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In Krasnaya Polyana a new gondola lift is being mounted which will not only reach three hotels in the upper part of the resort but also hotels situated on a lower level. It will be placed on the mountain which is called Laura by local citizens. It is on the opposite side of the mountain Aibga where there are five current aerial lifts. ‘It is said to have simpler mountain trails, so the launch of a new gondola lift will solve the problem for beginners or those who prefer a comfortable skiing because there are not that many trails in Krasnay Polyana and people usually go there to free-ride’, comments Alexey Gorshenin, general director of ‘Vertical world’.
According to the information received from market participants, ‘Gazprom’ is investing the project. The first ride on a new cable car on the height of 1500 is expected to be launched in the coming season, although some experts doubt it. ‘Stations over intermediate towers are built but the cable is not yet strung, wagon are not mounted and it is unknown whether this will be arranged by the start of the season’, says a representative of a Sochi tour firm who wished to stay anonymous. Yet, it is unknown when the season starts either. Usually it happens in December but at the moment there is practically no snow at the resort.
The launch a cable car should solve another major problem of the resort: long queues of those whishing to go up the mountain. The demand for Krasnya Polyana grows every year but out of 5 existing aerial lifts four of them are lined up one after another, only one of them built in February 2004 with 6 seats is situated parallel to them and unloads a part of the third queue. ‘It needs more building’, believed Mikhail Musinyants, general director of ‘Ertsog’.
Meanwhile, if it was not for the problems with infrastructure, Russian ski resorts could equally compete with European analogues, says Elena Savchenko, senior manager of mountain skiing in Russia of ‘Rose of winds’. ‘On Krasnya Polyana there are already hotels of international class; no visas or long flights also make the life of holiday-makers much easier’, she notes.
