Construction crews working on the new cable car at 3 Zinnen Dolomites are making fast progress. | Credit: 3 Zinnen Dolomites Facebook
Construction crews working on the new Helmissimo gondola at 3 Zinnen Dolomites in Italy are making great progress towards its completion ahead of the winter season. Crews are currently working on flying the gondola’s components into place, as well as putting up its towers and digging out space for its stations as they look to meet its projected 2026-27 completion deadline.
“Big progress is happening on Monte Elmo,” 3 Zinnen Dolomites wrote in its Facebook post.
Back in 2024, 3 Zinnen Dolomites announced its Project Helmissimo to provide “greater comfort, improved connections and a sustainable leap in quality” at the resort. The new gondola marks a modern infrastructure addition to its historic Monte Elmo area, a 2,225-meter peak home to some of the best skiing and hiking the resort offers.
3 Zinnen Dolomites has been consistently upgrading its lifts and gondolas on Monte Elmo since the 1970s, when it first opened access to the area. Its first lift was a two-seater built in 1976, which was later replaced in 1989 by a six-seater gondola. The Helmissimo is the latest rendition of these upgrades, and “represents a consistent and strategic next step in further strengthening the ski area both infrastructurally and qualitatively, while sustainably enhancing the overall guest experience.”
The Helmissimo gondola is a modern single-rope gondola featuring 10-seater panoramic cabins built by lift manufacturer Leitner. It blends comfort, efficiency, and performance, making a “substantial contribution to reducing waiting times” and also bringing modern technology to an area that is quickly growing popular. Its transport capacity can reach 3,300 people per hour, and it operates at a speed of 6.5 meters per second over its 7-minute-49-second ride.
To make way for Helmissimo, 3 Zinnen Dolomites was forced to retire the Vierschach-Helm gondola, its 1989 six-seater. It operated at a significantly lower carrying capacity of just 1,800 people per hour. It was slower, too, at five meters per second and a ride time of just over 10 minutes.
With the new Helmissimo lift expected to spin this winter, 3 Zinnen Dolomites can quickly and comfortably transport skiers up Monte Elmo to enjoy its quality snow and amazing views of the Sexten Dolomites.
While Helmissimo may be the resort’s biggest project, the upgrades at 3 Zinnen Dolomites do not stop there. The resort is widening its valley run in several sections to enhance safety and comfort for skiers of all ability levels. Additionally, the resort is optimizing its technical snowmaking system to ensure a “high level of snow reliability.”
Rounding out Project Helmissimo is the expansion of the Punka building to add comfort and improved efficiency at the resort’s Versciaco access point. The Versciaco access point is one of the main entry points to the ski area and plays a central role in managing guest flows. The expansion of the Punka building will provide level access between gondola arrival and the entry area at Versciaco, allowing for “shorter walking distances, smoother guest flows and an even more comfortable start to the ski day.”
With the 2026-27 season right around the corner, skiers at 3 Zinnen Dolomites have a lot to look forward to as the snow begins to fall. With many resorts across the Dolomites expected to open in early December and with construction of Helmissimo well on its way, this Italian ski season looks to be a good one.
3 Zinnen Dolomites has not announced an expected opening date, but the resort typically opens in late November or early December. | Credit: 3 Zinnen Dolomites Facebook