completed. But local residents enjoyed traveling by air so much that the cable car was not dismantled even after the subway was launched. The cable car has secured the status of a full-fledged urban transport, and has also actually become the world's first aerial tram.

In 2005, during the transport strike, only the cableway continued to carry passengers. But in the same year, the first, and in 2006, the second incident occurred when the cabins of an aerial tram got stuck over the East River. Passengers had to spend almost seven hours above the water.

After this, transport workers closed the cable car and began its restoration. Five months later, the cable car was reopened, and all cabins were provided with blankets, water, food supplies and even a toilet. The aerial tram that runs along the route Manhattan - Roosevelt Island can claim to be the most cinematic: you can see it in films such as Nighthawks, Leon and even Spider-Man.

Fare: $2.5 one way.

12. Ropeway in Zhangjiajie Park (China): the steepest

Chinese Zhangjiajie Park has long gained popularity among tourists. Firstly, it is here, among the Wulingyuan rocks that inspired James Cameron to create the “flying mountains” in the film “,” that Tianmen Mountain is located, and in it is the legendary Heavenly Gate Cave.

Panorama (clickable, 1280 x 553 px):

Secondly, you can get to them by cableway, which numerous travelers who once rode along it dubbed “the most exciting” in the world. It is no coincidence that the local cable car is called the “road to heaven”: on some sections it rises upward at an angle of 70°, crashing straight into the clouds. Welcome to Pandora!

The journey to the top takes about 40 minutes, and due to the pressure difference, passengers often have blocked ears, and the temperature in the cabin drops sharply. There is often thick fog over the park, which adds mysticism to the surrounding landscapes.

Those who still dare to overcome the distance of 7,455 m will see the highest miraculous cave in the world, created by erosion of rocks. Local residents believe that she has supernatural powers. And you can go down from Tianmen Mountain by bus along the serpentine road, which has exactly 99 turns.

Fare: 48 yuan ($7.6) one way.

November 5th, 2012

I continue to fulfill requests from . Today's topic for a post is from soullaway :

"..to ask about all the cable cars in our country))"

I started thinking about what I could tell you about such a very general topic. In total, as of 2010, there are about 400 cable cars at 109 resorts in the European part of the country and 49 in the Asian part. a list of some of them. And an abandoned cable car in Penza, for example. Imagine how many of them are operational, idle and abandoned throughout the country! Here I seem to inadvertently draw your attention, ask the topic of the post more narrowly and more specifically, because it is impossible to grasp the immensity :-)

Many of the most interesting cable cars are no longer in our country, but for example in Ukraine - for example on Ai-Petri. I rode... very impressive!

In general, the world's first cable car appeared in the Swiss Alps in 1866. For a long time, the Swiss cable car was almost the only one in the world. Massive interest in this type of transport appeared only a hundred years later. you can see the most interesting cable cars in the world. But our topic is the cable cars of Russia. So, we think further.

I invite you to see one of the latest cable cars in our country and one of the most unique! Suitable? Go...

Opened on February 9, 2012 Russia's first passenger cable car, built between the cities of Nizhny Novgorod and Bor.

And a Nizhny Novgorod blogger will help us with this dimfoto with his amazing report.

That's how it all started. The centers of Nizhny and Bor are separated by the Volga, and the distance between them is about 3 km. This
in a straight line... If you travel by highway, the distance between the cities is 27 km. It takes a lot of time to travel from one city to another, and car traffic on the Borsky Bridge is difficult. But this road should significantly reduce travel time between cities.

The customer of the project is JSC “Ropeways”, the architects are LLC Architectural and Construction Association “Russian House”.

In the world, ten cable cars are used as urban passenger transport. The Nizhny-Bor cable car will become the longest. The distance between the terminal stations will be 3658 m, including 1336 m above the Volga. There are longer routes, but they are located in ski resorts and are not considered public transport.

A special feature of the structure will be the passage over the navigable part of the river. It will be made without supports and will be 882 m long. The uniqueness of the Nizhny Novgorod cable car is that for the first time it will connect two cities on opposite banks of the Volga: as a rule, such roads operate within the same locality.

