Sölden Swaps a 1985 Double Chair for a Six-Seater and Gives Its Highest Mountain a Snowmaking Upgrade

Sölden is spending the lead-up to winter 2026-27 on faster rides and more reliable snow. The Bergbahnen Sölden lift company is replacing the Gratl double chairlift with a six-seat chair and has extended snowmaking at the top of the Gaislachkogl. It is also making smaller changes to pistes and a glacier drag lift.

A new Gratl chair

The old double chair gives way to a Doppelmayr D-Line six-seater rated at 2,300 people per hour, halving the ride from 8 minutes to 4. The old lift was a 1985 build. It was a fixed-grip double rated at 1,440 people per hour, and it closed on 19 April 2026 and was scheduled to be dismantled in May. The new one is a bubble chair that carries its passengers on 53 chairs at 5 m/s.

The comfort and safety features are similar to those on other recent Doppelmayr installations. They include weather bubbles, locking safety bars and a gearless direct drive, plus an AI-supported AURO system watching the boarding and exit areas. The resort says moving the top station to 2,500 m lengthens the line, improves the exit area and creates a new blue piste, 1b. One database lists the top station at 2,534 m, the same height as the old lift, so the exact final position is worth checking once the lift opens.

The lift is the latest in a run of Sölden projects. For 2025-26 the company built an eight-seater called Einzeiger and, from November 2025, a third-generation eight-seater at Silberbrünnl, using AI technology. Sölden is not alone in the trend. Austria’s 2026-27 new-lift roundup lists replacements at Schmittenhöhe, Kreischberg and Glungezer, among others.

Snow at 3,048 m

The bigger project is on the Gaislachkogl, which SBT calls the start of one of the most popular runs in the ski area. The summit is home to two attractions that draw non-skiers: the 007 ELEMENTS Bond experience and the ice Q gourmet restaurant, which earned two toques in the 2025 Gault&Millau guide. The Bond installation is dedicated to the film Spectre, shot there in 2014.

The new snowmaking system covers ten hectares. A 3.9 km pipe network and a new pump station will feed eleven tower snow guns and 38 flexible tap points. Philipp Falkner, a company procurator, said the upgrades are meant to guarantee top-level piste quality from the peaks to the valley.

Smaller changes

The snowmaking at Schwarzkogl is being expanded, and the area near the Wasserkar valley station, where black and blue pistes meet, has been flattened and widened, mainly to help beginners. At the Tiefenbach glacier, the renewed Mutkogl drag lift has a shortened 859 m line and a ride time under five minutes, with camera monitoring of its top station.

Timing

The announcement does not say when the Gratl chair will open. In general, the glacier skiing area is expected to start in early October, and the main ski area is listed to open around 12 November, after the Audi FIS World Cup opener on 24-25 October.

What it means

The projects target three things skiers notice most: waiting and riding time, snow cover and beginner-friendly terrain. The Gaislachkogl snowmaking, in particular, supports the mountain’s role as a year-round attraction rather than just a ski route. The open questions are the Gratl chair’s opening date and how the new blue piste 1b fits into the network.