Workshop Ischgl - “Slope Gliding” Is Intended To Revitalize Low Lying Ski Areas In Response To Climate Change
In many winter sports destinations, skiing could soon be a thing of the past. With his WORKSHOP ISCHGL, Günther Aloys has founded an institution that develops alternative concepts to classic ski tourism. The latest result of the work in the innovation factory is slope gliding. Instead of going down on skis, you float down into the valley in a small balloon.
By the end of this century, 13 percent of all ski slopes worldwide could have disappeared due to climate change, according to a recently published study by the University of Bayreuth. Even in the outer areas of the Alps, one must expect a significantly shortened (and correspondingly unprofitable) season. By 2100, a 42 percent decline in the number of days with closed snow cover is forecast. Snow cannons will then only be of limited use.
In recent years, the WORKSHOP ISCHGL, founded by Günther Aloys, has provided several ideas for winter tourism in the face of global warming, including covered ski slopes, so-called “downhill bubbles”. But according to the former board member of the Ischgl Tourism Association, it is also time to consider alternatives to classic skiing. Slope gliding is one such alternative.
Balloons float guests
Instead of skiing, visitors will now be able to glide down the valley on balloons. The idea is that the cover should be transportable in a small bag and inflated with a cartridge at the mountain station in just a few seconds. Finally, you basically float along the slope and sometimes touch the ground in order to be able to steer the new piece of sports equipment.
Günther Aloys recommends a feasibility study to clarify remaining questions about slope gliding, such as the behavior of the balloon in strong winds. “One thing is certain: we will continue to have mountains and cable car systems in the future, but we will have to use them differently in low-lying ski areas,” emphasizes the hotelier. “Places like Ischgl will have guaranteed snow for a long time, but new approaches are needed elsewhere.”
The synthesis of air and winter sports
Air and winter sports are already being combined. Sporty, for example, with heli-skiing, touristy with ballooning over snow-covered landscapes in the ski regions. Günther Aloys wants to create a synthesis from the combination with his innovative idea and thus appeal primarily to young people. “We are certainly hitting the right nerve with the younger generation. “In” is everything that drifts, glides or flies,” explains the Tyrolean tourism pioneer. Slope gliding also fuels the idea of the Alpine adventure park that emerged in the ISCHGL WORKSHOP. “People have to have the feeling: If I go on holiday in the Alps, I can experience something. Not what we experienced as an experience 20 years ago, but what young people will experience as an experience in 20 years,” emphasizes Günther Aloys, who once triggered the après-ski trend with the same attitude.
“We must not remain stuck in the past or follow trends – Austria and the Alpine region play a leading role in winter tourism. If we want it to stay that way, we have to regain our innovative strength.” The WORKSHOP ISCHGL wants to continue to make its contribution to this.
About Günther Aloys:
The Tyrolean has been a self-employed hotelier since 1969 (Hotel Madlein and Hotel Elisabeth). Aloys was also a board member of the Ischgl Tourism Association and a supervisory board member of Silvretta Seilbahn AG for ten years. Through his innovative measures, he made a significant contribution to making Ischgl number 1 in the Alps in terms of occupancy and per capita income. The visionary also produces the lifestyle drink “RICH Prosecco” and has been a board member of the Workshop Ischgl since 1992. In this context, he created a 350-page workbook full of creative ideas, innovations and visions.
