December 17, 2012. On Monday, December 17, the foundation of the lower drive end for the passenger cable way will be laid in Arkhyz. The second cable way is being built within the framework of the project on expanding the infrastructure of a tourist resort called Arkhyz-1650; this is an all-year ski resort and a pilot project by the North Caucasian Tourist Cluster, Sinara Group’s PR Center reports.

The launch of the station was split into two stages: first, the foundation for all the machinery was laid, and the drive end was assembled next to the installation site. Later, two cranes with the capacity of 200 and 150 tons will be used to place the drive end onto the foundation. The assembled drive end, with all the machinery inside, weighs about 70 tons. The step-by-step assembly and installation is actually a unique case in the history of building cable ways in the mountains.

The lower drive end is the key element of the second cable way for Arkhyz 1650. In the future, the drive end will ensure the performance of a chairlift that will take 2,400 passengers an hour to the height of 2,300m, where two pistes of 2,600 and 2,150m are located. At the moment, the foundation is still being laid down in concrete, and some supporting beams are being installed. The launch of the second cable way, which will be 2,400m long, is expected in March 2013.