How do you safely bring technicians up to fixed snow cannons — mounted on towers several meters high — to carry out inspections and repairs during the winter season?
The answer: a Tadano PM 18 SP mounted on a PistenBully snow groomer, equipped with a custom-developed tilt system. The project brought together three companies — Funivie di Valdaora, Frei & Co and Tadano and took more than a year to develop and implement.
Safety First
Managing a ski resort of this scale — around 140–150 snow cannons, many installed on fixed towers — makes winter maintenance a complex operation. For years, the standard procedure involved technicians climbing with ladders and harnesses: an effective solution, but one that exposed personnel to significant risks, especially under extreme weather conditions.
Andreas Del Frari, technical manager of Funivie di Valdaora, explains the reasoning behind the investment, "As a premium ski resort, we want to be premium in terms of safety as well. It was no longer enough for our people to simply be trained and instructed — we wanted to eliminate the risk at its source. With the crane basket, the technician reaches the work area directly and safely, without having to climb around the snow cannon."
Safety, however, was not the only driver. At nearly 2,300 m. above sea level, winter breakdowns cannot wait: external cranes cannot be rented at short notice and no truck can operate on snow-covered slopes. Having a tracked vehicle equipped with a crane means achieving the same operational flexibility available in summer with a service truck — but under conditions no truck could ever handle, according to Tadano.
The new vehicle also gives the resort greater independence during the winter season. "If a snow cannon breaks down, or machinery needs repositioning, I cannot call an external company," said Del Frari. "From November to April, the slopes are ours and we need to be self-sufficient. With this vehicle, we truly are."
Three Years of Testing — Then the Right Choice
The idea did not emerge overnight. For three seasons, Funivie di Valdaora tested a similar solution using a rented snow groomer equipped with a smaller crane. It proved to be a valuable testing ground, but also highlighted clear limitations: no tilt system, suboptimal weight distribution and insufficient crane capacity.
"Without the tilt system, we had to position ourselves perfectly beneath the work area — on snow, often on steep slopes. With lateral tilt, we can now work safely even when the terrain is uneven," Del Frari said.
A Fully Customized Installation
This is where Frei & Co. entered the picture. As Tadano knuckle boom cranes dealer for Trentino-Alto Adige, the third-generation family-run company specializes in custom industrial installations. Having partnered with Tadano for the past two years, Frei selected the PM series for its build quality, product range and — critically — the efficiency of its after-sales support.
"With the Tadano team in Modena, we always know who to talk to," said Hannes Frei of Frei & Co. "If there is a technical issue, a question, or an urgent requirement, there is always a short and direct line of communication. Spare parts arrive within one or two days. For us, as a service provider, that represents 70 percent of the value in choosing a partner."
The PM 18 SP was selected according to the customer's requirements: lifting capacity, outreach and basket performance. But one additional specification proved decisive: the machine needed to operate frequently on steep terrain. On the previous setup, the crane tended to drift sideways under load.
"That's why we developed a reinforced slewing configuration: we installed the PM 23 slewing gear on the PM 18," said Frei. "It is not a standard setup, but it was exactly what was needed to guarantee full control even on the steepest slopes.”
For the tilt system, Frei & Co collaborated with an Austrian partner already experienced in this type of installation, having previously delivered five or six similar machines using other crane brands. The integration with the PM 18 SP, however, was developed entirely from scratch.
The project required more than a year from order confirmation to delivery: crane, subframe, tilt system, stabilizers, certification approvals.
The PM 18 SP has already completed its first winter operations. Tower-mounted snow cannons are now serviced using the crane; the radio remote control ensures precise movements and the work basket allows technicians to operate comfortably and safely.
But the crane's applications are already expanding further. From ski entertainment structures along the slopes — castles, dragons and timing camera systems. Not to mention the snow farm, the covered snow storage facility used to preserve snow for seasonal reopening: all situations where the crane has already proven its value or soon will.
Further confirmation of this vision comes from the fact that other ski resorts are already considering similar solutions. A clear sign that the market is evolving — and that the experience developed at Kronplatz is becoming a benchmark for the industry, according to Tadano.
A project born from a practical need, developed through the collaboration of three specialized partners has resulted in a highly specialized solution tailored to demanding conditions.
