Snow Security In Vorarlberg: Investments, Ecology And The Future Of Technical Snowmaking
Modern snowmakers ensure that winter sports enthusiasts in Vorarlberg find perfectly prepared slopes. Over the past three years, the cable car companies in Vorarlberg have therefore invested around 40 million euros in snowmaking and slope quality. Their main concern is to be able to secure the start of the season: studies show that, despite climate change, there will still be enough snow for skiing in Vorarlberg over the next 30 years, but snowfall at the start of the season could become less reliable - even if that was not the case this year. With technical snowmaking, natural fluctuations can be balanced out and, above all, planning and snow security can be guaranteed.
Like many other industries, the cable car industry is also facing the challenges of climate change. Studies show that, despite climate change, there will still be enough snow for skiing in Vorarlberg over the next 30 years, but the start of the season in December - even if not this year - could become much more uncertain in the future. On December 10, 2024, representatives of the cable car specialist group, together with Günther Aigner, Austrian ski tourism researcher and managing director of Zukunft Skisport, informed about the topics of snow reliability and technical snowmaking in Vorarlberg at a press conference at the valley station of the Mellaubahn. "For the mountain railways, this means developing strategies to compensate for this volatility and to be able to guarantee guests planning and snow reliability. And this is exactly where technical snowmaking comes in. It can be used to compensate for fluctuations in the availability of natural snow," explains Andreas Gapp, specialist group chairman of the Vorarlberg cable cars.
Piste quality and snow reliability are crucial
Technical snowmaking and winter tourism are closely linked in Vorarlberg: guest surveys show that excellent slope quality and snow reliability are key criteria why guests want to spend their winter holidays in Vorarlberg. "Or to put it even more clearly: without snow reliability, there are fewer winter guests. Technical snowmaking therefore helps to secure winter tourism for all of us in Vorarlberg," emphasizes Andreas Gapp. For this reason, around 42 million euros have been invested in snowmaking and slope quality in the state over the past three years. For the 2024/25 winter season that has just started, investments in this area amount to just under ten million euros, distributed across the 32 ski areas across Vorarlberg and around 2,400 snow guns and slope improvements.
Snowmaking here is generally the most ecological in the world
"We will continue to have enough snow for skiing in the next 30 years. However, the amount of snow at the start of the season could fluctuate more. Artificial snowmaking cushions these fluctuations," says ski tourism researcher Günther Aigner. The main things needed for this are air, water, energy and a producer. "And nowhere else in the world is snowmaking more ecological than in Vorarlberg," Günther Aigner continues. There are several reasons for this: the water required for snowmaking is an excellent example of a functioning circular economy. The water used returns to the natural water cycle completely, unchanged and drinkable after the snow melts. "And thanks to the use of energy from renewable sources, the carbon footprint of artificial snowmaking in Austria is astonishingly low at around 54 grams of CO2 per skier day. That's equivalent to driving around 300 meters in a diesel car," adds Aigner. With state-of-the-art facilities and extensive additional programs to protect flora and fauna, a further positive contribution is being made.
Renewable energy as a basis
"We and all the other Vorarlberg cable cars naturally prefer a white, snow-covered winter landscape and lots of natural snow to having to make snow, we all agree on that. But we cannot influence the natural snowfall. What we can do with our 84 employees is to make a contribution to planning security, especially when it comes to the start of the season. And everyone involved benefits from this, i.e. guests and locals, landlords, restaurants, ski rental companies, retailers, the cable cars, etc.," emphasizes Markus Simma, Managing Director of the Damüls cable cars. For years, technical snowmaking has been carried out in an increasingly sustainable manner. Overall, the Austrian cable cars now get 99.9 percent of their electricity from renewable energies. "This is the only way we can ensure the usual high quality of the slopes so that our guests can enjoy skiing in all its many facets," says Andreas Gapp, also from his experience as CEO of Kleinwalsertaler Bergbahn AG.
The fascination of skiing
"And that brings us to the many emotional aspects that skiing and snow security bring with it, in addition to the economic ones. Skiing is so much more than just a sport: the beautiful mountain scenery, clear mountain air, snow under the skis, all of this makes up this passion for skiing. On the slopes we experience the feeling of lightness and freedom - just as Wolfgang Ambros expressed it very skillfully in his well-known song 'Schifoan'," says cable car chairman and enthusiastic skier Andreas Gapp, describing the fascination of skiing. He adds: "Together with family and friends, lasting memories are created on and off the slopes. It is not for nothing that there are now more skiers worldwide than ever before in the history of winter sports. And thanks to technical snowmaking, we are able to enable all these people to have these great moments and experiences in the future too."
