Kitzbühel Commits to 200 Day Ski Season
One of the lowest altitude major ski areas in the Alps, Kitzbühel, has now committed to a 200+ day ski season, from October to May, in its advertising.
Kitzbühel in the Austrian Tirol was once the subject of media attention when a major UN report on climate change more than a decade ago said that low altitude ski areas in the Alps would be the first to suffer the effects of average temperature warming.
The resort subsequently published season by season snowfall data going back many decades which appeared to confirm climate change predictions with less snowfall in the autumn and spring but more intense snowfall in the main season.
Despite the predictions and the apparent reality with temperatures often too warm for snowmaking until later in the autumn, the past few seasons have seen Kitzbühel pushing back the ends of its season in to November, then earlier in to October, whilst reaching in to May at the end of the season whilst neighbouring areas didn’t consider opening until well in to December and closed for the season in late March of early April.
Last winter the resort was the first, without year-round glacier snow cover, to open in the Alps for winter 17-18.
So how are they doing it? The answer is snow farming. Kitzbühel stores snow from the previous winter over summer than spreads it out on its highest altitude slopes above 1800m in late September and early October. By that time, although it may thaw slowly, it should last long enough until natural snowfall or cold enough weather for snowmaking.
“It’s the best snow you can get because during the summer it loses a lot of water which makes it very compressed and great to ski,” claims Sylvia Brix of Kitzbühel’s Lift Company.
Last season opening on October 7th (pictured above) was the earliest yet, in 2016 it had been 22nd October.
The resort opens two areas, initially Resterkogel this weekend with two ski runs of a total length of 2km opening. The early opening gets a lot of media attention for the resort and also attracts a lot of skiers paying 37€ for an adult day ticket and 10€ for a child. Around 1500 turn up for opening weekend (below).
Later in October the resort uses the same process to open a second ski area on Hahnankamm/Walde.
