Last Updated on 16th September 2022 by Steve
The Dachstein glacier in Austria this week announced that it will not be opening for downhill skiing in autumn or winter season 2022-23.
The lift company management said that the closure of the ski area has been caused by the extreme heat of the summer months and a general lack of snowfall. The future of the ski area will be evaluated next spring.
The small glacier ski area is located in central Austria and lies on the border of the provinces of Styria and Upper Austria near the popular winter ski resort of Schladming. The skiing reaches an altitude of 2700 metres and usually opens in October to allow keen skiers access to the runs before the main winter season.
Lift company managing director Georg Bliem said in a press statement: “We are missing up to five metres of snow. We would have to move the lift supports and close some glacier crevasses on the slopes.”
And, he said, there was no guarantee that they would not have similar problems for the next winter season. “We will evaluate the situation in the spring, but there will probably not be a new ice age,” he said.
The cross-country ski area on the Dachstein glacier will remain open, as will the options for ski touring and winter walkers and sightseeing.
Source: www.kleinezeitung.at
