Ski area cannot open due to lack of spare parts: “Major disaster”

The ski lifts at Hochstein in Lienz will remain closed this winter season. The decision threatens the existence of hotels and ski schools.

In the 2024/25 winter season, the ski lifts at Hochstein in Lienz, Austria, will remain closed. The operator, Lienzer Bergbahnen AG, announced that necessary spare parts cannot be delivered until March 2025.

This delay also affects the lower part of the Schlossberg as well as the combined lift and drag lifts. Loud “Mercury“The mountain should still be prepared for ski tours when there is enough snow.

Ski resort closure “big catastrophe” for hoteliers

The closure has a serious impact on the local hotel and restaurant industry. According to “Merkur”, 80 percent of hotel guests have already canceled. “This is a big catastrophe for us,” said hotelier Reinhold Tiefenbacher from the Hotel Moosalm ORF. Ski schools are also affected. “They took away my existence in one fell swoop,” said Christoph Stotter from the Schlossberg ski school to the “Small newspaper“.

Supervisory board chairman Franz Theurl refers to economic considerations: “Schlossberg is our cash show in summer and Zetterfeld in winter.”

As “Merkur” reports, operations will not be possible without financial support. Closing the ski lifts is therefore a “logical” decision for the mountain railways.

Ski passes are becoming more expensive: price increases of up to ten percent are expected

Winter sports enthusiasts also have to prepare for higher ski pass prices for the 2024/25 season. An analysis by “Schneehoehen.de” shows that prices for day tickets will increase by an average of five to ten percent.

Significant price increases of up to six percent have been recorded, particularly in Austrian ski areas such as Kitzbühel and Sölden. However, savings are possible: purchasing ski passes in advance online and multi-day tickets offer discounts of up to 30 percent.

Prices are also rising in other countries, but less sharply. In Switzerland, the price for a day ski pass in Saas-Fee remains stable at 79 francs. In Gitschberg Jochtal – Brixen, Italy, the price increases to 68 euros.

In France, a price increase of 7.6 percent is expected at the Espace Killy. The Austrian ski resort Hochkeil opened earlier than usual in September due to large amounts of snow.

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