All lifts and cable cars at the Savin Kuk ski resort in Žabljak are, without exception, in a deplorable state and barely meet international safety requirements. If the future of this ski area is to be secured, it is necessary to invest in completely new, modern ski lifts, because in such a state, the ski area will not be able to function for long.
This was stated, among other things, in the analysis "Concept of a Strategy for the Development of Winter Tourism in Montenegro", which was published in 2011, with the support of the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ). Michael Steinbach.
The issue of safety at the Durmitor ski resort has been reopened after an accident in which one foreign national was killed and another injured.
Authorities from the police and the Basic State Prosecutor's Office in Pljevlja did not respond to a set of questions from "Vijesti" regarding the accident. The editorial team is also expecting answers from the Durmitor Tourist Center and the Tourist Inspection.
"Did the police, within their authority, check the identity and employment status of the responsible persons on the cable car at the time of the accident (operators, dispatchers, technical staff)...? Did the police determine whether the cable car was operating in accordance with applicable safety procedures at the time of the accident, including the number of passengers, the method of operation and the reaction of the staff after the incident?" are some of the questions that remained unanswered.
What does the document say?
Steibach's document is based on two surveys conducted by the author on site, interviews with responsible tourism workers in certain regions and interviews with hoteliers and travel agencies. At the same time, the author states, previously presented studies were also used.
In the analysis, he describes Montenegro as a destination for winter tourism, with potential for various sports - alpine skiing, snowboarding, Nordic skiing, snowshoeing... He also described the current state and potential of the Lokve, Vučje, and Kolašin ski resorts, where, he says, a modern six-seater ski lift was put into operation in 2010.
For Žabljak, he repeatedly uses the same formulation and states that "the ski lifts in Žabljak are in a miserable condition and have long since ceased to meet international standards."
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Special treatment for the Savin Kuk ski resort:
"The Savin Kuk ski center truly has a high-mountain character. The upper double-seater cable car reaches a height of about 2.150 meters. The descent from the top to the middle station is a demanding black piste. In addition, the eastern slopes of Savin Kuk offer very good opportunities for skiing in deep snow, given the appropriate snow cover," says Štajnbach, adding that the area is equipped with two double-seater cable cars and three tow lifts.
“However, a huge problem is posed by all the lifts and cable cars, which without exception are in a deplorable condition and barely meet international safety requirements. For example, during the winter of 2009/2010, an avalanche destroyed the second support pillar of the upper cable car, but the entrepreneur/operator never replaced it. However, the cable car is still operating,” he stated in a 2011 document.
Steinbach asks two questions - why the cable car is not protected by avalanche protection, emphasizing that avalanches can occur even during the cable car's operating hours.
He also asks the question "has any engineer with experience in cable car planning checked whether the destroyed support pillar can really be abandoned?"
"According to data from the Mountain Rescue Service, another avalanche destroyed a substation in the ski area, which again indicates that avalanches can in principle pose a danger in this ski area," writes Steinbach.
He added that "the tracks for leveling runways during the summer are not placed in garages, where they would be protected, but are placed outdoors in nature, scattered, so that they are exposed to all meteorological influences."
"Therefore, if the future of this ski area is to be secured, it must be invested very quickly and extensively in completely new, modern ski lifts and avalanche protection. In its current state, the ski area will not be able to function for much longer. Therefore, the management must be radically improved, because the people currently responsible for it are clearly not up to it," the 2011 analysis states.
Due to such a poor condition, and without investments, the Savin Kuk ski resort, Steinbach stated at the time, is facing the end of its skiing activities within the next three to five years.
"A technical inspection service for lifts/cable cars in Žabljak, as prescribed in Western and Central Europe, would already lead to the closure of the upper double-seater lift and probably the closure of the lower section! Given this, a solution must be found for the operation of the ski area in the future," he stated in the analysis.
In addition to recommending urgent measures for the next three to five years, Štajnbach also said that, "if there is a desire for skiing to continue to survive in Žabljak in the coming years... an investment volume of around 10 million will be needed in the short term to replace the chairlifts, which are more or less ripe for scrap."
“Further reinvestments must then be made in the medium term to replace the old tow lifts in the amount of a further five million euros. This investment does not include the possibly necessary new purchases for preparing the slopes or the urgently needed protective wall, i.e. avalanche formwork to protect the upper section of the cable car.”
The accident on the second funicular of the cable car, which is owned by Razvojna Banka, occurred on Saturday, December 20, at around 1:10 p.m. - a basket containing two tourists collided with another one that was empty, one person was killed when he fell, and the other was seriously injured.
Three more tourists, who spent hours in baskets on a steep part of the ski resort on Durmitor, were evacuated around 5:00 p.m. the same day, after the investigation was completed.
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The government doesn't even read its own information.
After an accident occurred at the Savin Kuk ski resort on Saturday, a civic and environmental activist Aleksandar Dragićević He reminded that the Government published information about the state of ski resorts in Montenegro 11 years ago, and that it was indicated at that time that the "Savin Kuk 2" cable car must be replaced:
"In October 2014, the Government of Montenegro published information on the state of ski resorts in Montenegro, which, among other things, stated that the Slovenian company 'ProAlpina', specialized in ski resorts, was engaged for the needs of the Government. That company clearly indicated that any reconstruction, revitalization or further use of the existing 'Savin Kuk 2' cable car is not possible, and that it must be completely replaced with a new or used cable car that is in line with European safety standards. Despite that clear warning, nothing has been done in the past 11 years. All directors of the 'Savin Kuk' Ski Center, the relevant ministers, as well as the owners of the cable car, formerly the Investment and Development Fund, and today the Development Bank - have not shown interest or taken concrete steps to replace the existing cable car with a new one," said Dragićević.
