As a result of the energy crisis, lift tickets in Austrian ski areas are more than 10 percent more expensive in some places.
In several regions, before the start of the season, cable car representatives expect an average increase of around 8 percent for the winter, according to a survey by the Austrian news agency APA on Tuesday.
However, this increase is below the current inflation rate, said industry representative Franz Hörl from the Chamber of Commerce.
In September, consumer prices in Austria were 10.5 percent higher than in the previous year.
In St. Anton in Tirol, the largest contiguous ski area in Austria, the day ticket will in future cost 67 instead of 61 euros.
In the Salzburger Land, ticket prices in the large winter sports resorts will increase by between 6.5 and 11 percent.
"After two years of the pandemic, the current energy costs are the next challenge for the ski areas," said Helmut Holzinger, head of the Hinterstoder and Wurzeralm mountain railways in Upper Austria.
However, these higher costs will “not be passed on to customers one-to-one”.
The season ticket will be 8 percent more expensive.
Cableway operators want to save electricity by letting their systems run a little more slowly, for example.
However, it is difficult to take measures without spoiling the holiday experience of the guests, said industry representative Hörl.
He named switching off seat heating or restrictions on night skiing and the necessary floodlights as steps that were difficult to implement.