Styrian cable cars invest 76 million euros to bolster smaller ski areas

Styrian cable car operators are investing around 76 million euros this year to maintain and expand their facilities, ORF reported after an industry conference in Obdach. The sector also wants stronger support for smaller ski areas and more flexible rules for school ski courses.

About 190 cable cars and lifts currently carry visitors to the mountains and the roughly 988 kilometres of ski runs in Styria. The businesses directly employ around 1,300 people, while a further 8,800 jobs are generated in related industries. The wider economic chain linked to the cable car sector generates 530 million euros in value, much of it in accommodation and catering. The value-added multiplier is 4.9.

“Our industry is local tourism’s supplier, and cable cars are an indispensable and sustainable means of transport to the mountains,” said Oliver Käfer, head of the cable car division at the Styrian Chamber of Commerce.

Of this year’s investment, 18.5 million euros went to an eight-seat chairlift at Kreischberg in the Murau district. It is the only newly built cable car in Styria this year.

Support sought for smaller ski areas

“We want to strengthen the small ski areas in Styria. They develop the next generation of skiers and generate value in the regions,” said Daniel Berchthaller, managing director of Reiteralm and chairman of the Styrian cable car division at the Chamber of Commerce.

He highlighted the Styrian government’s “Hochweiß” quality initiative. The programme has a budget of one million euros and supports investment in small and medium-sized ski and cross-country skiing areas. Berchthaller said the funding was essential for many smaller operators to keep their infrastructure at a modern, high-quality standard.

Industry calls for changes to school ski rules

The sector said urgent action was needed on school ski courses. Multi-day school events generally require at least 70 percent of pupils in a class to take part. If six of 20 children cannot or do not want to go, the ski course cannot take place.

There is also a five-hour limit for pupils in the first two school years. As a result, a trip to the snow, including a snack, is practically impossible for primary school children from Graz, the cable car operators said. They called for the 70 percent threshold for school events to be lowered or made more flexible.

Calls to reuse cable car equipment

The industry also argued for giving cable cars a second life as part of efforts to conserve resources. “Not every facility has to be newly built for a ski area to remain technically up to date. A fully refurbished cable car can be a realistic way for a smaller operator to obtain modern infrastructure,” Berchthaller said.

At the conference, Doppelmayr, an Austrian cable car technology provider, presented options for smaller ski areas using used and modernised facilities. Alongside the significantly lower investment costs, longer use of existing equipment would also have a sustainability benefit, Berchthaller said. Used snow groomers and snowmaking systems could also be reused, he added.