Hochstein in Lienz: Ski season 2024/25 fails due to closure

Hochstein in Lienz: Ski season 2024/25 fails due to closure

In the picturesque Austrian Alps, more precisely in Lienz, a popular ski area faces a serious crisis. The winter season 2024/25 on the Hochstein remains completely closed, and this not only has serious consequences for the operators of the ski area, but also for the on -site entrepreneurs who are heavily dependent on tourists. Lienzer Bergbahnen AG has announced that it will be shut down all lifts and slopes this year after maintaining maintenance. This decision ensures disappointment and frustration in the entire region.

A central problem is defective armchair clamps on a double lift that cannot be replaced in time. The delivery of the required spare parts will take place by at least March 2025, and so the entire winter season in the Hochstein remains unused for this winter. "So there is no skiing on the Hochstein in the 2024/25 winter season," says the clear announcement of the operators.

consequences for the local economy

The effects of this closure are devastating. For example, the hotelier Reinhold Tiefenbacher from the Moosalm reported that around 80 percent of the hotel guests have canceled their bookings. Other companies in the area are similar. "Before the winter season, this is a hard club that we got over over it," complains Margit Stotter, head of the Grulbofs. This sudden cancellation wave could endanger the livelihood for many entrepreneurs in the tourism business.

The news about the closure did not reach the catering and tourism industry until the end of September, which was just too late for some companies. Christoph Stotter from the Schlossberg ski school is affected: "You took my existence in one fell swoop." His company had already invested in the preparation of the tobogganing trail in order to be able to offer the guests a great experience.

The situation of the Sternalm is particularly dramatic. After a year in which they had already suffered great losses due to the lifts that had not been put into operation in time, they had to close forever. "We would never have come up with the idea that the cable car would not run in winter," says Christian Schiessl thoughtfully and disappointed. These financial setbacks appear all the more incomprehensible after they had made profound renovations worth 100,000 euros in the previous year.

decision from a business perspective

The decision to close the skiing was unanimously made on the Supervisory Board of Lienzer Bergbahnen AG. Franz Theurl, the chairman of the supervisory board, comments: "If you look at this from an entrepreneurial perspective, the decision is a logical one." The Schlossberg generates income in summer, while in winter the Zettersfeld ensures the financial means. However, without support from the public sector, the operators cannot maintain the desired operating form and therefore have to fall back on this drastic measure.

The ski area on the Hochstein has also been struggling with financial challenges for years. The high operating costs are difficult to cover due to the relatively small number of skiers. This year the number of guests on the Hochstein will drop to zero, which is another sign of the problematic situation that many smaller ski areas experience in Austria.

The situation on the Hochstein is not only a local crisis, but underlines the difficulties with which many winter sports resorts are faced in the Alps. Tourists usually have a variety of options to choose from, and the loss of such a travel destination can result in far -reaching economic consequences.