A SENNEBOGEN 613 Goes Mountain Climbing in Switzerland

Working where others go on vacation: this is how this job with the SENNEBOGEN 613 crawler on an alpine construction site in Switzerland could be described. Accompanied by a picturesque mountain panorama, the telescopic crawler crane had to climb more than 700m under its own power, including the steep slopes and narrow mountain roads, in order to be able to take on the crane work needed for modernizing the snow-making facilities at the mountain lake Lac des Vaux.

Over a period of at least 15 years, the 4 Vallées ski area in the southwest of Switzerland is to be further developed and made fit for the future. The snow-making system in Verbier is considered the heart of the ski area and will be equipped with the latest artificial snow technology as part of this major project. The modernization work is not only about being able to guarantee snow reliably on the slopes in general, but also to produce high-quality snow according to the latest environmental standards, using as little water and energy as possible. For the necessary crane work, the Swiss crane rental company Consensa Rental AG provided exactly the right compact crane namely the SENNEBOGEN 613 crawler, which copes excellently with the challenging construction site environment.

The journey to the construction site was very unusual in the mountains, as the compact telescopic crane could only be transported by low-loader to the Les Ruinettes gondola station at an altitude of about 2,000m. From this point on, it was a case of “Self-reliance is the thing!” The 613 had to climb the remaining distance to Lac des Vaux independently with its all-terrain crawler tracks. The climb took a good four hours to reach the summit of Les Attelas at 2,726m. In part over mountain roads less than 3m wide and on ski slopes with gradients of more than 20 degrees. From here, it was finally possible to approach the construction site at the mountain lake at 2,543m above sea level.

Once on site, the telescopic crawler crane with its 18.8m long main boom took over all the necessary lifting work around the modernization project of the facilities. With very tight site conditions operating the machine via radio remote control enabled the crane operators to remain flexible at all times. The prime purpose of the 613 crawler being there was to provide support for micro-tunneling through the lake, because in addition to the pumping station at Lac des Vaux, the connecting pipeline network of the snow-making system was also to be renewed. The crane kept the construction site supplied with the drilling pipes and lifting the 4.5t micro-tunneling machine out of the pit every evening. It was also used for the form-work and concrete work of the completely new pump station building being built.  “With such narrow and steep conditions on this mountain site, there was virtually no alternative to the SENNEBOGEN 613 R for crane work. The transport or rather the “climb” to the construction site would also have been much more complicated with other cranes.” explains Philipp von Dach, Product Manager at Consensa Rental AG.

With the first snow, the construction site is now closed for the coming winter months. However, this major project will continue in the spring.

Source Sennebogen