First t-bar lift

Nostalgics still love them today: the T-shaped, orange and black T-bar ski lifts that provided access to Switzerland's ski resorts for decades. Many of them are still in operation, even though modern lifts and new comfort demands are increasingly replacing them. What many don't know: the world's first T-bar ski lift – and also the first ski lift in Switzerland – was located in Davos. Its opening on the Bolgen mountain marked the beginning of a new era in winter sports, and Davos wrote an important chapter in ski history.

At the end of the 1920s, a study by the Davos ski school showed that ski students only spent six minutes skiing per lesson. The rest of the time was spent climbing to the start. Zurich engineer Ernst Gustav Constam wanted to remedy this problem. The passionate skier subsequently developed a tow rope system with a haulage rope. In 1930, Constam registered his invention with the patent office, and four years later he found a sponsor in the local hotelier and farmer Leonhard (known as Lieni) Fopp, who was interested in building such a tow rope on his property. The Bolgenlift was finally put into operation on December 24, 1934. Its data sheet: 270 meters long, 60 meters height difference, J-shaped single bar, valley station with a 24 hp electric drive, five intermediate supports and an upper deflection station.

After the first season, the Bolgenlift had already transported 70,000 skiers - a complete success. The transport capacity was then doubled - the young ski instructor Jack Ettinger came up with the idea: He suggested replacing the J-shaped single bars with T-shaped double bars. Constam, who immediately liked this suggestion, had the Bolgenlift converted to double bars. Constam T-bar lifts soon followed in St. Moritz, Mürren and France. "Constam" became the most widely used ski lift system. More information on the history of ski lifts and cable car history in Europe can be found under Cable Car Nostalgia.