Potain MDT 219 tower cranes installed by helicopter; building gondola on mountainous job site in France

• Potain tower cranes are constructing a gondola lift at an altitude of nearly 3000 m in the Chamonix Valley, France.
• The difficult conditions of the high-altitude construction site required a helicopter for pylons construction and a comprehensive plan developed by Potain’s Lift Solutions team.
• This high-altitude project was recognized at the 2025 Tower Crane Awards with the Top-slewing crane Assembly of the Year award.

This 150 million Euro project to rebuild the Grands Montets ski area is part of a CSR reflection for two reasons:

1. Initially, the station wanted to limit the number of materials transported by helicopter. The blondin (cable car equipped with a lifting system, installed by the MBTM company and which climbs to the highest point of the Grands Montets at 3300 m) was installed with this in mind in order to transport the materials necessary for the installation of the pylons as well as some crane elements.
2. This project, which involves installing a more efficient gondola lift to replace the old one, will require only half as many pylons, thereby reducing the environmental impact.

Among other Potain cranes, two Potain MDT 219 J10 topless tower cranes are being used to reconstruction of the Grand Montets gondola, which was destroyed by fire in 2018. The project includes the construction of two new lift stations to shuttle skiers and snowboarders between Argentière and Lognan, and then on to the summit of the mountain.
The extreme terrain and difficult access to the construction site required a helicopter to  install two Potain MDT 219 J10 topless tower cranes, rented by Mellet Billion Travaux en Montagne (MBTM) from  Potain distributor Valente Grue Assistance.
MBTM chose the Potain MDT 219 J10 cranes for the job because of their high lifting capacity and modular design that allows crane components to be separated into individual lift weights not exceeding the 2400 kg payload restriction of the helicopter.

MBTM and Valente worked closely with Potain’s Lift Solutions department to ensure each load delivered contained precisely the right components needed at each stage of installation while adhering to the strict maximum payload limit of the helicopter.
The crane for the construction is no longer anything like a conventional crane. Indeed, the conditions at altitude and the helicopter winching of the various components required in-depth work upstream between the crane rental company Valente, the project manager MBTM and Potain's Lift Solutions department. The role of the latter was decisive and a real added value for the customer and the lifting schedule.
“The Lift Solutions team at Potain provided us with exemplary service. Their comprehensive plan and customer-centric approach to this project ensured we were able to complete the installation as efficiently as possible, even with the extreme nature of this construction site,” said Jean-Philippe Valente, CEO of Valente Grue Assistance.
Potain’s support and service team worked closely with MBTM and Valente throughout the duration of the project including parts, service experts, and technical assistance as needed. The new lift is scheduled to open in time for the 2026/2027 ski season.

CONTACT

Dominique Leullier
Marketing Director Europe
Manitowoc
T +33 4  72 18 20 20
dominique.leullier@manitowoc.com