Summer Cable Cars and Alpine Lifts: Riding High in Tyrol

There’s something faintly surreal about stepping into a ski gondola in July, hiking boots on instead of skis, and watching the green world fall away beneath you. Across Tyrol and the Arlberg, the summer lift network has quietly become one of the most extraordinary ways to experience the mountains — a fusion of adventure, ease, and that unmistakable alpine sense of scale.

Many people associate cable cars with snow, but in the warmer months they are lifelines for walkers, mountain bikers, and sightseers. From Zillertal to St. Anton, these lifts transform high alpine terrain into something wonderfully accessible. Families can reach panoramic hiking trails, mountain restaurants, or lakes in minutes instead of hours.

In the Zillertal, the Ahornbahn from Mayrhofen glides up to a plateau that feels like the roof of the world — soft meadows, glacial views, and a café terrace that makes you want to linger all afternoon. Nearby, the Penkenbahn connects a whole web of trails and bike routes, including the famous Almabtrieb path used to bring cattle down each autumn.

Over in the Arlberg, summer brings a quieter but equally spectacular scene. The Galzigbahn and Vallugabahn open for hikers and photographers chasing those vast views over the Lechtal Alps. Above Lech and Zürs, the Rüfikopfbahn leads to a high plateau dotted with gentians and marmot burrows, with trails winding out toward turquoise tarns.

Many resorts now offer Sommerkarte passes, giving unlimited lift access for a few days — a kind of golden ticket to the peaks. Bikers use them to reach flow trails and gravel descents; paragliders clip in their harnesses and launch from lift stations into the crisp air.

The lifts also bring a sense of calm. They allow you to witness the mountains’ grandeur without exhaustion — to glide silently over wildflowers and grazing cows, past waterfalls and scree fields, with nothing but the hum of the cables for company.

In a way, summer lifts are a metaphor for modern Tyrol itself — where old-world mountain life meets gentle modern convenience, and where the alpine world is opened up for everyone to enjoy, one smooth ascent at a time.