Vorarlberg ski operators say water supplies are ready for snowmaking

Vorarlberg’s ski operators say their water reserves are sufficient for snowmaking despite a long dry spell, ORF Vorarlberg reported after the industry’s annual conference in Damüls on Thursday. Reservoirs were filled with snowmelt in spring and are now full, said Andreas Gapp, spokesperson for the Vorarlberg cable-car operators.

Snowmaking will work if temperatures are low enough, Gapp said. With climate change affecting lower-altitude areas too, artificial snow is becoming more important. The operators hope for a snowy winter, but cold nights are essential for snow production.

Hubert Siller, head of tourism at Management Center Innsbruck, said winter sports now depend heavily on technology and need to be predictable. Ski resorts want the season to begin in November or December, when demand is high. The bigger challenge often comes in late winter, when temperatures rise and customers begin turning their attention to southern destinations.

Vorarlberg has 32 ski areas, with 246 cable cars and lifts serving a total of 1,000 kilometres of pistes.

Lift-ticket prices in the region have risen by about 4.2% this winter, above the 3.6% inflation rate, Gapp said. He cited an increase in the three-month Euribor interest rate from 2% to 2.6% since last year. The region’s mountain-lift companies have invested about €76 million in new and existing facilities this year.

Gapp said the operators were not expecting higher prices to reduce demand, but would like to offer discounts to local residents. Such discounts will not be available this season because of the EU Services Directive. Gapp said the operators support efforts to change the legal framework and hope a new basis for local-resident rates will be in place by the 2027-28 season.

Dynamic pricing for day tickets prompted debate in Montafon last winter, when prices rose particularly on some peak days. Montafon will continue using the system, Gapp said, but other ski areas are not planning to adopt it. He said the cable-car company he manages in Oberstdorf-Kleinwalsertal had considered dynamic pricing but would not introduce it, citing the value of predictable prices for visitors.

Siller urged ski areas to offer family deals, such as free lift access for children below a certain age when accompanied by their families. Keeping young people and children in the sport is important, he said. He added that resorts must cater both to premium customers and to visitors with smaller budgets, rather than becoming an exclusive offer.