Austria's Lift Co’s Showcase Sustainability In Practice

Sustainably ski every day: lift co's invest heavily in renewable energies - and are now presenting projects every day

“Whether small or large, whether new or already in operation for a long time: measures and projects to promote sustainability, energy efficiency and regionality help to optimize the ecological footprint of ski areas,” says Franz Hörl, chairman of the cable car association in the Austrian Chamber of Commerce In order to make this extensive commitment even more visible to the outside world, the trade association will be presenting a project from Austria's regions every day on www.seilbahnen.at from December 1st. "In this way, we illustrate the wide range of initiatives, infrastructure projects, cooperation and investments, that make skiing in our country a particularly environmentally friendly experience," emphasizes the trade association chairman. From solar energy and hydropower to the latest energy-saving technologies through to the networking of cable cars with local producers or agriculture: the local cable cars have been following the sustainable path as an industry for years and thus help to relieve and protect our sensitive Alpine region as comprehensively as possible.

Skiing in the Austrian mountains is already one of the most environmentally friendly holiday activities with the lowest carbon footprint. “This realization has motivated many people to work even more intensively on their own energy balance and to become even better. Cable cars and snow facilities are already operated exclusively with electricity, over 90% of which comes from renewable sources. Since fossil fuels play virtually no role in the ski areas, there will be even more focus on the topic of mobility in the future,” says Hörl. In our own sphere of activity, however, the goal of energy self-sufficient operation comes first. “The corresponding infrastructure is constantly being expanded and in some places not only contributes to the comprehensive energy supply in the ski area, but also benefits the population by feeding excess electricity into public networks,” says Hörl.

The “Sustainable Skiing Every Day” initiative aims to give the numerous measures in the local ski areas a “communicative face” and at the same time show that the cable cars take their responsibility seriously. “We don’t just talk about sustainability, we live it in our companies, communities and regions. It is not for nothing that domestic tourism is at the top in Austria when it comes to the share of renewable energies compared to other sectors. We would like to maintain and further expand this top position in the future,” says Hörl.

Ski sustainably every day - from December 1, 2023 on www.seilbahnen.at and the professional association's social media channels under Up in the Mountains on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.