Winter sports in Lower Austria

First ski results: a good start and a total failure

The small ski village of Kirchbach in the Waldviertel is looking forward to welcoming many new winter sports enthusiasts.

(Bild: Schidorf Kirchbach)

The ski season in Lower Austria is in full swing. Unfortunately, the slopes are not clear everywhere, as the Aichelberg lifts in Karlstift - the largest ski area in the Waldviertel - are closed for the second season in a row. But that doesn't stop winter fun elsewhere. The small ski village of Kirchbach is not the only area to have a great start to the season!

This year, the largest ski area in the Waldviertel - the Aichelberg lifts in Karlstift in the district of Gmünd - will also remain closed. As the "Krone" already reported last year, long-term operator Wolfgang Landl no longer wanted to continue for reasons of age and emphasized that the sales talks would have been too difficult for a seamless transition. Landl exuded optimism for the continued operation of the Karlstifter ski area. Apparently, the "good negotiations" with two young interested parties that he mentioned at the time did not come to fruition after all.

One man's sorrow is another man's joy
The operators of the Kirchbach ski village in the Zwettl district can look back on extremely successful days: "We are delighted every day by the many skiers and snowboarders who come to Kirchbach," says Franz Jahn, chairman of the ski village, enthusiastically about the great start to the season. The small but increasingly sophisticated ski resort has been growing in popularity for years. Of course, the people of Kirchbach are also feeling the effects of the closure of the large neighboring ski area. 

Spirited commitment
But the small village and the association are doing a lot to become more and more attractive and are making new investments almost every year to become more and more attractive for young and old. It's not just about events that have been held since the start of the season in mid-December, such as a "snow volley battle" (volleyball in the snow!), ski and snowboard courses or a ski test day. There is also the opportunity to ski at night under floodlights several times a week. In recent years, investments have been made in good snow-making facilities, and this year a "magic carpet" was put into operation, which offers the youngest guests a particularly gentle ascent aid.

The catchment area of the small ski village is growing
More and more school groups are also being welcomed, with pupils also coming back with their parents on other days, explains a member of the association, who says that visitors from many districts - as far as Stockerau and even further - choose to come to the Kirchbach ski village. "However, we particularly notice from the license plates that winter sports enthusiasts are increasingly coming from the Karlstift catchment area," adds Franz Jahn.

Four days in a row with more than 4,500 guests each time has not been seen on the Hochkar for a long time."

Landeshauptfrau Johanna Mikl-Leitner

Cheers on the Hochkar
Johanna Mikl-Leitner, the provincial governor responsible for tourism, is also delighted with the great start to the season: "Demand was even significantly higher than before the coronavirus pandemic, especially at the Hochkar Bergbahnen, the Annaberg lifts and the Wexl Arena in St. Corona am Wechsel. Four days in a row with more than 4,500 guests each has not been seen on the Hochkar for a long time."

Karl Weber, Managing Director of Hochkar and Ötscher Tourismus, adds: "We were able to record 4,755 first-time admissions at the Hochkar Bergbahnen on Friday, 4,687 on Saturday, 4,558 on Sunday and as many as 4,826 on Monday. Saturday was particularly popular at the Ötscher lifts with 2,220 guests." 

Other areas want to pick up speed soon
According to ecoplus Alpin Gmbh, there are currently a dozen ski resorts in Lower Austria as well as the Rax cable car for snowshoeing. The Königsberg lifts in Hollenstein an der Ybbs and the Maiszinken family ski area are planning to open their children's ski areas at the weekend. A total of 41 out of 82 lifts and 64 out of 157.1 kilometers of pistes are currently open.