Promotur chooses the Sunkid Wonder Carpet

A new Sunkid Wonder Carpet replaces a skilift in Ravascletto Zoncolan (Promotur)

The Ravascletto Zoncolan ski resort is located in Friaul (Venetia) in Italy. It is one of five ski resorts that have joined together to create the Promotur umbrella association. The ski resort enjoys both excellent infrastructure and a unique panorama. However, it was decided to replace the existing skilift in the beginners' area on the lower slopes with a Sunkid Wonder Carpet for the 2010 winter season. The resort required higher capacity, a more user-friendly design, and most importantly, increased speed - in this case 1.2 m/s.

The operators of the Ravascletto Zoncolan (Promotur) ski resort decided to replace the ski lift in the beginners' area with a new conveyor lift, complete with enclosure. The most important requirements to be met by the new conveyor lift were those of a wider conveyor, higher conveyor speed (1.2 m/s), increased overall capacity, an enclosure, and of course compliance with safety requirements. Sunkid was selected to complete this project from an open proposal process with stiff competition.

2010-02-20

Conveyor belts as ski lift replacements

The project created a new Wonder Carpet with a length of 159 meters and a 15 kW drive motor. The new Sunkid conveyor belt was constructed according to the specifications of the future European prEN15700 norm, meeting the highest standards for safety. Sunkid's unique position as the only producer of conveyor belt lifts allowed the company to create a novel exit solution, in partnership with safety authorities, that allows speeds of 1.2 m/s This newly-developed exit also reduces shut downs, particularly during the transportation of pedestrian passengers. The high speed primarily reduces travel time up the slope, allowing longer distances to be covered quickly and comfortably. Another advantage is that the new Sunkid Wonder Carpet achieves a significantly higher transport capacity than the previous lift. On peak days, over 7000 passenger trips have been counted already. The previously used ski lift only managed to transport 1750 people per day max – meaning the Sunkid Wonder Carpet now carries four times as many passengers.

A video monitor system was installed to allow supervision of the entire length of the conveyor system. The video cameras allow supervision of the entire route from one central location below the lift. External terminals control the 159m-long system from the lower lift station.

The new conveyor lift is better utilized by the skiing and snowboarding beginners than the previous ski lift. The operators say this is due to the higher user-friendliness and comfort offered by the system. The Sunkid Gallery provides a particular bonus in comfort for passengers. The Gallery provides an excellent view of the beautiful panorama in good weather, and protects guests during bad weather from wind, snow, rain, and cold. The Gallery removes the need for snow removal on the lift route and simplifies maintenance and service.

The effective cooperation between Sunkid and its partners at Promotur allowed implementation of a novel project. Initial experiences in this first season have been very positive and bode well for the future.