The Ropeway, also known as a crane, cable car, or gondola (the gondola can also refer to cable railway), is a type of transportation that typically carries passengers or goods up and down steep slopes. It operates using steel cables suspended in the air to support and pull passenger or cargo vehicles. In addition to stations, support structures for the cables are usually built at intervals along the route. Some ropeways use cranes suspended beneath the cables; others do not, with passengers seated in open gondolas hanging in mid-air. Ropeways with open gondolas are common in ski areas.