50%

lower energy consumption expected
according to own calculations

1'000

people per hour max. capacity
between the Segneshütte and
Cassons

Destinations

are selected before boarding and
automatically navigated towards

1'500

1,500 people per hour max.
capacity (at full load, the capacity
can be increased to max. 1,800
people per hour)

Gondolas

operate on demand

Summer

capacity with bikes: five people incl. bikes

Cabins

are equipped with two phone charging
stations, a ventilation system and lighting

10

seats per gondola

Parts

which are safety relevant were
manufactured in Switzerland

16'000

different parts were used to
build each gondola

Construction diary
Newsletter
Webcams

Milestones

Milestones

2014: Ils Cugns was
viewed and chosen
as a destination

2014 – 2019:
Development of
different options for
accessing the Tectonic
Arena Sardona World
Heritage Site (routes,
gondola systems, etc.)

2014: Development of
the Y option: Flims-
Foppa-Startgels line
and an aerial tramway
between Startgels and
Ils Cugns

2017: Initial design by
Olgiati: aerial tramway
with a capacity of 250
people; Flims (Stenna-
Tobel)-Nagens, Nagens-
Ils Cugns (later from Foppa)

2020: During the first
wave of the COVID-19
pandemic, the innovative
gondola system Ropetaxi
was conceived
(R. Bartholet and
R. Gurtner)

2021: Projektausarbeitung
inkl. raumplanerische
Grundlagen, Abstimm-
ung über Ortsplanung
in Flims am 13.6.2021
mit 86% JA-Anteil
angenommen (Stimm-
beteiligung 71%)

Dec 2021: ‘Flims2Flums’
event for residents and
those for whom the area
is a second home took
place in Flums

Jan 2022: The relevant
documents for the appli-
cation for a building
permit were submitted
to the Federal Office of
Transport (BAV)

Summer 2022:
Construction of the Flims-
Foppa-Startgels stations
and lines; arenaexpress is in summer operating mode

April – Dec 2023:
Construction of the
Startgels – Segnes –
Nagens Sura –
Ils Cugns stations
and lines

Dec 2023: Opening
of the Flims – Foppa
– Startgels sections
to skiers; the Grau-
berg gondolalift
stays in operation
as a rail link

April – Dec 2024:
Opening of the Segnes
visitor centre

Dec 2024: Opening of the
line to Nagens Sura.

Summer 2025:
Full opening of
the line to Cassons.

2014: Ils Cugns was
viewed and chosen
as a destination

2014 – 2019:
Development of
different options for
accessing the Tectonic
Arena Sardona World
Heritage Site (routes,
gondola systems, etc.)

2014: Development of
the Y option: Flims-
Foppa-Startgels line
and an aerial tramway
between Startgels and
Ils Cugns

2017: Initial design by
Olgiati: aerial tramway
with a capacity of 250
people; Flims (Stenna-
Tobel)-Nagens, Nagens-
Ils Cugns (later from Foppa)

2020: During the first
wave of the COVID-19
pandemic, the innovative
gondola system Ropetaxi
was conceived
(R. Bartholet and
R. Gurtner)

2021: Projektausarbeitung
inkl. raumplanerische
Grundlagen, Abstimm-
ung über Ortsplanung
in Flims am 13.6.2021
mit 86% JA-Anteil
angenommen (Stimm-
beteiligung 71%)

Dec 2021: ‘Flims2Flums’
event for residents and
those for whom the area
is a second home took
place in Flums

Jan 2022: The relevant
documents for the appli-
cation for a building
permit were submitted
to the Federal Office of
Transport (BAV)

Summer 2022:
Construction of the Flims-
Foppa-Startgels stations
and lines; arenaexpress is in summer operating mode

April – Dec 2023:
Construction of the
Startgels – Segnes –
Nagens Sura –
Ils Cugns stations
and lines

Dec 2023: Opening
of the Flims – Foppa
– Startgels sections
to skiers; the Grau-
berg gondolalift
stays in operation
as a rail link

April – Dec 2024:
Opening of the Segnes
visitor centre

Dec 2024: Opening of the
line to Nagens Sura.

Summer 2025:
Full opening of
the line to Cassons.

Layout of the line

Layout of the line

How it works

1

Select your destination before boarding.

2

The gondola makes its way onto the line to you.

3

Board the stationary gondola as soon as the doors open.

4

The gondola automatically navigates towards your destination.

Discover the technical details

Gondolas only travel when needed and requested

Strong reduction of empty trips

According to our calculations, our gondola lift is expected to use 50% less energy

Reduced operating and maintenance costs (e.g. 70% less wear parts)

The absence of a conventional storage facility eliminates a major time and cost factor in relation to the daily parking of the cabins.

Wherever possible, the new stations will be integrated into the surrounding nature.

Local resources such as wood and concrete will be used to build the stations.

A local concrete factory will be built in Segnes for concrete production.

Preserving the unique landscapes is our top priority

All safety-related parts and cabins are manufactured in Switzerland.

‘Our basic principle is ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’. With the Ropetaxi we have created a gondola system that enables highly modern technical developments while ensuring minimal interference with the surrounding nature.’

Reto Gurtner
Chairman of the Board, Weisse Arena Group

Sustainability

FlemXpress is in line with the ‘greenstyle’ sustainability concept implemented by Weisse Arena Group in 2010. The new gondola lift will not only use less energy but will also have significantly lower operating and maintenance costs. That is because the sustainable Ropetaxi system only travels on demand when there are guests who actually want to board. That way, unnecessary empty trips can be avoided.

