Upper Austrian Cable Car Specialist Group: Skiing As An ‘Elixir Of Life’

As part of a summit discussion by the WKOÖ cable car specialist group at Linz's Pöstlingberg under the title “Skiing makes body and mind happy”, the sports doctor Dr. med. univ. Robert Fritz and FI Mag. Friedrich Scherrer from the Upper Austrian Education Directorate, responsible for physical education and sport, about the numerous health-promoting aspects of skiing. Not only were the physical benefits of skiing highlighted, but also the psychological ones.

Skiing challenges the body and brain

According to Dr. med. univ. Robert Fritz attaches great importance from the perspective of sports medicine. Because: movement is life! “Regular physical exercise reduces the risk of numerous physical and mental illnesses. Regular skiing also offers this positive effect on the body and mind and much more - it offers a natural experience in the mountains for the whole family," says the sports doctor.

“What makes skiing so unique is that it addresses the four central pillars of health: strength, endurance, coordination and mobility.” And this also makes skiing an effective remedy against the “immobility” that prevails in Austria. “Only 26% of men and 21.1% of women currently meet the minimum criteria for exercise,” says Dr. Fritz. Skiing can be an important antidote and at the same time an elixir of life because this demanding, physical activity stimulates and challenges the entire musculoskeletal system and the brain.

Dr. However, Fritz also points out not to go skiing unprepared. Systematic preparation through relaxed endurance training in combination with simple strength and balance training minimizes the risk of injury and is another important step out of immobility.

Anchor movement in children

“Skiing offers a variety of motor training as well as psychological recovery and mental relaxation for children, young people and adults right up to old age,” says Mag. Friedrich Scherrer. Specialist inspector for applications and sport at the Upper Austrian Education Directorate. As part of the school, the Upper Austrian winter sports week is a valuable addition to the lessons in exercise and sport and also includes a lot of socially and, above all, health-relevant content. According to Scherrer, this is where the basis for winter sports affinity is laid.

The Upper Austrian winter sports week is a complete package of social learning, group dynamics, nature experience, joy of movement in combination with in-depth learning/improving of skiing, snowboarding and cross-country skiing and the experience of sliding in the snow in order to remain loyal to winter sports in the long term. “The Upper Austrian winter sports week includes an enormous integration factor, in which students with non-Austrian roots also get to know the mountains of their “new” home. This is particularly true for the urban population,” says Scherrer.

The number of school ski courses in Upper Austria is increasing sharply

The local cable cars are constantly investing in promoting skiing. Among other things, by providing free tickets for school ski courses and free day tickets for elementary school children as part of the Upper Austrian Winter Sports Week. “Last year, the state of Upper Austria and the cable cars provided 85,000 free tickets for Upper Austrian schoolchildren. The demand was the highest since the campaign was introduced in 2009,” said Helmut Holzinger, board member of Hinterstoder-Wurzeralm Bergbahnen AG and alongside Rupert Schiefer, board member of the Dachstein West ski area and managing director of the OÖ Seilbahnholding, and Ing. Mag. Gerald Paschinger, Managing Director of Hochficht Bergbahnen, initiator of the summit talks. In total, the local mountain railways provided free tickets for 11,863 one-week ski courses and 26,536 free day tickets for elementary school children.

About the summit talks

The summit discussions are a new series of events organized by the Upper Austrian Cable Car Specialist Group and the snow&fun group, which examine current topics relating to tourism developments in the local mountains from the perspective of the cable car industry. After the topics “An optimistic view - top energy and climate balance of our ski areas” and “Skiing delights the body and mind”, the third summit discussion will follow on February 15, 2024 with the topic “New offers for new guests”.