Switzerland’s Oldest Gondola Retires After 56 Years

After 56 years and 16 million passengers, one of Switzerland’s most iconic ski lifts has taken its final ride. The historic Verbier–Savoleyres gondola operated for the last time on August 30, 2026, bringing an end to an era for one of the world’s most distinctive vintage ski lifts.

Commissioned in 1970, the gondola was officially the oldest cable car still to have operated in Switzerland and the last Giovanola-designed installation of its kind still operating anywhere in the world. Téléverbier marked the final day with a farewell event at Savoleyres, including raclette and a guest book where visitors could leave memories of the lift.

• Related: Could You Ride the Bec des Rosses in Verbier?

The gondola’s unmistakable silver cabins, hexagonal shape, roof and bright orange numbering made it one of the most recognizable lifts in the Alps. Built by Giovanola, a Valais-based engineering company, the lift was a product of an earlier era of Swiss ski-lift engineering. It was even blessed by a priest when it opened in 1970. For generations of skiers, the distinctive cabins became part of the experience of skiing at Verbier.

Over more than five decades, the lift transported approximately 16 million passengers between Verbier and Savoleyres. Remarkably, no accidents were recorded during its 56 years of operation. However, that does not mean the lift could continue indefinitely. Some of its components no longer meet modern safety requirements, including the clamp connecting the cabins to the haul rope. The cabins themselves also had a significant weakness in windy conditions due to their unique geometry.

The gondola’s arrival came during a period of explosive development at Verbier. Téléverbier’s history stretches back to 1950, when the company was founded as Télésiège de Médran SA by a group of developers. The Médran cable car opened on December 23, 1950. The resort rapidly added lifts during the following two decades as skiing grew from a niche pursuit into a major part of the region’s tourism economy. A single-seat chairlift was built at Savoleyres in 1955, while additional lifts and cable cars were constructed throughout the developing ski area. By the end of 1970, Téléverbier owned 29 lifts. In 1970, the Savoleyres gondola was constructed, which replaced the original chairlift that had served the sector since the 1950s. It would go on to outlive virtually every piece of infrastructure from that period.

• Related: Verbier, Switzerland, Conditions Report: Best Friends on Powder Day

The historic gondola is being retired as part of a much larger project to modernize the connection between Verbier and Savoleyres. Its replacement is the new Esserts–Savoleyres Télémixte, a hybrid lift combining detachable six-person chairs with 10-person gondola cabins. The new installation is being built by Doppelmayr-Garaventa and will connect Les Esserts, Les Planards and Savoleyres. The gondola section will run from Les Esserts at approximately 1,700 meters (5,577 feet) to Savoleyres at approximately 2,200 meters (7,218 feet). The chairlift section will connect the intermediate Les Planards station with the summit and have an hourly capacity of up to 1,675 passengers per hour.

The first section between Planards and Savoleyres opened in December 2025. Construction of the full Esserts–Savoleyres connection has continued through 2026, with full operation scheduled for the 2026/27 winter season. A new skiable route will also connect the Les Ruinettes sector to the new lift. The project is intended to improve skier circulation around the sprawling Verbier 4 Vallées ski area while providing a considerably more modern and accessible lift system.

While the new lift life will be faster and more comfortable, many skiers who remember those silver hexagonal cabins with orange numbers, the iconic old Verbier–Savoleyres gondola will be difficult to replace.