“The investor of the project is OJSC Nizhny Novgorod Ropeways, created after the conclusion of an agreement between the regional government and the world leader in designing ropeways, the French company POMA,” said Vladimir Ivanov. — The document was signed by Governor Valery Shantsev and POMA President Jean Gautier at the International Commercial Real Estate Exhibition MIPIM-2008 in Cannes. The founders of the company were the government of the Nizhny Novgorod region (67.93% of shares) and the mayor's office of Nizhny Novgorod (32%). 0.07% of the shares are owned by the General Department of Improvement of the City of Bor.

The volume of investment in the creation of the road (without stations) will be about 550 million rubles, the payback period is 5-7 years, said Vladimir Ivanov. The cost of the end stations is estimated at around 100 million rubles. It is planned that the trial launch of the Nizhny Novgorod cable car will take place in December 2009, and regular service will begin in April-May 2010.

European, Russian, and Nizhny Novgorod companies are participating in the implementation of the project. The order for the supply of equipment was received by POMA. The road project is being carried out by the Moscow CJSC Gortekhproektpostavka; the Nizhny Novgorod transport company CJSC Sovfrakht NN is engaged in the transportation of oversized cargo from Belgorod and France. A general contractor will be determined in the near future - applications have been submitted from six Nizhny Novgorod construction companies and one from out of town.

The cable car supports are manufactured by Energomash CJSC (Belgorod) - Production of metal structures.” As the director of the company for sales of metal structures, Konstantin Teterin, told the Exchange, the company won the tender, beating foreign and Russian competitors: “We presented a more impressive “Reference of deliveries” of complex objects,” he says. — Among them are the structures of the Lokomotiv stadium in Moscow (3000 tons), power transmission supports across the Amur to the Bureyskaya hydroelectric station with a height of up to 191 m (2340 tons). There is also experience in manufacturing supports and traverses for the cable car of the Krasnaya Polyana resort near Sochi (65 tons) and supports for the cable car in the village. Terskol on Elbrus (123 tons). Another plus is the offer of hot-dip galvanizing and finishing painting of structures, guaranteeing high-precision manufacturing of parts. The POMA company and the designer ZAO Gortekhproektpostavka already knew us as partners. The contract for the production of ten supports was signed in April 2009. Drawings of the supports in the three-dimensional modeling program were made by the metal structures department of the Energomash engineering center.

The Nizhny Novgorod company Russian House LLC was entrusted with designing the stations. The areas of the stations are approximately the same, but from a design point of view they are different. Special attention was paid to the station on the Nizhny Novgorod side; since the building will be located in a spectacular location near the square. Hay. Borsky Station will appear between the Alisa Center for Extracurricular Activities and residential buildings. It is possible that cafes, retail places, and parking lots will open on the territory of the stations, and private investment will be attracted for their construction.

The average daily passenger traffic between Nizhny and Bor is 21,000 people, but it increases in summer and decreases in winter. It is expected that the cable car will initially transport 1,000 people per day. Up to 55 cabins can be installed on the track, accommodating 8 people. The business plan includes a ticket price of no more than 50 rubles. It will be tied to the cost of a ticket on the Nizhny - Bor bus.

The cable car will be in demand: “On weekdays, many Nizhny Novgorod and Bor residents move across the Volga to work and study. On Friday evening and Monday morning, the passenger traffic is replenished with vacationers. From spring to autumn, the population of the Borsky district almost doubles: elderly Bor residents who live in Nizhny in the winter and in their native villages in the summer, and summer residents, for whom the cable car will be especially convenient if a regular bus service is created for it, come. Negotiations have already been held with the administration of the Borsky district on the organization of bus routes from the final station to the surrounding villages. The movement of the booths is also comfortable because it completely eliminates waiting time: walk up and go. The road will relieve congestion on the only bridge across the Volga, and there is reason to believe that it will not lose its relevance even with the launch of a new bridge to Bor from Podnovye.”

