New chairlift helps kids and disabled embrace mountain skiing

The ABB-pioneering technology enabled the well-known Klosters-Madrisa ski resort in Swiss Alps to open the country's first disabled and child-friendly chairlift on Sunday, making those who used to need help reach the mountain top independently.

This unique lift uses a size recognition control system that ensures small children and monoskiers waiting for the lift are raised to the correct seat height to easily load onto the chair.

A special automatic closing and opening of the locking clip allows all the skiers to use the chair lift by themselves.

In the new Madrisa chairlift, which is over 1,890m long, ABB's AC motors and traction converters ensured energy efficiency and low maintenance needs.

Swiss wheelchair racer and eight-time Paralympic medallist Edith Wolf-Hunkeler and ABB CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer took a ride on the first disabled and child-friendly chairlift on Sunday at the Madrisa resort near Davos, where the World Economic Forum takes place.

Spiesshofer said that this special chairlift, which uses the lift model CS10B, has been designed to provide more safety, security and comfort for small children and physically disabled individuals.

Today, ABB's drive and railway technology is providing safe, reliable, and energy efficient transport throughout the Swiss mountain world, making a significant contribution to the safe and energy-efficient functioning of the modern infrastructure such as cableways, ski lifts and snowmaking facilities, he added.

Already known as a ski resort specializing on families, kids, and the disabled, Madrisa, which opened in 1967, now can handle 2000 people at peak time and strives to provide physically disabled people a new experience on the mountain, aiming to become a mecca in Switzerland for physically restricted snow sports. Endit