A new gondola for winter season 08/09

Last winter you will have discovered the new chairlift which had replaced the second stage of the Tougnete gondola lift.

This summer a second major project was carried out, the complete renovation of the Tougnete 1 gondola lift which was 31 years old, having been built back in 1977.

Since this spring, Méribel Alpina's technicians have been hard at work replacing the machinery in the stations, the gondola cabins and all the other structures except the mechanism and pylons. At the same time, the facilities at the start of the chairlift will also be enhanced along with the Tougnete mid-station building.

This relatively complex project will allow you to enjoy the new cabins on the Tougnete 1 gondola lift, an alternative to the "Plan de l'Homme" chairlift, especially useful for children or during bad weather.

The capacity will be 1400 passengers per hour, and the diamond shaped cabins will offer six places like the old cabins, but you will notice a change in terms of :

- greater comfort, with cushioned seats and anti-slip floors,

- more space, and now you will be seated facing inwards, allowing you to chat more easily with your friends, share tips on the best groomed piste, for example, during the few minutes of the journey, which will proceed at 5m/second,

- less noise thanks to the improved stability of the mechanism and deadening devices on the pylons.

Méribel Alpina's technicians did lots of steps to set up this new Tougnète gondola.

First step : to replace the top of pylons and the sheave assembly.

For this first step, Méribel Alpina's technicians did an helitransport to set up these new elements.

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Second step : the splice of the new cable.

This step leads to link the two extremities of the cable.

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Third step : the setting up of the security line.

Méribel Alpina's technicians did a electrical link between the two stations of the new Tougnete gondola.

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Forth step : the setting up of the cabins.

The technicians set up 4 cabins on the cable to inspect if everything is OK.

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