Rising costs threaten Austria’s next generation of skiers

Rising costs and the time commitment are making it harder to get children to take up skiing and stay with the sport, Markus Gattinger, director of the Ski Middle School in Windischgarsten, told ORF.

Speaking to Isabella Köck on ORF’s “Auf ein Wort” programme, Gattinger said skiing could no longer be taken for granted and needed more promotion than it did several years ago.

Last season, adult day tickets at some larger ski areas in Upper Austria cost around 70 euros. Many resorts are raising prices by about 3 percent for the coming season. Families also have to pay for equipment, travel and food.

A school ski week can cost between 400 and 700 euros for pupils at lower and upper secondary level, according to the Upper Austrian Association of Parents’ Associations for Compulsory Schools. The state of Upper Austria covers lift tickets for school ski courses lasting at least four days at ski areas in the state.

Even when children learn to ski on a school course, fewer continue afterwards, Gattinger said. The demands are greater still for those pursuing competitive skiing, as the time commitment can be too much for many parents.

The Windischgarsten ski middle school has trained young winter sports athletes since 1966. Its former pupils include world champions Rudi Nierlich, Hannes Trinkl and Vincent Kriechmayr, as well as World Cup skier Daniel Hemetsberger. The school now also trains young athletes in Nordic disciplines, and began offering Nordic combined for the first time last school year.

Ski resorts face rising energy and investment costs, including spending on modern snowmaking systems. GeoSphere Austria says winters are becoming warmer over the long term, making natural snow less reliable, particularly at lower elevations. Gattinger said the energy used for snowmaking remained justifiable compared with other sports, including the work needed to prepare football pitches.