Sorry, I have got to write in englisch, because I cannot speak italian (only understand a bit). I already posted this article on the Alagna Forum, but I hope it is interesting for you, too.
It's not that long (actually since the year 2000) that the old funivia to Punta Indren was partly replaced (by a cabinovia and a seggiovia). Before 2000, as many of you might still remember, there was only the old funivia. Three sections there were: Alagna - Zaroltu - Bochetta - Indren, which makes two middle stations. Of those two only the station on Bocchetta delle Pisse has survived. Zaroltu has been removed completely in 2000 when the cabinovia was built (actually you can see the place where Zaroltu station stood from the new cabinovia which leads directly over ist).
The place where Zaroltu was situated can be watched here (comparision of the place while the station was removed and today):
http://www.trincerone.com/archive/alagna/zaroltu.jpg
But actually there was one more middlestation! Only few people remember today that there was a third middlestation situated between Bocchetta and Punta Indren at approximately 2700m and it is still there:
The huge pilone in the middle of the third and last remaining section of Punta Indren Funivia was originally buildt as a place to get into the cable-car. (This is why it was made from concrete (cemento armato)). In the inside of the old pilone one finds a steel escalator to the old plattforms on top of the pilone.
All this was build in the late 50s / early 60s together with the cable car. The exact reason why it was buildt is not quiet clear. Some say, this entry should assure the return of skiers to Boccheta delle Pisse in the years before Balma Cestovia was built. Anyway Balma was built in 1965 which means in the same year when the cable car opened for the first time, therefore I doubt somehow that this was the reason.
Personally I believe that it was built to provide a longer skiing season (somehow the same reason for what the entry on Cima Legna was built for the Fuifor now). The valley up there at the pilone centrale is overshadowed, which meant good snow quality in spring. I assume one could skidown to the pilone rather long in spring, maybe even in the early summer weeks a descent to the pilone was still possible. That would have meant quite an interesting addition to the spring / summer skiing area on Bors and Indren Glacier.
Whether the entry was ever really in use is not quiet clear neither. Some say "no", other say "from time to time yes". It seems that the later statement is right, as Walter Pause describes the Balma run in his skibook "Ski Heil" from the early 70s by mentioning two runs: skiing down to Balma Bidonvia and skiing down to the pilone to re-entry the cable car.
But at least since the second half of the 70s this old entry was defenitely out of use, as it seems. (Anyway I don't how the skiers return to Bocchetta delle Pisse was arranged in this one winter in the middle of the 80s (1985?), when Balma Bidonvia was destroyed by an avalanche and out of use, too).
Thus far as ist concerncs the history of this forgotten entry.
Following some images:
Pilone and old station of the construction Cable Car that was used to construct the Funivia between 1959 and 1965. For the masses of concrete that were used for the pilone grande, it was necessary to have an extra station of the construction cable car near the pilone.
The pilone today. This entry to the stairs ist on the right side (looking upwards) and has been build later. The orignal entry was located on the left side (mountain side) of the pilone and was situated one level higher (about 2 or 3 meters above the ground). I guess that it was reached by a short wooden or steel bridge which permitted the use of the entry easily even with high amounts of snow outside. Further on there is a short rocky step just before the pilone which one has to ski down today to reach the bottom of the pilone. By using the original entry with a short bridge this wouldn't have been necessary.
The original entry on the left side was a wide window like hole, like the holes above. Later this hole was nearly closed, only a small entry was left on that side, which can be reached bei a short iron ladder, which is quiet rusty. The todays main entrance is the new entry on the right side.
This is the rest of the original entry. Instead of the rusty ladder visible on the image there might have been a bridge to the rocks. Instead of the small door there was a window as big and wide as the window one level above. Why this window was closed later I don't know.
Pilone Grande and the stairs inside.
The pilone grande. The "windows" (the holes in the walls) were originally closed by a kind of plastik, which lets light in, but makes it impossible to look out. The broken rests of some of this plastik can be seen on the highest window.
Here one can see the rests of the plastik on the "windows" as well a parts of the plattform on top of the pilone.
The steel escalator inside: still rather solide and good-looking. By going up this stairs one reaches the plattform on top if the pilone.
The plattform on top. In the middle there's the stairs comming up in a kind of tunnel (black thing in the middle). Left and right are the plattforms to enter the gondola.
Plattform in detail. There is still all the stuff to guide the skiers to the gondola (barriers, steps).
The whole installation has withered a bit, but is in general in good condition. The stairs isinde are still very good and solide and the plattforms on top are so as well. It looks all very much like the old Balma Station down in the valley (the concrete, the steps inside...
) The only thing to renew is the wodden steps that lead up to the first level. These are a bit withered and one is broken. All the rest is quiet ok.
So why not reopen the old entry to get the skiers back to Bochetta now that Balma lift ist closed forever? Would be a stylish thing and quiet Alagna-like to do that. That's what people liked about Alagna, this kind of "adventure" stlye you find with lifts like Balma and you will ever miss with lifts like cabinovia Gabiet - Salati.
