Court Overturns St. Christina’s “No” to Gröden–Seiser Alm Cable Link, Reviving a Long-Running Dolomites Dispute

A planned lift between two of South Tyrol’s best-known ski areas has returned to the agenda after a court ruling. The administrative court has annulled a municipal council decision against a new connection between Monte Pana, above St. Christina in Val Gardena, and Saltria on the Seiser Alm. The judges did not rule on the merits of the project, but on a procedural failing. The resident initiative that opposes the link says it will keep fighting, and wants the missing public meetings held and a fresh vote taken.

What the court decided

The ruling came after an appeal by the project company. Val Gardena Alpe di Siusi Express GmbH challenged the St. Christina council decision of March 2025. The court overturned it because the information evenings required beforehand had not been held. The matter was decided at the administrative court in Bolzano. A trade outlet stressed that the project does not have to be approved on its merits. It said the municipality simply hadn’t completed the prescribed procedure.

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The practical effect is limited for now. There is still no direct lift connection between the two areas, which remain linked only by bus. Both areas belong to the Dolomiti Superski network and are popular with winter visitors.

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A project that has been around since 2017

The idea of a connection is not new. Plans for a cable-car link between Monte Pana and Saltria have been on the table since 2017 and have been fiercely disputed from the start. Local politics has twisted back and forth. In March 2017 the Kastelruth council voted unanimously for a lift link, and in 2018 St. Christina’s council voted in principle for a rail connection between Monte Pana and the Seiser Alm. A consultation process followed. A working group formed under the master plan “Vision Gherdëina” started work in April 2024 to examine the link. On 14 June 2024 its 17 members voted nine to eight on whether to keep the bus service or build a new lift. Critics said the basic question of whether any link was needed had not been properly debated.

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1,600 objections

Public opposition followed. About 1,600 residents submitted written objections. The initiative Nosc Cunfin said the communities had been slow to inform the public and the objection procedure was unfriendly to citizens, because it required registered mail or hand delivery. It called for a referendum. Wolkenstein and St. Ulrich had already voted against, on 7 May and 7 June 2024.

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On 5 March 2025, about 300 residents attended a St. Christina council meeting. The motion rejecting a cable-car or train connection passed by nine votes to five. According to the initiative, the mayor, six members of the citizens’ list and one SVP councillor voted in favour of the motion. Four SVP councillors and one citizens’ list member voted against. Kastelruth, on the Seiser Alm side, stayed supportive. A Free List Kastelruth statement said the majority party had repeatedly confirmed its clear intention to back the link.

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Where things stand

The council met on 29 October and discussed the appeal, but the initiative says no decision was taken on how to proceed. It is unclear what happens to the working group and the information evenings. Heidi Stuffer, Nosc Cunfin’s president, told the press that the court’s decision must naturally be respected. She hopes St. Christina will use every democratic means to confirm its rejection in the correct form. She added that the outstanding information evenings must now take place so that a final report on the 1,600 objections can follow.

The conservation counter-proposal

Nosc Cunfin is also making a positive case for protection. It met provincial officials in February 2025 to discuss extending the nature park to cover the Langkofel (Sassolungo) group and the neighbouring intact area. It also discussed a possible Natura 2000 designation. The initiative promotes a “quiet zone” free of tourist development, arguing that protecting a lightly visited area could relieve the heavily used tourist areas of Val Gardena and the Seiser Alm. It says it is involved in the Seiser Alm area plan and the municipal development plans of Kastelruth and St. Christina, and aims for a nature park including the Cunfin-Böden and the Stone City natural monuments.

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Closing thoughts

The court has reopened a question many residents thought was settled, without answering it. Supporters see a link as a way to improve circulation between two overcrowded areas. Opponents argue it would add pressure to a sensitive landscape. What the ruling really does is send the decision back to the town hall, where a properly staged public process must come first. Whether that process ends with a cable car, a train, a bus or a protected zone remains to be seen. The next step lies with St. Christina’s council.