Open Air Gondola – A ‘World-First’ Experience

My magazine colleagues and I have experienced some weird and whacky gondola rides in several different resorts over the years.

There was the ‘cable for two’ where you and a dining companion take a private night-time gondola ride up and down the mountain. Each time you pass through the top and bottom stations you are served a different dish and more wine.

I had a similar après ski experience in the Austrian resort of Hochgurgl where a party of six skiers and snowboarders can enjoy champagne and canapes which are topped up at the top and bottom of your ride.

Then there was a gondola in America, dressed up to make it look to those outside as if all the occupants were sitting in a hot tub.

There are various musical gondolas. Zell am See in Austria has made the zellamseeXpress cabins into giant jukeboxes which allow skiers and snowboarders to select their favourite tunes for the ride. Plus, a few other resorts pipe in classical music.

Another, which none of us have experienced yet, is The Ricola karaoke gondola in the Swiss resort of Grindelwald.

And we won’t go into the rumours about various resorts where people have allegedly joined the ‘gondola high club’!

Now, La Plagne has introduced what is claimed to be a world-first experience when it comes to gondola rides.

Skiers and snowboarders can already travel ‘outside’ in various resorts on short connection rides using small one or two man gondolas, but La Plagne has recently added two unique open-air cabins – L’Acrobate and La Funambule (acrobat and tightrope walker) – to the Glaciers gondola.

Each Aérolive cabin can take six skiers and snowboarders on a 30-minute journey from Roche de Mio (2,739m) to the resort’s new high point, Live 3000, at 3,080m.

These minimalist cabins have no walls or windows and therefore offer a panoramic view of the surrounding landscape. Passengers, who are harnessed, can also see through the slatted floors on to the mountains and slopes directly below.

At the top, you can relax at the Sixième Ciel café before skiing or snowboarding down red and black runs or return via the gondola in a classic cabin.

On the face of it, taking a ride high above the snow-covered mountains of La Plagne while exposed to the outside elements is not something for the fainthearted, but before every ride, passengers are given a briefing, and the makers say the unique design has an emphasis on safety and offers passengers a one-of-a-kind adventure.

The Aérolive project, which took two years to complete, was a collaboration between La Plagne’s ski operator, Société d’Aménagement de La Plagne (SAP), the Compagnie des Alpes’ Development division, and ski lift manufacturer POMA.

A ride in the Aérolive, which is also open to summer visitors to La Plagne, is priced from €49 / £41 pp.

Open Air Gondola – A ‘World-First’ Experience: A Summary

Ski resorts worldwide have introduced unique and unconventional gondola experiences, from private dining rides and champagne-fueled après ski trips to musical and even karaoke-equipped cabins. Some gondolas have quirky designs, like one in the U.S. that appears to house a hot tub. La Plagne, however, has taken gondola innovation to new heights with its Aérolive cabins—open-air, wall-free gondolas offering breathtaking panoramic views. These minimalist cabins, which harness passengers for safety, provide a thrilling 30-minute ride to Live 3000 at 3,080m. The project, a collaboration between La Plagne’s ski operator, Compagnie des Alpes, and lift manufacturer POMA, offers a daring yet secure adventure for skiers and summer visitors alike.

For more information on La Plagne and the large choice of accommodation available through Ski Line CLICK HERE

Images used courtesy of La Plagne/Aerolive@otgp