Lower Austrian Ski Resorts: 660,000 Visits Despite Mild Winter

Winter season at Hochkar runs until 6 April, successful project Lower Austria Mountain Adventure Pass

This year's winter was characterized by particularly low precipitation and mild temperatures throughout the Alpine region, including Lower Austria. Thanks to artificial snowmaking, however, a total of 15 Austrian ski resorts were still able to offer excellent piste conditions.

"It's a comeback winter. People have taken advantage of the sunshine and gotten back into skiing, which we've noticed in the ski rental shops. Currently, the ski resorts in Lower Austria are hosting around 660,000 visits, a 25 percent increase over the previous three winters. We're pleased to say we're back to pre-coronavirus levels. In some places, preparations are beginning for the summer season, which starts as early as April 4, 2025, at the Wexl Arena and the Wexl Trails in St. Corona am Wechsel," says Johanna Mikl-Leitner, the state governor responsible for tourism.

"We are truly very pleased with this year's winter season. The largely beautiful weather was the deciding factor. We were able to offer consistently excellent piste conditions at the Jauerling Ski Arena from December 13, 2024, to March 9, 2025. This quality is unique in our history," says Michael Reichl, Chairman of the Cable Car Association in the Lower Austrian Chamber of Commerce and Managing Director of the Jauerling Ski Arena.

The Annaberg lifts, the Ötscher lifts, and the Semmering-Hirschenkogel cable cars will remain in operation until Sunday, March 16, 2025. All other ski areas have ended their winter season; the Rax cable car and the Schneeberg chairlift are available for hiking.

"The planned end of the Hochkar Bergbahnen season is April 6, 2025. The Austrian General Class Championships in Slalom and Giant Slalom will take place on April 3 and 4, 2025," says Markus Redl, Managing Director of the state-owned ecoplus Alpin GmbH, who adds: "This winter was a major challenge in terms of snowmaking. We are pleased that we were able to operate for almost 100 days and that we were there for our guests, especially during the holiday season."

A total of around 460,000 visits were recorded at the five ecoplus Alpin GmbH locations, with three additional weeks planned for the Hochkar Bergbahnen cable cars, and additional first-time visitors are expected. The busiest day, with 13,156 first-time visitors (across all five locations), was January 4, 2025.

Successful project Lower Austria Mountain Adventure Pass: Already more than 90,000 uses

The new joint season pass for ten ski areas in Lower Austria has already been a resounding success in its first winter season. "8,732 passes were issued, of which 4,654 were issued to adults, 3,531 to children and young people under 16, and 547 to 'minis' under six. Thanks to the family bonus in super advance sales, 3,699 passes were free for children – a good 90 percent had already purchased by October 31, 2024. This equates to youth development worth around one million euros," says Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner, who also knows "that the Lower Austrian Mountain Adventure Passes have already been used more than 90,000 times, a good third of all visits to Hochkar."

"There are incredibly diligent users like Paul Putz from Mariazell, who has already used the Lower Austrian Mountain Adventure Pass more than 70 times in his retirement. Or Andreas Libra, a para-athlete in the Lower Austrian state team, from Lunz am See. He had already used the Lower Austrian Mountain Adventure Pass on 55 days before a skiing accident on Hochkar. We wish him a speedy recovery!", wishes Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner.