Bubble wrap - Val d'Isere's new Solaise gondola

Over the course of this summer, the old Solaise chairlift was dismantled and taken away, to make way for the innovative new gondola which takes its place in the centre of resort.

The new Solaise gondola will have 91 cabins which will hold 10 people each, increasing capacity by an estimated 40%. It will be able to carry up to 3,600 passengers per hour, bringing an end to any peak-hour bottlenecks during peak holiday season.

The journey time will be just seven minutes, making it one of the fastest lifts in the world and you'll be able to connect to WiFi and enjoy heated seats once inside, plus two of the cabins will have a glass floor! The number of pylons used to support the gondola has been reduced to just 16 and every effort has been made to reduce noise for local residents and to conserve flora and fauna around it. They're planting five new trees for every one cut down to make way for the new lift.

It's not only the lift that's getting an upgrade - New beginner pistes have been created at the top of the gondola so first timers can now head up the mountain to enjoy more of the ski area and the views. Three magic carpet lifts, the new Solaise gondola and the adjacent Madeleine chair-lift give access to this area.

A new lounge area and bar have also been built at the top of the gondola, where you'll be able to grab a snack and a drink from the vending machines, bring your own picnic or even microwave your own food. Children can make the most of the bean bags in front of a large screen where they can watch cartoons other films, whilst there will be a table football to keep other clientele entertained.

Watch the video in the main player above to see more of the development plans.

As you can see from the footage below, taken by Cocorico, the new lift really is is super fast!

Thanks to Simply Val d'Isere for one of the photos.