Rare pleasure

On which lakes ice skaters still do their laps

Pure enjoyment: Lake Ritzensee in Saalfelden currently offers perfect conditions.(Bild: Hölzl Roland)

Which lakes in Salzburg are still used for natural ice skating? Because the winters are getting milder, the fun has recently become rare. More and more often it is said: No ice or unfortunately closed due to liability concerns!

Pure ice enjoyment currently awaits at Ritzensee in Saalfelden. All generations are lacing up their skates: "We already had two school classes there in the morning," said ice master Karl Raminger happily on Wednesday.

Daily measurements on the ice
Since the lake loop has also been open for ice princesses and princes, he and his colleague have had a lot to do: "We measure the ice every day," he explains. There are ten measuring points on the large loop and seven on the small ice rink, the children's pool. The verdict: perfect conditions with around 20 centimetres of ice. Lake Ritzensee, which is only two meters deep, has an exceptional position far and wide.

The "big brother" of the Pinzgau lakes has not been able to offer skating enjoyment for years: Little ice has formed on the shores of Lake Zell at the moment. The last time there was an OK for ice skating fans was in 2017. Josef Fankhauser, the new ice master, keeps a constant eye on the situation and moves out with a chainsaw and ice auger if necessary: "It's just too dangerous at the moment."

Looking back: Lake Zell is currently not open to the public(Bild: Roland Hölzl)

Nostalgics remember days long gone. The longest ice age was in 1889, when the lake was frozen over for 119 days. And even in the 1950s, car races still took place on the ice.

Climate change is causing the ice layer to shrink
Memories that are shared at Mattsee: Mayor Michael Schwarzmayr confirms that the ice fun has been steadily shrinking in recent years. "This year, nothing will work for us." Ice skating fans skated their last laps of the lake in 2021.

Lake Goldegg in 2015: it hardly ever freezes over today.(Bild: Maximilian Kronberger)

The situation is similar at Lake Goldegg, which actually has what it takes to be the perfect natural ice rink: "We want to make it possible again and are currently working on it," says Mayor Hannes Rainer. He addresses the tricky liability situation. There are already contacts with ice experts, but they are few and far between for such projects, he says. The ice surfaces in Lungau are out of the question: The mountain lakes are too difficult to reach.

And at the popular Leopoldskroner Weiher in Salzburg City, a ban has been in place for years, which has been repeatedly ignored: "Attention! Ice surface closed!"