It looks like almost everything is ready here for stretching the cable on which the booths will hang.

The motor that will drive the cable seems to be located on the bore side, and here is a mechanism for tensioning the cable.

The blue box in the background appears to be a hydraulic pump.

To the left, workers are building a garage to store the cabins.

According to Alexander Shchagin, deputy director for territorial planning at Research Center Land and City LLC, “young people under 30 will actively use the road, while older people will prefer traditional trains, buses, and ferries in the summer. Aerophobia should not be discounted. If a strong wind blows and there is bumpiness, the elderly will have a hard time. What if the cabins stop in the middle of the river? European skiers often hover over the slopes, but such things are a novelty for Russians. Will a possible rise in the water level in the Volga prevent the work of the cable car? Will it be safe to drive? There are a lot of questions.”

From the outside, the garage looks like a concrete box.

To the left of the garage there are trenches, apparently under the strip foundation of external walls or communications.

The inside of the garage is quite spacious, but it’s still interesting how 62 cabins will fit here (this is the number of them indicated in the technical characteristics of the cable car, although in the Security System section it is mentioned that “the traction-carrying rope is capable of carrying a load of 56 passenger gondolas.” )? Apparently, not all gondolas will spend the night here.

In some places finishing work is already underway.

“An additional factor in attracting passengers to the cable car could be intensive dacha construction on the left bank of the Volga. In the long term, the cable car will become an important link in the transport connection between Nizhny Novgorod and the satellite city of Globe Town. But when the Podnovye-Bor bridge is built, the cable car as a transport will lose relevance,” says Shchagin. But from the point of view of increasing the tourist attractiveness of Nizhny Novgorod, the idea of ​​a cable car is very successful, experts say. “According to the experience of other countries, operating a cable car for tourism purposes is profitable, but in our country it will become an unusual attraction if an alternative tourism infrastructure is created on Bor,” says Shchagin. - For example, a water park. The Volga cable car is exotic for Russia.”

Tug of war

As Vladimir Ivanov reported, the government of Tatarstan also became interested in this type of transport, asked the government for POMA contacts and is already negotiating the creation of a cable car in Kazan.

Nizhny Novgorod cable car in numbers

Length - 3658 m.
Support height:
the lowest - 7 m,
the highest - 82 m
(due to the difference in terrain).
The total weight of the supports is 560 tons.
The maximum speed of the cabins is 5 m/sec.
Travel time at this speed is 12 minutes.

The crane's intentions do not seem to faze the prop captain. He proudly looks into the distance and spits down.

The bravery of the high-altitude installer scares off the pilots and they bring the car down to the sinful earth.

Let's go darling!

Someone had the foresight to unwind the cable along the shore all night, and to make it more fun, they also decorated it with striped ribbons. Cool!

This is what the blogger himself writes.

Russia's first passenger cable car between cities has finally opened. It connected the cities of Nizhny Novgorod and Bor along the shortest route - over the Volga River.

The construction of the road was announced in the press in 2008, and the opening was promised first in 2010, then in 2011. But passengers started driving only on February 9, 2012.

I must say that the discovery came almost unexpectedly. For example, I only found out about this around noon on February 8, when the information had not yet leaked into the electronic media.
We can say that the opening was attended only by people knowledgeable about the topic or who accidentally learned about the event.

I was at the Nizhny Novgorod station. Everything was very modest.

According to rumors, the Bor station was more crowded and solemn, but when I got there there was practically no one there :)
So, we waited for quite a long time for the cabins to bring someone from Bor. But the booths all came empty.

And then officials began to arrive from the Bor side.

The reporters huddled and tensed.

“We built and built and finally built!” - The vice-governor of the Nizhny Novgorod region and at the same time the chairman of the board of directors of OJSC “Nizhny Novgorod ropeways” Vladimir Ivanov commented on the event approximately in this way.

After a rather long pause, someone finally remembers about the passengers and gives the go-ahead to sell tickets. People ran like a snake between the turnstiles to the ticket office.