Personally I'd love to see the old entry open again!
Thanks for listening.
It's not that long (actually since the year 2000) that the old funivia to Punta Indren was partly replaced (by a cabinovia and a seggiovia). Before 2000, as many of you might still remember, there was only the old funivia. Three sections there were: Alagna - Zaroltu - Bochetta - Indren, which makes two middle stations. Of those two only the station on Bocchetta delle Pisse has survived. Zaroltu has been removed completely in 2000 when the cabinovia was built (actually you can see the place where Zaroltu station stood from the new cabinovia which leads directly over ist).
The place where Zaroltu was situated can be watched here (comparision of the place while the station was removed and today):
http://www.trincerone.com/archive/alagna/zaroltu.jpg
But actually there was one more middlestation! Only few people remember today that there was a third middlestation situated between Bocchetta and Punta Indren at approximately 2700m and it is still there:
The huge pilone in the middle of the third and last remaining section of Punta Indren Funivia was originally buildt as a place to get into the cable-car. (This is why it was made from concrete (cemento armato)). In the inside of the old pilone one finds a steel escalator to the old plattforms on top of the pilone.
All this was build in the late 50s / early 60s together with the cable car. The exact reason why it was buildt is not quiet clear. Some say, this entry should assure the return of skiers to Boccheta delle Pisse in the years before Balma Cestovia was built. Anyway Balma was built in 1965 which means in the same year when the cable car opened for the first time, therefore I doubt somehow that this was the reason.
Personally I believe that it was built to provide a longer skiing season (somehow the same reason for what the entry on Cima Legna was built for the Fuifor now). The valley up there at the pilone centrale is overshadowed, which meant good snow quality in spring. I assume one could skidown to the pilone rather long in spring, maybe even in the early summer weeks a descent to the pilone was still possible. That would have meant quite an interesting addition to the spring / summer skiing area on Bors and Indren Glacier.
Whether the entry was ever really in use is not quiet clear neither. Some say "no", other say "from time to time yes". It seems that the later statement is right, as Walter Pause describes the Balma run in his skibook "Ski Heil" from the early 70s by mentioning two runs: skiing down to Balma Bidonvia and skiing down to the pilone to re-entry the cable car.
But at least since the second half of the 70s this old entry was defenitely out of use, as it seems. (Anyway I don't how the skiers return to Bocchetta delle Pisse was arranged in this one winter in the middle of the 80s (1985?), when Balma Bidonvia was destroyed by an avalanche and out of use, too).
Thus far as ist concerncs the history of this forgotten entry.
Following some images:
Pilone and old station of the construction Cable Car that was used to construct the Funivia between 1959 and 1965. For the masses of concrete that were used for the pilone grande, it was necessary to have an extra station of the construction cable car near the pilone.
The pilone today. This entry to the stairs ist on the right side (looking upwards) and has been build later. The orignal entry was located on the left side (mountain side) of the pilone and was situated one level higher (about 2 or 3 meters above the ground). I guess that it was reached by a short wooden or steel bridge which permitted the use of the entry easily even with high amounts of snow outside. Further on there is a short rocky step just before the pilone which one has to ski down today to reach the bottom of the pilone. By using the original entry with a short bridge this wouldn't have been necessary.
The original entry on the left side was a wide window like hole, like the holes above. Later this hole was nearly closed, only a small entry was left on that side, which can be reached bei a short iron ladder, which is quiet rusty. The todays main entrance is the new entry on the right side.
This is the rest of the original entry. Instead of the rusty ladder visible on the image there might have been a bridge to the rocks. Instead of the small door there was a window as big and wide as the window one level above. Why this window was closed later I don't know.
Pilone Grande and the stairs inside.
The pilone grande. The "windows" (the holes in the walls) were originally closed by a kind of plastik, which lets light in, but makes it impossible to look out. The broken rests of some of this plastik can be seen on the highest window.
Here one can see the rests of the plastik on the "windows" as well a parts of the plattform on top of the pilone.
The steel escalator inside: still rather solide and good-looking. By going up this stairs one reaches the plattform on top if the pilone.
The plattform on top. In the middle there's the stairs comming up in a kind of tunnel (black thing in the middle). Left and right are the plattforms to enter the gondola.
Plattform in detail. There is still all the stuff to guide the skiers to the gondola (barriers, steps).
The whole installation has withered a bit, but is in general in good condition. The stairs isinde are still very good and solide and the plattforms on top are so as well. It looks all very much like the old Balma Station down in the valley (the concrete, the steps inside...
) The only thing to renew is the wodden steps that lead up to the first level. These are a bit withered and one is broken. All the rest is quiet ok. So why not reopen the old entry to get the skiers back to Bochetta now that Balma lift ist closed forever? Would be a stylish thing and quiet Alagna-like to do that. That's what people liked about Alagna, this kind of "adventure" stlye you find with lifts like Balma and you will ever miss with lifts like cabinovia Gabiet - Salati.
Personally I'd love to see the old entry open again!
Thanks for listening.
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