High speed transport solution from Sunkid in Val Thorens

Val Thorens - part of the largest ski area in the world - relies on conveyor belts from Sunkid

Place: Val Thorens /Year: 2010 / Product: Moving Carpet
  • Length: 222 m + 192m
  • propulsion: 37KW + 30 KW
  • Driving speed: 1,2 m/s
  • Transports: Peak: 6,500 per day (average: 4,000 - 5,000)
  • Gradient: Ø 15%
  • Conveyor belt characteristics:
    • Width: 750 mm
    • Surface: Sunkid Blue Eye
    • Combination of hard natural rubber and soft grip points
    • Cold resistance up to -40 degrees Celsius
    • Highest driver values Vulcanization to an endless belt
    • 4-ply breaking load: 500 N/mm (equivalent to over 30 tons)
  • Sunkid "KOMBI" side exit (side exit and front exit in one).
    • "Radius" element for easy lateral turning of the skis
    • Front exit with two light barrier systems
    • Front exit with newly designed safety gate
    • Safety gate to switch to "pure" side exit (without front exit)
    • Reduction of shutdowns Customized
  • Sunkid gallery conveyor belt canopy
    • Side exits every 50m
    • Opening of side doors from inside and outside possible
    • Entrances and exits completely roofed
    • Lockable end gates
  • Features of the diverter station:
    • Tensioning distance in the deflection station: 2.36 m
    • Active-hydraulic tensioning station to adapt to length changes due to temperature fluctuations and load changes
    • Tensioning force of the active-hydraulic tensioning station: 4 tons
Sunkid conveyor belts in Val Thorens
Use-case:
/
Length:
414 m
Beltwidth:
750 mm
Surface:
Sunkid Blue Eye
Propulsion:
67 kW
max. Speed:
1.2 m/sec
Ø Gradient :
15 %

Just last summer, Sunkid France was founded to provide even faster and more effective support to existing customers in France. In addition to a head office, sufficient resources are also available for a powerful after-sales directly on site. In combination with the competent sales team around Michel Jourdan, Sunkid France was able to land a major order already in the first business year. In Val Thorens, two "high speed" Moving Carpets with 222m and 192m were installed. What makes this project unique, in addition to the special roof and a new combination exit solution, is the increased speed of 1.2 m/s.

Val Thorens relies on
Sunkid POWER

The practice area in Val Thorens is freely available to all guests. From this season, beginners will have a much improved offer. Two Sunkid conveyor belts replace the previous practice lifts in the beginner area. The major advantages for guests are easier use, increased comfort, better relaxation during the ascent and, as a result, increased skiing enjoyment. In addition, the operator SETAM Val Thorens benefits from the new solution due to higher capacity (waiting times are eliminated) and a minimization of shutdowns. In December, as many as 6,500 rides a day were counted on the Sunkid conveyor belts, and even in quieter periods the average transport rate is around 4,000 - 5,000 people a day. Since there are no overtravel and safety zones on the conveyor belt compared to a practice lift, the available space is optimally utilized for mountain transport. Furthermore, the lower personnel requirements and, in some cases, lower investment costs speak in favor of a conveyor lift.

Customized

The maintenance and cleaning effort of the Sunkid Moving Carpet is minimized by the conveyor belt canopy. In addition, guests are protected from wind, rain, snow and cold, especially in adverse conditions. In fair weather, however, the Sunkid construction allows guests to enjoy the unique mountain panorama thanks to its transparent design.

The Sunkid Gallery conveyor canopy in Val Thorens was customized, elaborated in cooperation with the French authorities and certified. Side doors are provided every 50m (standard every 1.8m) and the stations of the entrance and exit are each completely covered. The roofing of the exit station posed a particular challenge, as it is a new type of combined exit.

The new exit option

The combination exit is the latest innovation from Sunkid to expand the exit options. With this solution, which is a combination of side exit and front exit, the winter sports enthusiast decides whether he wants to exit the conveyor belt on the left, right or straight. The special feature of the Sunkid solution is that all three exit options can be used simultaneously. However, the operator is free to block the front exit at any time and switch to side exit only by means of a safety gate.

At High Speed on the Moving Carpet

In previous projects, Sunkid has already been able to increase the speed up to 1.2 m/s (standard 0.6 m/s) in cooperation with the authorities. Now, for the first time, this has also been achieved in France and SETAM Val Thorens has the first two Sunkid Moving Carpet rides with double the speed. This has been made possible by a newly designed safety flap in the exit area. After the testing certification procedure of the French. Authorities, the new safety system was able to go into operation in Val Thorens at the beginning of this winter season. The higher travel speed now allows long conveyor sections to be covered in a reasonable time. This enables numerous applications, especially in urban transportation, thanks to an innovative form of passenger transport.

With the highest level of commitment and dedication, the young, innovative company Sunkid France convinced and realized the new lift solutions together with the customer SETAM Val Thorens. The numerous advantages of a Sunkid conveyor lift were convincing and have fully convinced from the first minute of this season!

Products in use
The transport solution that is hard to beat in terms of versatility
Moving Carpet
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Sunkid is one of the world's leading year-round providers of leisure attractions for the whole family. From individually selected attractions to individual overall concepts.