17 Dec 3K K-ONNECTION: Kaprun – Maiskogel – Kitzsteinhorn
Cable car planning and coordination with the authorities by the engineering firm Melzer & Hopfner.
Generations have dreamed of connecting Kaprun and the Maiskogel with the Kitzsteinhorn by cable car. It has been a reality since 30 November 2019: with the opening of the 3K K-onnection, Salzburg’s first tricable gondola lift and the heart of the K-ONNECTION, Kaprun’s town center, the Maiskogel family mountain and the snow-sure Kitzsteinhorn glacier ski area are now connected to form a fascinating unit. This alliance guarantees unlimited skiing fun for the whole family with the highest level of technical comfort. Kaprun now offers ski-in ski-out to and from the glacier for the first time. The new twelve-kilometre-long cable car axis of superlatives opens up unique panoramic views and overcomes the greatest difference in altitude in the Eastern Alps at 2,261 meters.
Connecting what belongs together
The desire to connect the two Kaprun ski areas by cable car has existed for generations. On November 30, 2019, the new 3K K-onnection was opened and finally connects what belongs together. The village center of Kaprun, the Maiskogel family ski area and the Kitzsteinhorn glacier ski area are now connected to form a single unit and the glacier can be reached directly from the village center. This was a long-awaited dream come true in Kaprun. The new K-ONNECTION cable car connection is the second epoch-making step in the history of Kaprun after the development of the first glacier ski area on the Kitzsteinhorn in 1965. The realization of this generational project is the beginning of a new alpine tourism era in the Zell am See – Kaprun region: No mountain in the Eastern Alps offers a comparable mountain experience as the Kitzsteinhorn in terms of views, snow safety, accessibility thanks to excellent infrastructure and service quality.
New 3K K-onnection: Panorama ride in a class of its own
The 4.3 kilometer long 3K K-onnection, Salzburg’s first tricable gondola lift, offers a ride experience of the highest quality in 32 cabins of the latest generation. The world premiere of the new ATRIA panoramic cabins by CWA from Switzerland was also a design highlight. The all-round glazing of the comfortably equipped cabins provides breathtaking panoramic views of the Salzach Valley, Lake Zell and Austria’s highest peaks. Up to six cable car sections are now strung together like a string of pearls from the center of Kaprun to the TOP OF SALZBURG at 3,029 meters on the Kitzsteinhorn. The unique panoramic ride Kaprun – Maiskogel – Kitzsteinhorn is the longest continuous cable car route in the Eastern Alps with a total of twelve kilometers and covers the greatest difference in altitude at 2,261 meters. The Melzer&Hopfner team would like to thank Gletscherbahnen Kaprun AG for their many years of loyalty and excellent cooperation. We are proud to have been involved in this major project in the form of cable car planning and coordination with the authorities. We wish Gletscherbahnen Kaprun AG all the best, much joy and success with the new lift.