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Weißsee Gletscherbahnen, Stubach bei Uttendorf (Salzburg)

Avalanche Prevention - Weißsee Gletscherbahnen, Stubach bei Uttendorf (Salzburg) 2016

Short set made up of two edge nets. In the background on the left, you can see the Grünsee mid-station at 1,742 m above sea level. The ropeway then continues to Rudolfshütte at 2,315 m above sea level.

Avalanche Prevention - Weißsee Gletscherbahnen, Stubach bei Uttendorf (Salzburg) 2016

Overview of the project area with the potential starting zones and the ropeway line to be protected. The double supports are most at risk. They are to be protected against any flowing avalanches that may occur by an additional diversion dam made of natural stone.

Avalanche Prevention - Weißsee Gletscherbahnen, Stubach bei Uttendorf (Salzburg) 2016

The existing wooden avalanche guards have been severely damaged due to frequent rockfalls and weathering. They not longer guarantee the protection required and are therefore being removed.

Avalanche Prevention - Weißsee Gletscherbahnen, Stubach bei Uttendorf (Salzburg) 2016

The avalanche nets from the SPIDER® Avalanche system have not just proven their capabilities as an ideal avalanche construction – they have also been successfully tested against rockfall. This durability when faced with falling rocks is the key advantage of the Geobrugg system.

Avalanche Prevention - Weißsee Gletscherbahnen, Stubach bei Uttendorf (Salzburg) 2016

The pressure plate forms the ideal foundation for the supports in terrain with a 45° incline and a rocky substrate. It is loosely held in position with two ground ropes anchored on the slope, on leveled terrain measuring around 0.7 m x 0.7 m.

Avalanche Prevention - Weißsee Gletscherbahnen, Stubach bei Uttendorf (Salzburg) 2016

The avalanche nets are fixed to the uphill rope anchor with a retention rope, which is cut to size at the factory, with the corresponding number of loops. The rope anchor used is relatively insusceptible to the rockfalls which happen regularly here.

Avalanche Prevention - Weißsee Gletscherbahnen, Stubach bei Uttendorf (Salzburg) 2016

The SPIDER® net surface is supplied from the factory with a screen-like fixed fine mesh and prevents the snow from penetrating.

Avalanche Prevention - Weißsee Gletscherbahnen, Stubach bei Uttendorf (Salzburg) 2016

View of the supports to be protected on the Weißsee glacier ropeway.

Avalanche Prevention - Weißsee Gletscherbahnen, Stubach bei Uttendorf (Salzburg) 2016

From the gondola, the avalanche nets blend seamlessly into the alpine landscape – they are hardly noticeable.

 

System length

8 m - 28 m

 

Year of installation

2016

Initial situation

Falling rocks and weathering had damaged the previous wooden avalanche protection structure. The original protective function had to be restored. Furthermore, other hazardous areas had to be secured in order to provide better protection for the entire ropeway system.

In the project which was originally submitted, the intention was to construct massive avalanche wedges made of reinforced concrete. These were designed to directly protect double supports 21a and 21b, as well as support 22. On account of the enormous dimensions of this structure, the associated costs, and the considerable impact on the landscape – in a conservation area on the edge of the Hohe Tauern National Park, a new protection project was created.

Description

The new protection concept combines three elements:
•    permanent protection against avalanches through an avalanche protection structure       made of snow nets
•    temporary protection against avalanches through avalanche blasting in conjunction with
•    an avalanche diversion dam to protect objects

Overall, eight sets of SPIDER® Avalanche snow nets with a total length of 140 meters are being erected in three potential avalanche starting zones. With this measure, it is only necessary to construct a 35-meter-long and approximately 3-meter-high dam made of locally acquired, heavy rubble.

With the hardly visible snow nets and natural dam, the authorities were extremely satisfied in terms of conservation of nature and the landscape.

Customer

Weißsee Gletscherwelt GmbH

Contractor

Felbermayr Bau GmbH & Co KG, Abt. FST, Niederlassung Lienz

Protected object

Touristic infrastructure

Corrosion protection

Galvanized, GEOBRUGG SUPERCOATING

Engineering

Ingenieurkonsulent DDipl.-Ing. Stefan Oberndorfer

Your local contact

Kevin H. Coyle
 

Kevin H. Coyle

Regional Manager Northeast

Natural Hazards
Hydraulic Engineering
Geobrugg North America, LLC,3 Beaudet Terr,Columbia CT 06237 / United States Regional Manager Northeast

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Saleh Feidi
 

Saleh Feidi

Regional Manager California

Natural Hazards
Hydraulic Engineering
Geobrugg North America, LLC,8921 Emperor Ave.,San Gabriel, California 91775 / United States Regional Manager California

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John Kalejta
 

John Kalejta

Regional Manager Central US

Natural Hazards
Hydraulic Engineering
Geobrugg North America, LLC,3215 67th Avenue Pl,Greeley CO 80634 / United States Regional Manager Central US

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Bob Lyne
 

Bob Lyne

Regional Manager Southeast

Natural Hazards
Hydraulic Engineering
Geobrugg North America, LLC,8004 Windspray Drive,Summerfield NC 27358 / United States Regional Manager Southeast

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Pierce Runnels, Civil Engineer
   

Pierce Runnels

General Manager Geobrugg North America

Natural Hazards
Geobrugg North America, LLC,22 Centro Algodones , Civil Engineer General Manager Geobrugg North America

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Tim Shevlin
 

Tim Shevlin

Sales Director

Natural Hazards
Geobrugg North America, LLC,Salem OR 97302 / United States Sales Director

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