A loop-type ski cableway of Keketuohai International Ski Resort of Altai Mountain with an elevation of more than 1,200 meters [Photo/sinomach.com.cn]

The first phase of construction for a cableway at Altai Mountain’s Keketuohai International Ski Resort, undertaken by the Beijing Materials Handling Research Institute (BMHRI) affiliated to Sinomach, in Fuyun county of Altay, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, passed inspection on Oct 18.

As the project’s designer and manufacturer, the BMHRI was also responsible for related engineering work such as installation, debugging and equipment foundation construction.

Located in the Keketuohai National Geological Park, the international ski resort features a yearly snow fall period of eight months and has been awarded by Guinness as the ski resort with the world’s largest altitude descent at 1,219 meters.

The cableway has an oblique length of 3,510 meters, an altitude of 3,038 meters for the upper station, and a vertical height difference of 866 meters. Twenty-one supports have been set up along the line, with a maximum running speed of 6 meters per second and a one-way traffic volume of 2,400 people per hour. It is a loop-type cableway with an intermediate station. The line, divided into A and B sections which can run together or separately, fills a gap of loop-type ski lifts in China.

Up to now, 73 cableways, including three longest in China, have been built by the BMHRI, 20 of them for skiing.