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31. July 2021

News from the ski area Arlberg: Farewell Wadlbeisser

Last ride of the old Madloch lift. The Madloch lift was built in 1957 as a single chair lift and has attained cult status ever since. The construction of the single chairlift represented the birth of the white ring. Since the beginnings of Hotel Ullis in 1961, our guests have been able to strap on their skis at the front door and ski directly down the white ring.

The connecting lift between Zürs and Lech first made the Madloch run accessible to the ottonormals. From the time the Madlochbahn opened its gates, it experienced numerous reconstructions. In 1967 the single chair lift was replaced by a double chair lift at its current location. In 1990, another reconstruction took place and the lift became the fastest (3 m/s) fixed-grip lift in Austria, giving the Madlochbahn its nickname “Wadlbeisser” (meaning: someone who puts his teeth into a task). This reputation, as the fastest lift in Austria in the middle of the Arlberg, gave the region additional appeal and prompted numerous enthusiastic skiers to hit the white ring. My grandparents also knew how to take advantage of the tourist boom and shortly thereafter enlarged the Hotel Ulli to its current size.

With the shutdown of the Wadlbeisser, a piece of history retires. The Grand Dame of the Arlberg is now bidding farewell and making way for a new generation, in the form of a detachable 6-seater chairlift.

I am already looking forward to exploring the new lift with you as my guests on the “host ski day”.

Your Lukas Müller