Find out more

All safety-related parts and cabins are manufactured in Switzerland.

‘With a conventional gondola lift, around 90% of the cabins travel empty. With FlemXpress, at least one person will be present in the cabin and the gondola goes wherever you want it to. That makes our gondola lift much more sustainable than it has been possible up until now.’

Roland Bartholet
CEO of Bartholet Maschinenbau AG

Innovation

The gondola lift is operated in a fully automatic and demand-driven way. The Ropetaxi technology which makes this possible was specially developed for this project by the Weisse Arena Group and the company Bartholet Maschinenbau AG. Like with any gondola lift, the gondolas move on a cable throughout the journey. However, in the station, the cabins move autonomously on rails by way of their own drive system. If any gondolas are unoccupied, they will not be on the line. This innovative technology allows guests to comfortably board the stationary cabin with their luggage or sports equipment and thus makes the gondolas accessible to all.

Find out more

Start the challenge now and collect points.

Let's go!

‘We have made it our goal to place an increased focus on values and improve quality of life. With this new project, we are well on our way to creating an entry point into the UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site Tectonic Arena Sardona within the next two years.’

Martin Hug
Mayor of Flims

FlemXpress offers breathtaking landscapes and exciting experiences in an innovative, sustainable and accessible way. The goal was to make the UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site Tectonic Arena Sardona accessible to all by way of a visitor-oriented, pioneering flagship project. The Ropetaxi system, a world novelty, transports you directly to your destination regardless of the season. Six different stations are planned. Choose your destination, get on board and discover the area. FlemXpress uses just one system, but offers the highest level of guest comfort, a low environmental impact and reduces energy usage. What more could you want?

With the construction of the FlemXpress, we are investing in your future mountain experience in the destination of Flims Laax. It will be completed to Nagens Sura by the end of 2024 and to Cassons by the summer of 2025. The first section from Flims to Foppa and Startgels has been in operation since December 2023.
Facts and figures
Milestones
Layout of the line
Technology
Sustainability
Innovation
Experiences and activities
Construction diary
Webcams
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Impressum

Foppa

The central control station of the Flem Xpress is located in Foppa.
The structure of the existing station in Foppa will be used and expanded.
Access to the station in Foppa will be improved and enhanced by increased light irradiation.

Mountain restaurants near Foppa

Activities starting point Foppa

Discover now

Startgels

The new station in Startgels will be located at the same elevation as the existing mountain restaurant.
For reasons related to structural engineering, the existing building structure cannot be used.
So that the new station in Startgels does not appear too dominant from the valley, it will be built into the soil and hidden as well as possible.

Mountain restaurant near Startgels

Activities starting point Startgels

Discover now

Nagens Sura

To ensure that the gondola lift is, as far as possible, not visible from the valley, the line from Segnes to Nagens Sura will be integrated into the rock face.
The Nagens Sura station is located between the current Grauberg mountain station and Berghaus Nagens (Arena Express mountain station)
The Nagens Sura station gives guests access to the entire Nagens area.

Mountain restaurants near Nagens Sura

Activities starting point Nagens Sura​

Discover now

Segnes

The Segnes station will be the largest station of the Flem Xpress. This is where all the logistics will be managed.
So that the new station in Segnes does not appear too dominant from the valley, it will be built into the soil (beneath the Segneshütte) and hidden as well as possible.
The Segneshütte will be expanded to include a visitor centre. This will be the main point of entry into the Tectonic Arena Sardona UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The excavated stone will be processed into concrete and used to build the local station.

Mountain restaurant near Segnes

Activities starting point Segnes

Discover now

Cassons

The new station in Cassons will be hidden behind a rise in the terrain to reduce its visibility and provide protection from avalanches.

To ensure that the surrounding nature remains untouched as far as possible, in winter, from the Cassons mountain station onwards, there will only be marked freeride descents and no marked slopes. For the same reason, no bikes will be transported to this destination in summer.

Activities starting point Cassons

Discover now

Flims

The structure of the existing station in Flims will be used and expanded for the Flem Xpress valley station.
The current line between Flims and Foppa will remain unchanged.

Mornellregenpfeifer

Der Mornellregenpfeifer – ein Vogel, welcher sein schweizweit bedeutendstes Rastgebiet auf dem Cassonsgrat hat. Aufgrund der geringen Anzahl Brutnachweise zwischen den Jahren 2000 und 2009, gilt die Vogelart künftig, gemäss Angaben der Vogelwarte Sempach, vermutlich als verletzlich und ist somit besonders schützenswert. Es ist unsere Pflicht, den notwenigen Schutz des Lebensraums mit geeigneten Massnahmen sicherzustellen.

Dotterel

The dotterel is a bird whose most important resting place in Switzerland is located in Fil de Cassons. Due to the limited evidence of nesting between 2000 and 2009, the Swiss Ornithological Institute in Sempach believe that the bird species is likely to be vulnerable in future and is therefore particularly worthy of protection. It is our duty to ensure that their habitat is sufficiently protected by putting in place appropriate measures.
Join the FlemXpress Challenge now and win LAAX points regularly until the opening of the new gondola. You can redeem the collected points for exclusive offers at the LAAX Originals store or pay for your food or drinks directly in the app. Register now with your existing LAAX app login or create a new account. Good luck!
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