“Ropeways – Motion and Emotion,” the title of the forthcoming International Ropeway Congress describes two important aspects of rope-hauled transport systems: They transport people from one location to another and they can also emotionally move passengers while they travel across mountain sceneries or cities.

It is something special for me that the International Ropeway Congress 2017 will be held in Bolzano, the capital of South Tyrol, where the Secretariat of O.I.T.A.F. is based and which is my homeland. Using ropeways in winter sports and in cities has been a tradition in South Tyrol for many decades. In Bolzano, three ropeways take residents and visitors from the city to local recreation areas. For more than one hundred years, a high level of ropeway competence has been available in the region. Hundreds of ropeways are also in operation in the ski resorts of the world-famous Dolomiti Superski. Therefore, hosting this Congress for ropeway experts here in South Tyrol is very important and we are very grateful for the generous support provided by the Province of South Tyrol.

The International Ropeway Congress 2017 is the first one held in Italy and you can expect a great variety of presentations. We are looking forward to a highly interesting Congress that will set the direction for the future of ropeways.