# Behind the scenes at one of France's fastest gondolas: inside its machine room

At the top station of the Pointe de la Masse gondola, a dedicated space lets visitors watch the mechanism at work and see how it operates. Designed as an open-air museum, it is open to anyone holding a valid lift pass, in both summer and winter.

## A fun, educational space at the heart of the gondola

Panels explain how the gondola was built and how it works, with a direct view of its mechanism. A LEGO® model reproduces the installation exactly, aimed at children and mechanically minded adults alike. Videos on site introduce the various trades involved in building and running ski lifts.

Perched above the mechanism, the machine room looks straight down onto the top station's workings. The tour covers the lift's drive system, the cabins' features, the pylons and the line profile. The gondola is described as one of the fastest in France.

## The glass-floored cabin, for thrill-seekers

A glass-floored cabin gives riders a view over the massif on the way up or down. This option, aimed at visitors after a more vertiginous experience, runs only in summer.

## Industrial tourism, another way to discover the mountain

Since winter 2023/24, the Pointe de la Masse machine room has been open to visitors as part of an industrial tourism initiative. The visit reveals the construction and operating secrets of the installation, through the same educational tour: drive system, cabins, pylons, line profile and the gondola's LEGO® model.

The visit is also open to non-skiers. A trip up to 2,804 metres gives access to the machine room, a terrace with 360-degree views, and the restaurant Le 2800, at the same level.

## Key points

- The Pointe de la Masse gondola's machine room, a space for observing the installation's mechanism, is open to anyone with a valid lift pass, in summer and winter.
- A LEGO® model reproducing the gondola exactly is on display in this educational space.
- A glass-floored cabin, giving a view over the massif, runs only in summer.
- Since winter 2023/24, the machine room has been open to visitors as part of an industrial tourism offering.
- The route offered to non-skiers goes up to 2,804 metres, with a panoramic terrace and a mountain restaurant, Le 2800.
