Styrian ski resorts prepare for season as they await snow

Styrian ski resorts are readying for winter operations but still need more snow, ORF reports, as the Alpine Ski World Cup opens in Sölden on Saturday with a giant slalom on the Rettenbach glacier.

Daniel Berchthaller, spokesman for the cable-car operators in Styria, said a change in the weather was the main thing still needed. If conditions allow, resorts will switch quickly from summer to winter operations. At the Reiteralm ski area, the transition took six days two years ago, from the end of summer operations on November 3 to the start of winter operations on November 9.

Snowfall in the mountains remains insufficient, and temperatures are expected to rise again in the coming days. Berchthaller said major maintenance work and construction projects should be completed by Austria’s National Day, while the snowmaking system has been tested.

Two Styrian ski areas will not open this season. Skiing at Gaberl has been discontinued because of high costs. The operators of the Aflenzer Bürgeralm ski area would like to open, but a broken feeder lift means the access road would need to be paved. The municipality of Aflenz cannot afford the work.

In the Schladming-Dachstein ski area, booking online in advance can make lift passes up to 15 percent cheaper. Families can also save in spring: from mid-March, children under 15 ski free if an adult buys a four-day pass.