There were no promised discounted tickets. All categories of passengers were sold tickets for 50 rubles. You could buy a pair at once - there and back.

At first there was a queue to the booths. I did not notice any disabled people in wheelchairs or with crutches, or passengers with skis, bicycles or baby strollers. According to rumors, some managed to transport some large cargo later by paying for an additional ticket.

The paper ticket, similar to a regular cash receipt, has a barcode applied to it. The ticket must be inserted into the hole of the control device with the barcode facing up, after which the green arrow lights up and the “spinner” barrier is unlocked.

Let's go too.
The booth at the station moves at a speed of 0.3 m/s, which is quite comfortable for an ordinary healthy pedestrian, but you need to be careful with children. I have not yet seen how disabled people or passengers with strollers will be loaded.

Let's go. After a short acceleration and rocking, the cabin calmed down and moved smoothly. Movement speed - 5 m/s.

The glass is tinted, which makes photography a little more difficult. There is no heating in the cabins; the breath of passengers creates patterns on the windows in severe frost. At first we just stare out the windows, then we start sharing our impressions.

The lighting should turn on automatically. There are barred windows.

We pass over the Grebnoy Canal.

The Ascension Pechersky Monastery is clearly visible.

The Volga is already below.

We pass support T7 - ​​one of the two highest. 82 meters!

This is a technical device in the mountains, which skiers and snowboarders use during the operation of ski resorts to climb to the beginning of the slope. In the summer, the ski lift at the ski resort, which is not in demand for its intended purpose, works as an attraction for tourists. Anyone can climb it to see the surrounding area. Cabins are adapted for disabled people.

Aerial lifts

Aerial is another name for a cable car. It is fundamentally different from funiculars, as it transports passengers in chairs or cabins hanging in the air. There are two types.

Cabin (pendulum) lifts

They consist of two large cabins attached to a suspended rope. Traditionally, their capacity ranges from 30 to 40 people. When the cable is set in motion, the cabins start from their stations, one from below, the other from above, and move towards each other to the opposite station. As they approach their destination, the cabs slow down and smoothly stop near the platform to allow people to exit. This is a pendulum (or two-way) type of movement. They reach speeds of up to 10 m/s. When using this lift, you need to remove your skis and snowboard.

The disadvantages of this system are the high price of the equipment and the limitation on the number of passengers (which entails queues). To increase the capacity of such roads, manufacturers began to increase the volume of the cabin; sometimes it can accommodate even one and a half hundred people.

The great advantages are the speed of ascent, protection from wind and frost.

Gondola lifts

Aerial lifts are equipped with small cabins (gondolas) that can accommodate from 2 to 6 people. The basis of the design is a continuous rope moving in a circle. The number of gondolas on a rope is limited only by its length and weight standards. It can only be used for lifting. In the opposite direction, the gondola lift, unlike the pendulum road, does not carry passengers; it is a one-way type of movement. At the passenger boarding and alighting points, the progress of each individual gondola is slowed down by a special device. The rest continue to drive at the same pace. The cabin hangs in place for a few seconds, which is usually quite enough to insert the unfastened skis into a special pocket on the outside of the door and take its place. After this, the gondola accelerates to general speed.

The advantage of this type of lift is continuous operation. There are rarely queues here. However, the ascent speed is slower and you have to unfasten your skis and board again.

Gondola-type cable cars have recently begun to appear in Russia. In Sochi, at the Rosa Khutor resort, there are already 7 of them installed.

Chair lifts

They work on the same principle as the gondola, but there are a number of differences.

• Passengers sit in open seats. Based on the number of seats on one mounting, chairlifts can be classified from single to eight-seater.
• The chairlift does not slow down as it approaches the top. He generally moves slower than others.
• There is no need to unfasten your skis. This is a great time saver.
• While sitting in a seat, the passenger must put a protective frame over himself. Special signs along the route remind you of this and that the frame can be raised.

A significant disadvantage is that at a height of several meters above the ground in the open wind you can get very cold, especially if the route is long. Sometimes there are chairs with heated seats and backs. Warm legs and back are a real gift for the rider!

