Industry News
The small ski area Hochkeil in Austria has announced on its social media channels that it will operate for the entire week, provided conditions allow for safe skiing and riding. Hochkeil was the first non-glacier ski area to open for the 2024-25 season this Sunday when lift operators decided to start spinning the Arthurhaus Lift.
”If the snow lasts, we’ll keep going until Sunday! Daily, from 10.30h to at least 14.30h – as long as the conditions suffice!”
— Hochkeil Facebook
Hochkeil is part of the Hochkönig Ski Area near Salzburg, Austria. It is located at the dead end of the road leading up from the village of Mühlbach. During peak season, you can access the entire Hochkönig area from Hochkeil, which boasts 120 kilometers (75 miles) of groomed runs serviced by 34 lifts. For now, only the Arthurhaus Lift is operating, a small J-bar, but the opening has been with great enthusiasm.
Hochkönig ski area is part of Ski Amadé, which is a network of 28 ski areas and resorts that, combined, make up the second-largest ski area in Europe.
It is the earliest the Hochkeil natural snow ski area has ever opened. In 2009, the Arthurhaus Lift opened on October 18.
Dutch snowboarder Philip Snijders commemorated the earliest-ever opening with not only a video but also a song that he wrote and recorded with his friends. We trust this will put a smile on our readers’ faces. If you are itching to get some turns in, the Arthurhaus Lift at Hochkeil can be reached by car from Salzburg airport in roughly one hour. Make sure to observe any road closures for avalanches.
