Early start to the season

Narrow ski slope on green mountain heats things up

A narrow band of snow in the Kitzbühel district has been causing a stir on the internet for days.

(Bild: Screenshot/tiktok.com/@nerdbuster)

Winter conditions are still a long way off in Jochberg, part of the famous Kitzbühel ski resort - but skiers and snowboarders can already speed down a narrow slope there. A TikTok video (see below) of the snow band on the green mountain is currently causing a stir.

Just in time for the start of the winter sports season, a debate has flared up about the usefulness of narrow, artificial snow bands on Tyrol's mountains.

Criticism: "Forcing winter by force"
A TikTok video showing a narrow band of snow in the village of Jochberg has caused a stir in the online community. "Just sick," writes one user under the post. "Forcing winter with all our might", another commented on the video. Another criticized: "And thousands of liters of diesel are being blown for it."

You can see the TikTok post here:

The narrow band of snow is made possible by snow recycling: the white splendor from last season was conserved on the Resterkogel and used for the ski slope at the beginning of November.

But not all comments are negative. "Snow from last year? What's the problem?" asks one TikTok user. "Nothing is forced. That's snow left over from last year. It was insulated over the summer and has now been distributed," explains another.

Ski clubs are happy about saving time and effort
Since November 8th, the pistes on the Resterkogel have not only been open to junior racers and squad athletes, but also to amateur athletes. Local sports clubs can't understand the excitement: "We always go out on the snow  withchildren and schoolchildren at the beginning of November, so the route on the Resterkogel saves us many kilometers of travel and also time", explained Christine Pletzer-Hörl from the Kitzbühel Ski Club to the "Tiroler Tageszeitung".

According to Reinhard Klier, CEO of Stubaier Gletscherbahnen and spokesperson for the Tyrolean cable cars, the use of deposited snow is harmless to the environment - no chemicals or electricity are used to produce the snow. He argues that each operator should decide for themselves when to start the season.