Half of the season:

The first snow cannons have already been mothballed

The cannons have stopped "firing" in Hinterstoder. There is enough space on the slopes during the week before it gets tighter during the vacations

(Bild: Christof Birbaumer (Symbolbild))

Ms. Holle was extremely lazy in January and hasn't done much this winter in Upper Austria either. Nevertheless, those responsible in the major ski resorts are confident that the slopes will remain open during the upcoming semester break. So sure, in fact, that the first snow cannons have already been dismantled.

Fired up at the halfway point of the ski season! The first snow cannons in the Hinterstoder-Wurzeralm ski area have already been dismantled. No further snowmaking is planned at Hochficht either," confirms spokesman Gerald Paschinger, although there are still reserves in the reservoirs in the Bohemian Forest. "But we probably don't need them. The slopes are compact and will certainly last beyond the semester break," explains the cable car boss. "We have produced all the snow we need," says Helmut Holzinger, who is responsible for Hinterstoder and the Wurzeralm.

January only brought about half the usual precipitation and there is currently no relevant snowfall in sight.

Claudia Riedl schaut bei GeoSphere Austria in die Wetterkarte für OÖ

Dream weather for "fog victims" hardly imaginable
"We had dream weather all the time, which is probably hard to imagine in the foggy valley," says Holzinger. Claudia Riedl from GeoSphere Austria confirms the subjective perception of all those who have been freezing under the blanket of fog since November and are feeling heavy.

Inversion weather situation dissipates, and with it the fog
The high temperatures on the mountains - yesterday it was ten degrees plus on the Hochficht, on the Wurzeralm the thermometer even rose to twelve degrees - should now turn around. "Cold air will now also dominate on the mountains and the inversion weather situation will dissipate. This means there should be less fog in the valley," says Claudia Riedl, raising hopes for nicer days. However, precipitation and therefore fresh snow are hardly in the cards at the moment.

Thanks to the cold nights, the slopes have always been perfectly groomed. Even when there is no more snow, they hold up.

Helmut Holzinger, Chef der Bergbahnen Hinterstoder-Wurzeralm

Cold gives hope to those who are already experiencing icy conditions below
"Normally the Viennese bring it," Holzinger hopes, probably in vain, because the Vienna vacation week is already coming up, and the scientist says: "No fresh snow, but significantly colder." So the slopes will hold.

Still water in the ponds
On Kasberg, the word "ice-cold" is important, "because it was too warm to make snow now. Everything is great at the top, but we have problems towards the valley," says Fritz Drack from Kasberg-Bahnen. He hopes that Mother Hulda will shake the beds again before the Upper Austrian vacation week or that it will be cold enough for artificial snow: "We still have water in the reservoirs and the snow cannons are ready."