Quiet on the Hochstein: Winter season 2024/25 brings a standstill and disappointment

Quiet on the Hochstein: Winter season 2024/25 brings a standstill and disappointment

A striking event shakes the popular ski town of Hochstein in the Austrian Alps. The operators of Lienzer Bergbahnen AG have announced that the ski lifts will remain closed during the entire winter season 2024/25. This decision causes horror and unrest in the region, since the holiday destination depends on the income from ski tourism.

in Lienz there is amazement. While a Ski World Cup has been held in recent years, the region is now facing a significant economic challenge. The necessary maintenance work, in particular the exchange of armchair clamps at the double lift, could not be carried out in time. According to the mountain railways, the required spare parts can only be delivered in March 2025. For this reason, nothing will be found in the new winter season on the twelve kilometers of slopes on the Hochstein.

80 percent of the reservations canceled

The effects are already clearly noticeable. Hotelier Reinhold Tiefenbacher from the Hotel Moosalm reports that around 80 percent of the hotel guests have canceled their bookings. "It is a big disaster for us," he says. Margit Stotter, head of the Grafiofs, adds: "Before the winter season, this is a hard club that we got over it." This shows how profoundly the closure of the ski area influences the local economy.

The decision to announce the closure came much too late for many companies. Christoph Stotter from the Schlossberg ski school speaks of an existential threat to his company: "You took my existence in one fell swoop." Despite high investments in the preparation of the season, the industry now feels abandoned.

Logical decision from company perspective

The Lienzer Bergbahnen AG said that the decision had been made unanimously. Supervisory Council leader Franz Theurl explains that the economic situation of the Hochstein was problematic for years due to the high operating costs and the small number of skiers. "If there is no money from the public sector to cover these departures, then we cannot continue the operation in the form," he describes the situation.

In the region, one hopes for better conditions for ski tours that should continue to be offered if there is enough snow. But at the moment, many companies are unsettled and fear for their future. The winter joys for which the region was once known seem to have moved far away.

The background to these developments is not only important for the locals, but also for the many tourists who visit the Austrian Alps annually. The complete closure of the Hochstein ski area will undoubtedly have far-reaching consequences. For details and further information, visit the detailed reporting on www.ruhr24.de .