Unterberg ski resort ends operations after mild winters

The Unterberg ski resort in Wiener Neustadt district will cease operations because of persistently mild winters and the effects of climate change, ORF reported. The decision was made at the end of the summer.

Managing director Erich Panzenboeck said the closure had been a difficult decision after years of work and commitment. Even the snowfall last season was insufficient for skiing, meaning the resort did not open for a single day last year or the year before.

A future-use plan is being developed with the landowners for ski touring and snowshoe hiking. Details are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

Local businesses took over the resort in 2014. The facility, marketed as a natural snow paradise, offered 16 kilometres of pistes, four lifts and a conveyor belt for beginners.

Panzenboeck thanked the resort’s supporters and visitors, but said the conditions no longer allowed it to operate.