A local inspection

Heiligenblut: fears for attractive ski resort

A local inspection shows that the snow-sure ski area has great potential.(Bild: Elisa Aschbacher)

Snow-sure pistes, a dreamlike ambience at the foot of the Großglockner: yet the guests in Heiligenblut are staying away. The "Krone" asked around locally.

What will happen to the mountain railroads and winter tourism? That's what the people of Heiligenblut are asking themselves. They have been struggling for days to decide whether to continue operating. As reported, the province and the municipality had asked the operators to hand over the ski area to regional entrepreneurs for one euro instead of closing the lifts.

Will the ski lifts be closed?(Bild: Elisa Aschbacher)

In principle, the ski area at the foot of the Großglockner is very popular!(Bild: Elisa Aschbacher)

On Friday, the operators came forward with a demand. "The regional investors must get in touch by 6 p.m. next Monday so that we can quickly check their intentions and creditworthiness and then enter into talks immediately," explains Bergbahnen spokesperson Franz Gruber. If this demand is not met, the owners want to continue running the ski area "independently in a commercially viable form". In plain language, this means that lift operations will not be discontinued, but they will be scaled back. Other lifts will be closed. The mountain railroads cite a lack of accommodation options in Heiligenblut as the reason for this: "The reasons for this lie in the past. Back then, too little attention was paid to attractive hotel projects."

For Mayor Martin Lackner, the closure of the lifts in Heiligenblut would be a disaster.(Bild: Elisa Aschbacher)

Politicians are in favor of a sale
For Provincial Councillor Sebastian Schuschnig, there is only one option: "A new start with new partners is a better option than closing down more lifts." Mayor Martin Lackner agrees: "The mountain railroads have to sell. We have created the framework conditions by finding interested parties who want to continue." The new operators would also invest in hotel projects.

A "Krone" site inspection shows how important it would be to preserve the ski resort. "Our village is guaranteed snow and is located at the foot of the Großglockner - this is an opportunity that must be seized!" say several locals.

Michael Seitlinger: "Our family is investing in Heiligenblut. We reopened the Kärntnerhof in winter and have other projects in the pipeline. The ski resort has so much potential!"(Bild: Elisa Aschbacher)

Stephan Schiechl: "We have many regular guests who are already looking forward to the next season. If the cable cars close, we locals will lose valuable jobs."(Bild: Elisa Aschbacher)

Hannah Merten: "I'm a guest here every season. I love this small, family-run ski resort. It must not close. The slopes, the location, simply everything here is unique. It has so much potential!"(Bild: Elisa Aschbacher)

Nathalie Granögger: "We need attractive overnight offers. We can't live on day tourists alone, especially not in winter. We are dependent on overnight stays."(Bild: Elisa Aschbacher)

Georg Schiechl: "If the lifts are closed, I will also have to close my ski rental shop. No lift operation in Heiligenblut would be a total loss for the entire region."(Bild: Elisa Aschbacher)

Florian Glantschnig: "We need the lifts, we need tourism. We have enough snow. Our village is snow-sure. If the winter business dies, so do the regional farmers, the inns, our village!"(Bild: Elisa Aschbacher)

"Are dependent on tourism"
Restaurant owner Michael Siebler fears for his livelihood: "Not knowing what will happen next is a horrible feeling. We are dependent on tourism. In recent years, we have relied too much on the local mountain and never really invested in tourism! That was a big mistake." Intersport employee Stefan Ebner also fears for his job: "If the guests are gone, the jobs are gone too. The cable cars absolutely have to stay open!"