A Firsthand Look

Heiligenblut: fears for attractive ski resort

A visit to the area shows that the ski resort, with its guaranteed snow, has great potential.(Bild: Elisa Aschbacher)

Snow-sure slopes, a dreamlike atmosphere at the foot of the Großglockner: Yet visitors are still staying away from Heiligenblut. The “Krone” went to the area to find out more.

What’s next for the mountain railways and winter tourism? That’s what the people of Heiligenblut are asking themselves. For days now, there’s been a struggle over whether to keep operations going. As reported, the state and the municipality had urged the operators to sell the ski area to regional entrepreneurs for one euro instead of shutting down the lifts.

Will the ski lifts be closed?(Bild: Elisa Aschbacher)

On Friday, the operators came forward with a demand. “Regional investors must come forward by next Monday at 6 p.m. so that we can quickly assess their intentions and creditworthiness and then immediately enter into talks,” explains Bergbahnen spokesperson Franz Gruber. If this demand is not met, the owners intend to “continue operating the ski resort independently in a financially viable manner.” In plain language, this means: Lift operations will not be suspended, but they will be scaled back. Additional lifts will be closed. The mountain railways cite a lack of lodging options in Heiligenblut as the reason: “The causes for this lie in the past. Back then, simply not enough attention was paid to attractive hotel projects.”

For Mayor Martin Lackner, shutting down the lifts in Heiligenblut would be a disaster.(Bild: Elisa Aschbacher)

Politicians are in favor of a sale
For Provincial Councilor Sebastian Schuschnig, only one option is on the table: “A fresh start with new partners is a better option than shutting down more lifts.” Mayor Martin Lackner agrees: “The mountain railways must sell. We’ve created the framework by finding interested parties who want to continue.” The new operators would also invest in hotel projects.

A “Krone” on-site visit shows just how important it would be to preserve the ski resort. “Our town has guaranteed snow and is located at the foot of the Großglockner—that’s an opportunity that must be seized!” say several locals.

“We depend on tourism”
Restaurateur Michael Siebler fears for his livelihood: “Not knowing what the future holds is a terrible feeling. We depend on tourism. In recent years, we’ve relied too heavily on our local mountain and never really invested in tourism! That was a huge mistake.” Intersport employee Stefan Ebner is also worried about his job: “If the guests stay away, the jobs will disappear too. The mountain railways absolutely must stay open!”