Wolffkran Wraps 4.5-Year Alpine Crane Mission at Grimsel Pass

12 Sep 2025 CW Team

Wolffkran has successfully concluded a challenging four-and-a-half-year crane deployment at Switzerland’s Grimsel Pass, where its largest luffing cranes supported construction of the new Spitallamm Dam. The project required two nearly 100-metre-tall WOLFF cranes, including the WOLFF 1250 B, which lifted around 500,000 tonnes of concrete across 32,000 operations.

To withstand the harsh Alpine conditions, Wolffkran developed the XXL TV 60 tower element with a six-metre side length, enabling the cranes to operate freestanding on pile foundations weighing over 1,500 tonnes. Crews worked in intense seasonal cycles, manning the cranes round-the-clock from May to October each year. The equipment was also fitted with a special over-wintering system to ensure reliability after heavy snowfalls and storms.

By June 2025, dismantling was completed and 1,281 tonnes of crane components were transported down to the valley in more than 60 oversized truck journeys. The cranes have now been redeployed to Saudi Arabia’s Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Stadium project in Qiddiya, where they will again be used in exposed conditions. Wolffkran’s Managing Director, Ralph Stump, described the Grimsel project as a milestone that showcased both the resilience of the company’s technology and the dedication of its team.

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