Just weeks before the eagerly anticipated €18.5 million (approx. £15.6m) Piz Val Gronda cablecar opens up a huge 100 hectare area of freeride skiing and boarding, the resort revealed details of a further massive €40m (approx. £33.3m) investment for the 2014-15 season.

The existing 4-seater Pardatschgratbahn gondolas are to be replaced by a luxury 28-seater tri-cable gondola system. And it will be the world’s highest height difference tri-cable gondola with a 1,251m height difference from the base station in the village up to the Pardatschgrat peak at 2,624m.

In just over nine minutes skiers and boarders will be transported from the village to the top station. The new lift will have 31 cabins which have the capacity to transport 2,800 people per hour.

The Piz Val Gronda (PVG) lift will open on 22 December – an early Christmas present for freeride fans to access powderfields previously accessed only by the most dedicated skiers and boarders who were towed up by snowcat.

A pisted red run from the top station will allow skiers and boarders who prefer to stay on the slopes to also enjoy the stunning views of the Fimbatal valley and peaks including the Fluchthorn, Wildspitze and Hohe Riffler.

Each of the two PVG cabins holds 150 people and they have the capacity to carry 1,300 passengers per hour.

The new lift details were revealed asthe Canadian rock band Nickelback officially opened the 50^th anniversary exhibition of the lift company Silvrettaseilbahn AG ahead of playing to a record crowd of 21,000 to celebrate the opening of Ischgl’s five-month-long snowsure ski season.

Lead singer Chad Kroeger told the enthusiastic crowd: “I looked at the powder on the slopes today and thought wow, I wanna go snowboarding so bad!”

Tour dates precluded the four man band from taking to the slopes, but they vowed to return on vacation.

Ischgl is renowned for its big name Top Of The Mountain concerts at the beginning and end of every season, plus at Easter.

The resort has an impressive 238kms of leisure runs. Details of downhill and GPS measurements of the runs are available here .

More on Ischgl including an accommodation search facility on www.ischgl.com .