The chairlift to the mountain is a salvation for beginner snowboarders who are still new to skiing, for whom surface lifts can present an insurmountable obstacle.

In Russia, many resorts are equipped with such cable cars.

Ground lifts

They transport people without leaving the ground. Unlike air ones, they cannot be used other than for their intended purpose.
T-bar lifts

The most popular type of lift. In this case, a yoke is attached to the cable, which gives the name to the entire mechanism, relying on which a person glides along the slope on his skis or board. There are two types of yokes.

• In the shape of an inverted letter T. Otherwise called an anchor hoist due to its external resemblance to an anchor. Two people can sit on the crossbar.

Note! The word “sit” in this case means not to transfer your body weight to the yoke. He won't be able to handle it and you'll fall. You can only lean on him.

• Round towing yokes, in the form of a disk or plate. Most often used on children's or educational slides.

Belt lift

It is a moving canvas, similar to a travelator. Sometimes used to access cable car stations, but most often used on children's slides. A kind of elevator for lugers. The safest way to climb, but very slow.

moving rope

Some gentle and short slopes use this type of ski lift. To lift, you just need to grab the cable with your hand. For convenience, cross handles are sometimes attached to the cable.

Nostalgia

This design is a modern analogue of ancient lifts, sometimes homemade, where you had to cling to a moving cable using a device in the form of a massive iron hook that you brought with you. At the same time, there was a real risk of getting a hook to the forehead if he suddenly fell off while passing the next stop.

Lifting rules

When using a rope tow, you need to be collected and attentive.

Go to the launch pad and grab the tow bar. Wait for the moment when the yoke pulls you up and move the bar under your buttocks. Maintain your balance and stick to the groomed track and the general direction of movement. After completing the climb, immediately leave the ski track and make room for the next one.

If you fall, quickly, as far as possible, clear the way for the next person riding. Don't try to grab the yoke again halfway through. Go down to the launch pad.

What to do if you get stuck?

If you get stuck on an aerial lift, stay put and don't worry. Stops are possible due to cable overload or minor accidents during landing or exit, as well as due to the fact that the device is jammed or broken down. If your ski lift breaks down, wait for professional help. Trying to exit an aerial lift on your own can cause serious injury.

Safety precautions

Rules for using lifts and behavior on the slope can be found at each resort. Some of the most important advice:

• when using a chair view, lower the protective frame; in a strong wind or if you move awkwardly, you can fall from the chair;
• do not rock the cabin or chair;
• Never use the lift and do not be on the slope while intoxicated or drinking alcohol!

Prudence on the mountain, caution and respect for other riders are the best protection for a rider!

Many people would love to ride a cable car to experience all the extraordinary sensations caused by this method of transportation. Cable cars can be found not only in the mountains or at river crossings, but even in large cities. Among them there are very, very long ones, and not all are accessible to ordinary people, because some of them serve industrial purposes.

1. Gabon cable car (76 km)

It is in African Gabon that the longest cable car in the world is located. But you won’t be able to ride it, because it doesn’t transport people, but manganese ore extracted from the mine. This cableway took 3 years to build and was put into operation in 1962. It is supported by 858 towers, and 2,800 buckets are suspended from ropes. But it did not become the longest cable car right away, but after a 96-kilometer cable car in Swedish Lapland, also intended for transporting ore, was dismantled, and 13.2 kilometers from it was converted into an attraction.

2. Swedish cable car (42 km)

There is another industrial cable car in Sweden that transports lime and marble to a nearby cement plant. Since 1942, it has moved more than 2.5 million tons of materials.

3. Teleferico de Merida, Venezuela (12.5 km)

This is not only the longest passenger cable car in the world, but also the highest. It stretches across Venezuela from the city of Merida to the peak of Espejo (4765 m). It has 4 spans. The ascent to a height of 3124 meters lasts an hour, during which travelers can admire the magnificent panorama of the mountains and tropical forests with fog at the transfer points. The hike, which includes two stops along the way, costs approximately $25. The cabin seats 45 people and moves at a speed of 35 km/h. SUVs and mules sometimes ascend and descend along the teleferico route, since the cable car is often closed for long periods of time for maintenance.

