As early as this summer, snowmaking specialist BÄCHLER caused a stir when it successfully tested the transport of its snow lances using heavy-lift drones. The idea to deploy drones much more broadly within the cable car industry – beyond just their own core business – was born during a conversation between COO Mario Koch and the head of snowmaking at a renowned ski resort.

BÄCHLER found the perfect partners for this venture in the drone startup SCARA captures and the Melchsee-Frutt ski resort, which served as the testing ground. In a short period, it was impressively demonstrated how fully automated drone inspection flights significantly reduce the workload for teams, allow for faster problem localization, and enable necessary checks to be completed in less time.

The DJI Matrice 4TD drone (paired with the Dock 3) from the Europe-wide certified global market leader weighs 1.8 kilograms. It is equipped with an HD camera featuring 8x optical and 120x digital zoom, as well as a high-performance thermal imaging camera. Additionally, it features a powerful loudspeaker with a range of 150 meters and a strong spotlight with 4,000 lumens.

Limitless Applications

Thanks to these features, the range of applications seems almost infinite. BÄCHLER, SCARA captures, and Sportbahnen Melchsee-Frutt have already identified the following potential uses:

1. Day and night inspection flights for ropeways, snowmaking systems, and other infrastructure
2. Slope monitoring day and night – regarding both slope conditions and people (AI/thermal imaging detects persons and objects, including the ability to address them via loudspeaker)
3. Support during avalanche incidents using thermal imaging
4. Measurement of distances and snow volumes
5. Video recording for marketing purposes

Legal Aspects

The drones operate under licenses and permits obtained directly by SCARA captures. The cable car operator simply “rents” the service and is thus legally protected. SCARA captures also programs the flight paths and installs the drone’s docking station. Additionally, the startup trains the cable car staff to become “operators.”

All inspection missions are carried out fully autonomously. Active piloting of the drone is not necessary, but the cable car operator can pause the flight at any time, adjust camera focus, and resume the flight after inspecting a specific spot.

“In an emergency – such as an avalanche – the operator is also permitted to fly the drone manually,” explains Quirin Gasser of SCARA captures.

Together with his partner Cyril Lippmann, he adapted the drone – previously used primarily in industrial settings – for alpine applications. For example, the terrain was 3D-scanned using the drone to define the precise positions of snow guns and cable car towers.

Examples of the Potential

The project partners agree that the potential of inspection drones cannot be overstated.

“Even in the dead of night during active snowmaking operations, we can identify exactly which nozzle is clogged from a distance of 18 meters,” says a clearly impressed Janis Jülke of BÄCHLER.

The technology is also convincing for ropeways: On one hand, daily and weekly inspections can be automated and documented. The operator can view the live feed on the office PC as well as review the drone’s images afterwards.

Furthermore, the drone assists during malfunctions: Instead of spending a long time searching for a fault—and in the worst-case scenario, climbing every tower—all towers can be inspected by air. This allows the maintenance team to be sent immediately to the right location with the correct spare part.

Guests in the cabins can also be informed about the situation via loudspeaker. The speaker is clearly audible from a distance of 150 meters. Additionally, the 4,000-lumen spotlight can illuminate large areas.