Gasteiner Bergbahnen Presents Sustainable Participation Projects
Gasteiner Bergbahnen AG is planning the next milestone in the field of sustainability with an innovative solar park - offers for climate-friendly travel are also on the rise.
The Gasteiner Bergbahnen have already been able to put several solar and photovoltaic systems into operation in recent years. A new solar park in the area of the Schlossalm valley station is intended to further promote energy independence and climate protection in the ski area. As with the new construction of the Schlossalmbahn, locals and guests will again have the opportunity to invest in sustainability projects. The citizen participation model "Skisparen 2023" rewards participants with vouchers, while their contributions pave the way to climate-neutral skiing. In addition to investing in renewable energies, the Gasteiner Bergbahnen also address the issue of mobility, as the journey to the destination accounts for the largest share of the CO2 emissions of a skiing holiday.
Sunny prospects for renewable energies
The planned solar park at the Schlossalm valley station represents a milestone in Gastein's efforts to achieve energy independence. The new project aims to save around 170 tons of CO2 emissions per year. “In a simulation, the 800 panels in total delivered an annual yield of 364,500 kilowatt hours. With this amount of electricity, the lifts of the Schlossalm could be operated throughout the winter without a feeder,” explains the architect Hendrick Innerhofer, who was commissioned with the conception. In the end, the architects Innerhofer or Innerhofer designed 65 “solar trees” of different sizes and orientations in order to create a visually appealing and varied overall picture. All modules are installed at an angle so that snow can slide off and electricity can also be produced in winter.
Civic participation model Skisparen 2023
If you want to make a contribution to more sustainability when you buy your ski pass, you can support projects such as the Gastein solar park until April 30, 2023 as part of a citizen participation model. There are three investment packages (gold, silver and bronze) to choose from, with the amount being loaded into an electronic credit account for five years from May 2023.
All products in the online ticket shop skigastein.skiperformance.com can be purchased with the credit. Overall, a sum that is 15 percent higher than was originally invested is credited - a win-win-win situation for winter sports enthusiasts, mountain railways and the environment. If ski savers also use the advantages of dynamic pricing, they even benefit twice over. “Online early bookers enjoy a best price guarantee with us. Over time, the tariffs are approaching the spot prices, so it's worth buying day ski passes and, from this winter, also multi-day ski passes early and 'dynamically',” recommends Benjamin Rogl from Gasteiner Bergbahnen on the successful model introduced last winter.
Gasteiner Bergbahnen AG goes e-mobility
"Sustainable skiing doesn't just begin on the slopes, which is why it is particularly important to us to motivate our guests to travel climate-friendly and also to create the opportunities for this," says Board Member Franz Schafflinger, referring to a corresponding offer in cooperation with ÖBB. For holders of an ÖBB Vorteilscard, the train ticket from anywhere in Salzburg or from Villach is included in the day ticket price. If you already have a climate ticket, you get a 15 percent discount on the day ski pass. Arriving by rail is particularly convenient in Bad Gastein, where the train station is right next to the valley station of the Stubnerkogelbahn - a unique situation in the whole of Salzburg. Eva Buzzi from ÖBB Rail Tours knows about the savings potential of greenhouse gases in the area of mobility: "70 to 80 percent of all CO2 emissions, caused by a winter vacationer arise on arrival and departure. The ÖBB initiative 'With Railjet & Co to the snow' is our answer. The Gastein combined winter sports ticket brings winter sports enthusiasts directly to the fun of skiing in a comfortable, inexpensive and relaxed way.”
For mobility within the Gasteinertal, the Gasteiner Bergbahnen started an electric car sharing project together with BÄM Mobility GmbH in the summer. Due to the positive response, the fleet was increased to five electric vehicles for the winter season. Driving license and ATM card are enough to use the low-threshold and climate-friendly mobility offer.
All in all, it is a holistic view and a sense of responsibility for the region that drive Gasteiner Bergbahnen AG to take a variety of environmental protection and energy saving measures. Andreas Innerhofer sums it up: "In purely financial terms, the whole thing is a zero-sum game - the construction and maintenance of a solar park, for example, also incurs considerable costs. But that's not what we're about. Lots of jobs in the Gastein Valley
depend on the protection and preservation of our mountains. We are aware of this responsibility and are taking the appropriate measures.”
Gasteiner Bergbahnen AG sustainability projects at a glance
As a company that works in and with nature, the Gasteiner Bergbahnen are aware of their responsibility for the Gastein mountains and are continuously taking steps to enable visitors to have a sustainable mountain experience for generations. In order to conserve resources without having to compromise on the quality of the slopes, the Gasteiner Bergbahnen rely on efficient snow management. Data-supported snow depth measurements and snow fences are used for snowmaking in order to be able to produce and hold snow with pinpoint accuracy. In the last winter season, savings of 10 to 15 percent were already achieved through the strategic combination of measurement data evaluation and decades of experience. The conveying capacity of the cable cars is also regulated in a targeted manner and is based on the respective flow of people in order to avoid energy losses. And in summer, measures are taken in the areas of forest maintenance, afforestation and soil activation in cooperation with partners in agriculture and forestry.
The energy used by the ski area already comes exclusively from renewable sources. In addition to the 100% certified green electricity that the Gasteiner Bergbahnen obtain from Salzburg AG and the E-Werk Bad Hofgastein, the lift company increasingly produces its own electricity. A large solar system on the parking deck of the Schlossalmbahn and photovoltaic systems at the valley and middle stations of the Schlossalmbahn and at the Stubnerkogel valley station have already been implemented as part of this development. A new project in the Schlossalm area is currently being evaluated.
About Gasteiner Bergbahnen AG
With around 120 year-round and up to 130 seasonal workers, Gasteiner Bergbahnen AG, based in Bad Hofgastein, is one of the largest employers in Gastein and one of the largest cable car companies in Austria. The core business of Gasteiner Bergbahnen AG is the bi-seasonal operation of 25 cable cars and lifts and 124 kilometers of slopes in Bad Hofgastein, Bad Gastein and Sportgastein in winter and the 3 summer mountains Schlossalm, Stubnerkogel and Graukogel in summer. Gasteiner Bergbahnen AG is part of Ski amadé, the largest ski association in Austria.
The traditional company, created in 1979 from a merger of the former mountain railway companies of Bad Hofgastein and Bad Gastein, stands for the highest quality and safety standards in order to transport up to 15,000 visitors daily to the peaks and slopes of the Gastein Valley. Modern lift systems, innovative technologies and the greatest possible comfort have ensured particularly pleasant skiing fun since the company was founded. In order to be able to meet these standards in the long term, the cable car company attaches great importance to constant quality control, forward-looking planning and crisis prevention.