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4. Ropeway in Zhangjiajie Park, China (7,455 km)

In this Chinese park, the mountains are so steep and high that it even seems as if they are floating above the ground, because their base is hidden in the fog. This is where Jace Cameron was inspired to create the movie Avatar. The cable car running between these rocks is rightly considered the most fascinating on the planet. The views from the cabins of its cable cars are incredibly impressive.
Travelers who come here for the first time sometimes lose consciousness, but this is explained not by too strong impressions of the beauty they saw, but by a sharp drop in pressure. The temperature in the cabin can drop quickly and people's ears may become blocked. Therefore, local residents call this cable car “the road to heaven”, because in a number of sections it rushes into the sky at an angle of 70 degrees, piercing low clouds. But those daredevils who decide to cover almost 7.5 kilometers of its distance in 40 minutes can see the highest cave in the world, “Heavenly Gate” - the fruit of the labors of erosion on Mount Tianmen. Local residents believe that supernatural creatures live on this mountain.

5. Wings of Tatev (5.7 km)

The Tatev cable car, located in Armenia, was included in the Guinness Book of Records in 2010 as the longest single-span passenger cable car. It was built in the second half of 2010, and it cost $18 million. Its route is incredibly exciting - it passes over the incredibly beautiful and seemingly bottomless gorge of the Vorotan River. Some beginners lose their breath at the sight of the abyss under their feet.
This route is designed more for local residents, since it connects a couple of villages - Tatev, near which there is a very interesting medieval monastery, and Halidzor. Moreover, for local residents such a trip is absolutely free, while strangers will have to pay about 6 euros.
The project for the construction of the cable car also included a clause on restoring the activities of the monastery. The increased influx of tourists in connection with the appearance of this cable car allowed the abandoned monastery to be brought back to life, and infrastructure appeared in the village of Halidzor - a hotel complex built in the ancient Armenian style.

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6. Gulmarg Ropeway, India (5 km)

One of the longest cable cars in the world that climbs high into the mountains is located in India. With its help, tourists get to the largest ski resort in the Himalayas, Gulmarg. The road was opened in 2005; during peak season it carries approximately 600 people per hour. Thanks to its appearance, the resort has become much more accessible, and its value in the eyes of tourists has increased sharply. This is not surprising, because previously skiers were lifted by helicopter, and the cost of such a trip was very high, so only rich vacationers could afford to relax at this resort.

7. Malaysian miracle (3.38 km)

Near the Malaysian city of Genting, which locals sometimes call the “Las Vegas of Malaysia,” there is a remarkable cable car. There is constant fun in this city, despite the fact that it is located at an altitude of two kilometers. Two dozen luxury hotels, amusement parks and one legal casino in the whole country have been built there.
But this high-altitude cable car is notable not for the idleness of local life, but for its speed, because almost 3.5 kilometers are covered in 11 minutes, which gives a speed of 6 m/s - there is no faster cable car in the world. Europeans are usually surprised by the landscapes passing below, because the mountains there are not overgrown with the usual coniferous or deciduous forests, but with incredibly green, dense tropical jungle - this is a great gift for ecotourism lovers.

8. Cable car in Nha Trang, Vietnam (3.3 km)

This cable car takes you to the very interesting amusement island of Vinpearl, although it is worthy of a visit in its own right. If you look towards the sea from Nha Trang, you will also notice the cable car. Evening lighting makes it especially beautiful at night. It was inaugurated in 2007, at which time it became the world's longest cable car, passing over the sea at an altitude of approximately 70 meters. Its ropes support 9 pylons, reminiscent of the famous Parisian Eiffel Tower. This beauty connects the city of Nha Trang with the island of Hon Tre, where the luxurious Vinpearl Hotel and the amusement park of the same name are located. Through the transparent cabins of the funicular you can clearly see all the surrounding beauty; such a sight will be remembered for a long time. Driving on it can be compared to riding on an excellent attraction.

