The ski resorts in Lower Austria were able to take advantage of the wintry conditions with cold and dry air in November for artificial snowmaking, and so the Semmering-Hirschenkogel mountain lifts, the family ski area Maiszinken in Lunz am See and also the Ötscherlifte Lackenhof brought forward their originally planned start dates.
„The wintry conditions are noticeably increasing the anticipation for winter sports across the entire province, for young and old alike. In particular, the approximately 14,000 proud holders of a Lower Austrian Mountain Adventure Pass, a large proportion of whom are children, can hardly wait to make their first turns on the slopes. This was demonstrated by the success of the pre-opening at the Ötscherlifte Lackenhof ski lifts, where around 80 percent of the 1,300 guests were using season passes. I am therefore all the more pleased that starting this coming weekend, eleven ski areas with 36 lifts and 77 kilometers of slopes will already be in operation. In addition, the Rax cable car will be running for winter hiking and snowshoeing. This lays the foundation for a successful 2025/2026 winter season in Lower Austria's mountains, and we can look forward to, for example, 123 more days of skiing at the Hochkar mountain lifts,“ says Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner, who is responsible for tourism.
The regular 2025/2026 winter season for ski resorts in Lower Austria begins this coming Friday, December 5, 2025. From that day on, the Semmering Hirschenkogel cable cars will offer daily daytime operation (including the Semmering Happylift), with additional nighttime operation from Thursday to Saturday. "We will be able to offer very good conditions at the Hochkar cable cars starting Friday; almost all slopes are already open, and seven out of eight lifts are in operation. The Wexl Arena St. Corona am Wechsel will also open on Friday with all lifts and the entire family ski area. The Annaberg lifts will be partially open from Friday, and the Erlebnisalm Mönichkirchen and the Ötscherlifte Lackenhof will be partially open from Saturday," says Markus Redl, Managing Director of the state-owned ecoplus Alpin GmbH. The Gemeindealpe Mitterbach will open partially on Saturday.
„Preparations for the imminent 2025/2026 winter season are progressing brilliantly in the businesses. We are all eagerly awaiting the start of the season. The current weather conditions are also ideal for the smaller winter sports areas in Lower Austria: The Jauerling ski arena will start with night operations on Friday, December 5, 2025, and the following day the Arraliften Harmannschlag and the tow lift at Feistritzsattel will open,“ says Michael Reichl, Chairman of the Cable Car Association in the Lower Austrian Chamber of Commerce.