Most ski resorts in North America still rely on generic maintenance tools – or even paper. Yet, industry-specific software designed for the industry itself would be the most efficient and effective solution to manage and document infrastructure maintenance.

Ski Santa Fe and the Sandia Peak Tramway – both located in New Mexico, USA – have already recognized this and rely on SAMBESI, the market leader from Switzerland.

SAMBESI in a nutshell

With the tool from REMEC, ski resorts can manage maintenance and operate their facilities. SAMBESI provides seamless proof of due diligence, is accessible anytime and anywhere on mobile devices (smartphone, tablet, desktop), and thanks to its modular system, can be used flexibly and in many ways.

In addition, SAMBESI serves as a smart digital knowledge platform that secures know-how even when staff turnover occurs. “We are ropeway experts ourselves, we have data from all manufacturers – even those that no longer exist – and we can provide competent advice and training at any time,” emphasizes Johannes Stadler, CEO of REMEC.

Training in Santa Fe

A current example is Ski Santa Fe in New Mexico. With the construction of a new 4-seater chairlift by LEITNER-POMA, the operator decided on SAMBESI. The maintenance software is now in use for five ropeways and one conveyor lift.

“SAMBESI has transformed our maintenance program and daily operator checks. We no longer miss maintenance items through lack of oversight, we are more efficient, more exacting. And maybe the best part is that we no longer have to sift through mounds of paper to find a maintenance record,” reports Ben Abruzzo, Vice President and General Manager of Ski Santa Fe.

Personal training and data integration

When switching to SAMBESI, the ski resort benefited from personal training by REMEC expert Thomas Oppeneiger directly on-site, as well as from the smooth migration, implementation, and integration of data by REMEC’s project managers within just a few days – including data verification.

“We don’t just do mindless copy and paste. We think critically and question the existing data. Thanks to our ropeway know-how, we understand the connections. We also use our extensive archive of all manufacturers, types, and model years of ropeways to create templates,” says Oppeneiger.

Modular structure

SAMBESI is built modularly, so it can be tailored individually to each operation, and every team only works with the tools they really need. In the case of Ski Santa Fe, these are dashboard, maintenance, events, and operating log.

Dashboard: everything at a glance

The central dashboard gives users a comprehensive overview of all relevant key figures and operational states of the facilities – in real time, clear and structured. This enables technical managers to make well-informed decisions based on current data.

Organize and document maintenance

Maintaining modern facilities requires structure, transparency, and maximum reliability. With SAMBESI’s integrated workflow, ski resorts organize, manage, and document all maintenance processes centrally and reliably.

This way, the maintenance team always has an overview of the condition of their facilities and ensures smooth operation – simple, efficient, and professional.

Record and analyze events

Systematically recording incidents, malfunctions, and breakdowns is the first step toward greater safety, stability, and efficiency. With SAMBESI, ropeway operators document incidents right where they happen – and derive targeted measures from them. This way, they turn experience into knowledge and optimization potential.

Document daily operations

The digital operating log makes ropeway operators’ daily work easier. All information about daily operations is recorded in a structured way and can be evaluated efficiently. Key figures and statistics are automatically calculated and clearly presented in reports. Thanks to structured information and evaluation options, insights quickly become visible.

Manage spare parts efficiently

Another area of application is structured spare parts management for predictive maintenance, as demonstrated by the Sandia Peak Tramway. With SAMBESI, tramway staff centrally manage inventory, record material use directly in the work process, and ensure seamless traceability of all spare parts used.

Staff appreciate the tablet system

Speaking of Sandia Peak Tramway: besides spare parts management, dashboard, maintenance, events, and operating log are also in use here.

“We fully integrated our work order system into SAMBESI in March 2024. Since then, I have been able to create and send new work orders and unscheduled jobs to the technicians seamlessly, as well as receiving information from operators to manage issues that might arise during operation hours,” says Henry Haggerty, Maintenance Manager of the Sandia Peak Tram.

“Our team was very quick to accept and utilize the tablet system, which has been paramount in the success of the upgrade.”

More than just ropeways

SAMBESI grows with its tasks – and can be used for all types of mountain infrastructure, from snowmaking to bike parks to playgrounds. Ski Santa Fe is already considering this, as Ben Abruzzo emphasizes: “I could imagine extending SAMBESI to snow grooming vehicles and snowmaking as well.”