How does it work?

Kitzbühel: money back if there is no snow

Everything is white, but it can be different. If too many slope kilometers are lost, money will be refunded.(Bild: Christof Birbaumer / Kronenzeitung)

Until now, it was mainly glacier ski resorts that advertised their "snow guarantee". At the traditional press event in Munich at the start of the season, the Kitzbühel mountain railroad made people sit up and take notice. If too many kilometers of slopes are unusable because the weather gods don't play along, you get your money back.

The 40 or so German journalists were amazed at how much KitzSki relies on "Frau Holle". But even more so, of course, on its own perfected ways of producing artificial snow.

Guarantee between December 21 and March 14
"Customers have always thought that only high-altitude ski resorts are really guaranteed snow. We want to change that," explained Anton Bodner, CEO of the Bergbahn. In concrete terms: anyone who buys their ski ticket, such as a season ticket, by 20 December can rely on white slopes between 21 December and 14 March. "Because we have invested around 30 million euros between 2022 and 2026 in expanding and increasing the efficiency of the snowmaking systems," added fellow board member Christian Wörister.

Customers have always thought that only high-altitude ski resorts are really snow-sure. We want to change that.

Anton Bodner, Vorstand KitzSki

With its 58 lifts and 233 kilometers of slopes, KitzSki can count on a total of no less than 1260 snow guns, plus 43 GPS-controlled piste machines and ten reservoirs. 

Presentation of KitzSki to around 40 German journalists at the Bogner headquarters in Munich(Bild: Moser Andreas)

Cooling tower provides three to four degrees of cold water
A new addition is the Sonnenrast reservoir with a capacity of 85,000 cubic meters. And at the Seidlalm, known from the Hahnenkamm race, a cooling tower system provides three to four degrees of cold water.

Money back in the event of a lack of snow - how does it work?
The reimbursement model if there really is a "green" winter is already in place. "The clear criterion is that there must be less than 100 kilometers of slopes available for a refund to be made," explained Wörister. With the Resterhöhe and other high-altitude parts of the ski area (mostly at just under 2000 meters), the risk for the mountain railroad is certainly manageable. But one thing is also clear: in times of climate change, you never know ...

With the Bogner winter collection: Wörister, Bodner, Bogner Managing Director Daniel Hiendlmeier and Wolfgang Maier (German Ski Association DSV, from left)(Bild: Moser Andreas)

Prices for skiing become more flexible
The day ticket in the main season costs 79.50 euros this year. But the Bergbahn Kitzbühel has also joined the trend towards more flexible prices. If you book early in the webshop, you can get a day ticket from just 71 euros in February, for example, and from as little as 54.50 euros in April. "It all depends on capacity utilization, vacation periods and other criteria," said Wörister. Advance season ticket sales (including network tickets such as the Tirol Snow Card) are up around ten percent this year - despite all the crises.

DSV Alpine Director Maier as a fan
DSV Alpine Director Wolfgang Maier is also a traditional guest when KitzSki appears in Munich. German teams also love to take advantage of the offer on the Resterhöhe, which started on Thursday and where snow is deposited over the summer months. Maier's most important message: "Please transport the fact that Kitzbühel offers free children's days." Specifically: "Kids for free" applies on December 12, January 18, March 21 and April 4.