As of: March 2, 2024, 11:09 a.m
By: Moritz Bletzinger
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Sad picture at the Sternstein lifts: The ski area is giving up, it's just too warm.
© Webcam
It ends on March 1st in the Sternstein ski area.
The operator no longer sees a way out and is closing – much earlier than planned.
Oberlaimbach – The Sternstein lifts in Upper Austria offer a total of five kilometers of slopes.
“A wonderful tailor-made winter fun that one of the most traditional ski areas in the Mühlviertel offers for the whole family,” praises Bergfex.
Bad news for the popular Sternstein ski area in Austria: winter season ended prematurely
With child-friendly tariffs, the resort has made a name for itself as a family ski area.
It is home to a family run, a drag lift slope, a standard slope and a slalom slope.
There’s something for everyone – actually.
Because at the end of February the ski world near Bad Leonfelden looked completely different.
Only two kilometers of pistes were still open at Sternstein.
And on March 1st the bad news followed: the ski area is canceling the season.
“Due to the persistent warm weather, we unfortunately have to decide on the 2023/24 winter season earlier than planned,” writes the operator: “Our lifts run until Friday (March 1st), 4:15 p.m..” The only skiing was possible on the family slope and in the children's area .
Anyone who has planned a trip around Easter, for example, is looking into the tube.
Snow problems hit ski areas: high temperatures and rain in the Alps
According to the website, there is 30 centimeters of snow on the mountain and 20 centimeters in the valley.
Far too little for regular operation.
And that even though it only snowed on February 24th.
But the white splendor didn't last, no surprise given that it was 10 degrees plus in Bad Leonfelden on Saturday (March 2nd).
The webcam (see above) reveals a dreary picture.
The Sternstein lifts are anything but alone when it comes to snow problems.
Numerous ski areas complained about too much greenery last winter.
The Mitterdorf ski center in Bavaria also pulled the emergency brake.
Climate change is hitting low-lying areas hard, even when there is enough snow, and the danger of avalanches increases with rain and thaw.
Already in the 2022/23 season, January rain had led to a total failure at Sternstein and a loss of 200,000 euros, as managing director Gerhard Zettler reported at
tips.at
at the time .
Weather capers of a different kind are now coming to the Piedmontese Alps.
Two meters of new snow has been announced for Sunday (March 3rd), which could actually turn pink.
(moe)