In the autumn of 1964, the Doppelmayr company from Wolfurt / Austria was commissioned by the then Neuerburg district, now the municipality of Rengsdorf-Waldbreitbach, to build the T-bar lift with a maximum hourly capacity of 1000 persons. The legal entity was a registered association whose five partners (Monrepos Ski Club and the municipalities of Waldbreitbach, Roßbach, Hausen, Niederbreitbach) held equal shares. A novelty for the region was the possibility to produce artificial snow. In addition to the excellent steep slope, the power connection at Hähnen and above all the water reservoir of the Malbergsee offered the best conditions. An aluminium high-pressure pipe was laid over a length of 500 m and a height difference of 150 m, with a connection for a snow cannon every 18 metres. A compressor pressed a water-air mixture into the pipe system at 7 bar, which could be sprayed by 7 cannons at the same time. The piste was covered with 70 to 90 cm of snow over a width of 120 m, taking into account that 10 cm of solid artificial snow corresponded to about 25 cm of natural snow. Several thousand cubic metres of water were required for the first snowmaking run. The system was supplied by the American company AMF, which was the only company in the world to produce artificial pistes. The Malberg piste, 500 m long and 120 m wide, was considerably larger than the 4 artificial snow pistes previously existing in the FRG and was thus the largest in Europe at the time. The facility cost 190,000 DM. The Malberg snow was known as a true "winter wonder". The opening ceremony took place on 26.12.1964 with the participation of the best German skier in the 60's, Willi Bogner jun. Already in 1962/63, the Monrepos Ski Club held its Rhineland Championships here on the Malberg. Due to its inefficiency, the artificial snow system was dismantled and sold in the mid-1970s, leaving only the natural snow to hope for. In 2012, the lift system was decommissioned and dismantled. A lift support is preserved here and can be visited. Concept / Design: Röttgen Werbetechnik Translated with
The former manager's hut of the historic lift system was converted into a "mini museum" through voluntary commitment and Leader funding for "citizens' projects". Located directly on the Westerwaldsteig and Kleinem Wäller, hikers and visitors can now gain an insight into this hut and learn a lot of interesting facts about the former lift system from the information board. The hut can be viewed from the outside at any time (large window).
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Contact and directions
Dorfstraße 10
53547 Hausen/Ortsteil Hähnen