Snow depths of up to 5.8 metres, blue skies, and slopes worthy of skiers’ dreams – the heavy snowfall blanketing many of Austria’s alpine ski resorts over the past few days has turned into a real boost, with some of the best ski conditions seen in years.
In fact, several resorts in Austria are reporting that they have already received more snow than during any other January on record over the last 30 years. One of the areas experiencing the heaviest snowfall has been the Arlberg region, with snow depths up to 5.8 metres.
As has been publicised, the resort of Ischgl in the Tirol had been temporarily inaccessible after the huge snowfalls, with roads closed as a precautionary measure due to the risk of avalanches. All roads are now accessible and the resort is fully operational. “Although the roads were closed, the resort itself has been operating as normal with skiers and boarders experiencing amazingly good conditions,” says Paznaun-Ischgl Tourist Director Andreas Steibl. At the moment, 42 of the 44 cable cars and lifts are open in Ischgl, and the safety standard on the slopes has been approved by piste control.
Ben Hick, Resort Operation Manager of Crystal confirmed this statement: “Ski resorts in western Austria report over five metres of snow depth following the massive snowfalls that covered Austria over the last week. Due to the high levels of fresh snow falling on Friday several roads in and out of some resorts were closed, including into Ischgl and St. Anton. These opened during Saturday to allow holiday makers to leave the resort and new holiday makers to enter. Following further heavy snowfalls on Saturday night and into Sunday, many access roads into resorts were closed to the general public as a precaution, re-opening on Wednesday morning. Many lifts in the resorts remained open during this time, offering some of the best skiing conditions Austria has seen for many years. Crystal Ski customers are enjoying the excellent snow conditions.”
The Gastein valley in Salzburg is also reporting perfect skiing conditions. Ski Club’s Vicky Norman comments, “After days of continuous snowfall, the conditions in Bad Hofgastein are outstanding. I’ve never experienced (guided) skiing through the trees in such fresh light powder before and loved every second. With so much snow on and off the pistes it’s a great time to visit the area for your ski holiday.”
And it gets even better – the forecast suggests sunshine is on its way, creating even more ideal skiing conditions, although skiers will continue to be advised not to ski off-piste without a guide, due to the risk of avalanches. The snowfalls of the last days also mean that the resorts will have enough snow until Easter. The responsible departments in Austria are also working around the clock to clear roads and manage the snow to ensure that every resort can be reached and skiing can be enjoyed safely.
You will find all snow depths in Austria on skiinfo.co.uk as well as current weather conditions.
Please also visit the webcams of the resorts:
For more information please contact Martina Jamnig (martina.jamnig@austria.info, Tel: 020-7440-3840) at the Austrian National Tourist Office. http://newsroom-uk.austria.info/; www.austria.info
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