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9. Nizhny Novgorod cable car (3,661 km)

This cable crossing was built across the Volga, connecting the cities of Nizhny Novgorod and Bor located on its different banks. There has always been a transport deficit between cities, so the main purpose of this cable car was to provide people with an alternative mode of transport, complementing buses, electric trains and river taxis. But, in addition to local residents, it began to attract guests of Nizhny Novgorod, since traveling along it gives an excellent panorama of the Volga and its surroundings.
Work on its creation began in 2010, and already in 2012 it was launched into operation. This cable car has 28 cabins for 8 passengers.

10. Crimean cable car (2.98 km)

The passenger cable car along the route Miskhor - Sosnovy Bor - Ai-Petri is quite long and almost disappears into the surrounding nature. It occupies not the last place among Crimean attractions, and tourists from different countries of the world come here every year. This cable car operates all year round. With its help, in less than a quarter of an hour you can rise to a height of 1153 meters, and from there a breathtaking panorama of the southern Crimean coast opens, every little detail is visible at a glance. Interestingly, there are no intermediate supporting supports between the Sosnovy Bor and Ai-Petri landing stations, so this cable car was included in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest unsupported span in Europe.
In 2013, despite significant technical difficulties, a unique operation was carried out to replace the support rope with a new one, specially manufactured for the climatic parameters of the area and operating conditions. After this, riding on this cable car should not cause any fear to anyone who doubts its reliability - they can safely enjoy the beauty of nature, forgetting that there is an abyss under their feet.

Here, in the Chinese Zhangjiajie Park, among the Wulingyuan rocks, there is Mount Tianmen, and in it is the legendary Heavenly Gate Cave. You can get to the mountains by cableway, which numerous travelers who once rode along it dubbed “the most exciting” in the world. It is no coincidence that the local cable car is called the “road to heaven”: on some sections it rises upward at an angle of 70°, crashing straight into the clouds. The journey to the 7,455 m long summit takes about 40 minutes, and due to the pressure drop, passengers often have stuffy ears, and the temperature in the cabin drops sharply. There is often thick fog over the park, which adds mysticism to the surrounding landscapes. Those who want to ride this cable car will see the highest miraculous cave in the world, created by erosion of rocks. Local residents believe that she has supernatural powers. And you can go down from Tianmen Mountain by bus along the serpentine road, which has exactly 99 turns.

Genting Cable Car (Malaysia): the fastest

Genting is a city of entertainment at an altitude of 2,000 meters above sea level. It is called the Las Vegas of Malaysia: 20 luxury hotels, several amusement parks and even the only legal casino in the country have been built here. Most of the cable car route runs over the jungle, and in cloudless weather you can see monkeys scurrying below from above.

Gulmarg Ropeway (India): the highest mountain

Today in the state of Kashmir there are a dozen tourist places, and one of them is Gulmarg, the largest ski resort in the Himalayas. The total length of the cable car is 5 km, and its capacity is 600 people per hour. By the way, before the opening of the cable car, skiers were lifted to the mountains by helicopters, which made the cost of skiing in every sense of the word exorbitant.

Cable car Sternensauser (Switzerland): the worst

The most unusual road operates in the Swiss resort of Hoch-Ibrig. In order to ride it, you don’t need to sit in the booth and have your camera ready - you need to put on a helmet and fasten your seat belts. The fact is that on the Sternensauser cableway, passengers move under the weight of their own body. The cable car is a cable stretched between several platforms at a height of 75 m above the ground. By the way, Sternensauser is the longest cable track of this type in the world. The trail starts near the top station of the chairlift and leads down to the station located in the valley. While driving, the passenger reaches a speed of 70 to 90 km/h, which creates a feeling of free flight. They say that the adrenaline rush during the descent on the Sternensauser is no less than when jumping with a parachute. Adults and children who have reached the age of nine and are at least 130 cm tall are allowed to descend. The permissible passenger weight is from 30 to 125 kg.