He also recalled that according to UNESCO's opinion from 2019, any new addition or construction of additional ski lifts would jeopardize the status of protected heritage, but that a complete reconstruction of the existing "Savin Kuk" ski lift in the same dimensions was permitted.
"However, that was never realized either," he said.
They warned of fatal consequences in 2019.
“Vijesti” also wrote about the condition of the cable cars on Savin Kuk in 2019. The technical inspection report, which was submitted to the editorial office at the time, stated that the cable cars were not in good condition and should not be used, “because it could lead to fatal consequences.”
Among other things, it was stated that the auxiliary engine does not have thermal protection, that the hydraulic coupling is faulty and that instead of steel fuses, wooden pegs are nailed to it, the cable is 30 years old, and the emergency brake is leaking oil...
At that time, the Durmitor Tourist Center said that the cable cars on Savin Kuk were in good condition and had certificates for operation, while the Montenegrin Ski Resort said that they knew nothing about these problems.
The report also stated that nothing was right and that the deficiencies must be eliminated as soon as possible to avoid human casualties.
On “Savini kuk II”, it was recorded that the diesel engine did not have thermal protection installed, because the electromagnet had burned out. Therefore, the attention of the main operator was drawn to the fact that “working without protection could have serious consequences for the safety of people and equipment”.
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It was also recorded that the hydraulic coupling located between the diesel engine and the redactor is faulty, because instead of steel plugs, wooden ones are nailed to it:
"The consequences of breaking a wooden wedge can be severe. Passengers cannot descend unless they are lowered from the basket by Mountain Rescue Service teams, and the equipment would be damaged. The tachogenerator has been repaired, upgraded, and permanent magnets have been glued to it, and it is over 30 years old. Therefore, it is unreliable and it is imperative to urgently purchase a new one, because if the tachogenerator fails, the cable car cannot operate," the minutes state.
It was also recorded that the battery charger was faulty, that the signal cable between poles 2 and 3 was broken, and that the anemometer did not have an instrument for measuring wind speed and direction.
On that cable car, as "Vijesti" reported in 2019, the diesel engine control panel, the stator thermoelement are also faulty, and the emergency brake is leaking oil on the electrohydraulic valve, in the manual opening valve.
"It is imperative to obtain original spare parts for the emergency brake, but also for the service brake, which is leaking oil from the gearbox because it is distorted and damaged by the avalanche," the report stated, with a recommendation that several switches also need to be replaced.
"I would like to remind the main operator of the cable cars that there is not a single spare part that is necessary. None, and especially not new, suitable and high-quality ones," the document states, which lists all the spare parts that must be urgently procured.
According to that report, a new tachogenerator, an anemometer, and switches were needed on the "Savin Kuk I" cable car in 2019:
"The emergency brake is leaking oil at the manual opening valve... The bearing at the pulley on the VB motor cannot be lubricated, and this has been going on since the motor arrived from replacing the bearing... The insulation and winding of the stator and rotor need to be tested... The signal cable between the drive and the turning station is damaged. New graphite plates, of good quality and suitable, must be purchased and installed, because the existing ones are not original," the minutes from 2019 state.
The cable car in Kolašin will not operate during peak season
Half of the slopes of the state-owned ski resort "Kolašin 1600" on Bjelasica will not be in operation, as it is almost certain that the "K7" cable car will not operate during the January peak season - after the "Skijališta Crne Gore" canceled a tender worth more than 145 thousand euros for the repair of the cable car. The tender was canceled after none of the contractors submitted a correct offer.
The cable car, in which the state invested nine million euros, was damaged in the spring of 2024 during construction work on private plots of the Ski Resort "Kolašin 1450", owned by Zoran Ćoć Bećirović, when a landslide occurred and pillar number 4 was destabilized. This cable car connects the state and private ski resorts.
The government then decided in November this year to invest 150.000 euros to repair the cable car at the state ski resort "Kolašin 1600", after which a tender was announced, which was later canceled.
The company "Ski-resort Kolašin 1450" told "Vijesti" that they have so far invested nearly 400.000 euros in the rehabilitation of the cable car tower, and at the same time accused "Skijalište" of lack of cooperation, negative campaigning and avoiding presenting the facts regarding the rehabilitation of the cable car to the public. Since the private ski resort has not conducted a selection of bidders since last year, the Ministry of Tourism stated that they have joined the process so that the season can run smoothly.
Žugić: Events like this require a responsible approach
Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany Ralph Reusch yesterday he visited Žabljak to learn about the state of the investigation. He met with the mayor of Žabljak Radoš Žugić and Economic Policy Advisor at the Embassy Enis Čindrak.
The Municipality said that the conversation "highlighted the importance of institutional cooperation and communication... and respect for the jurisdiction of all involved authorities in dealing with this event."
"Such events deeply affect the entire community and require a serious, humane and responsible approach," said Žugić.
Unanswered questions
The Police Directorate did not respond to requests for comment on what actions the service took immediately after the accident on the "Savin Kuk 2" cable car, in which a German citizen was killed and his wife was seriously injured.
"Did the police conduct an on-site investigation and what were the main findings of that investigation in the part relating to the current condition of the cable car and safety systems? Did the police temporarily seize certain technical documentation, pieces of equipment or other material evidence from the cable car, and were they handed over to the competent prosecutor's office? Did the police determine whether the cable car was in operation in accordance with applicable safety procedures at the time of the accident, including the number of passengers, the method of operation and the reaction of the staff after the incident?" are some of the questions that remained unanswered.
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