Dachstein Glacier ski area

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Coordinates: 47 ° 28 ′ 0 ″  N , 13 ° 37 ′ 30 ″  E
Map: Styria
marker
Dachstein Glacier ski area​
Magnify-clip.png
Styria
Dachstein Glacier ski area
(without Ramsau)
logo
Number of slopes 4th
overall length 4 km
  light 2 km
  medium 1 km
  heavy 1 km
Fun parks 2
halfpipe No
Cross-country trails 32 km
Snow cannons No
Lift systems 5
  Aerial tramways 1
  Chairlifts 1
  Drag lifts 3
Season (winter) December – April
Season (summer) May – November

The Dachstein Glacier ski area , currently also marketed as Der Dachstein by the operator , is located on the Dachstein massif and is accessible from Ramsau in the upper Ennstal via the Dachstein Südwandbahn cable car .

The area is located in the province of Upper Austria , but belongs to the Styrian tourism association, Schladming-Dachstein holiday region . The ski area is a member of the Salzburg- Styrian Ski amadé , and is still in the Hallstatt-Dachstein / Salzkammergut UNESCO World Heritage area .

Overview

Mountain station on the Hunerkogel

The glacier ski area extends from 2296  m to 2680  m above sea level. A. It operates all year round with up to five lifts, which are open depending on the snow conditions. The mountain station of the aerial tramway is on the Hunerkogel at 2,687  m above sea level. A. and is the highest point in the ski area. Three glaciers cover the Dachstein plateau: Hallstatt Glacier , Gosau Glacier and Schladming Glacier . The glacier ski area is mainly located on the Schladming Glacier.

Together with the Ramsau ski area at the southern foot of the mountain ( Türlwand , 1130  m to 1636  m ), there are 22 km of slopes in the ski area, 4 km of which are on the glacier, as well as the Edelgriess run , an 18 km long off-piste run towards Ramsau, and the Dachstein crossing , where you cross the glacier for 25 kilometers from the Styrian side to Upper Austria to Obertraun - a return by lift is not possible. On the Dachstein plateau there is a connection to the high-altitude trails of the Ramsau cross-country skiing center . The ski jumping facility is also located there .

In addition to the glacier slopes, the glacier is also home to the Atomic Superpark , which is known as the summer park in the snowboarding scene. Other tourist attractions are the Dachstein Skywalk , the Ice Palace carved into the glacier and the highest suspension bridge in Austria. The nearby Dachstein is at a height of 2995  m above sea level. A. the main peak of the Dachstein massif. An ascent from the mountain station of the Südwandbahn is possible.

Together this infrastructure belongs to the Alpincenter Dachstein-Ramsau .

climate

Like most ski areas in the Alpine region, the Dachstein Glacier is increasingly affected by the effects of the climate crisis. The skier Eric Frenzel describes the situation as “terrifying” and reports on his observations as follows: “When I was out and about on the Dachstein glacier as a teenager, I could strap on my skis right next to the track and start walking. Now you have to be out and about for a while before you can get to the cross-country trails ”.

history

The beginnings of the Dachstein development began in 1877 with the construction of the Simonyhütte . In 1961, Dachsteinstraße was built from Ramsau to Türlwaldhütte. The road was a prerequisite for the later construction of the Dachstein Südwandbahn. The construction of the aerial tramway lasted from 1966 to 1969. For the mountain station on the Hunerkogel , the summit of the originally 2694  m high mountain had to be blown away.

In 1999 the Nordic World Ski Championships took place in Ramsau and on the Dachstein .

The Dachstein Gletscherbahn was taken over in 2003 by the Planai-Hochwurzen-Bahn-Gesellschaft in Schladming , which also operates the Planai and Hochwurzen mountain railways on the south side of the Enns Valley.

The Dachstein Xtreme ski mountaineering competition has been taking place regularly for several years .

In the last few years there was not enough snow to keep the lifts running throughout the summer. Therefore, because no snow-making is possible in the limestone karst , attempts were made to conserve snow ( snow farming ) using tarpaulins, as they have shown a certain degree of success in the Tyrolean and on the Kitzsteinhorn . Measurements as part of a study confirm that the Dachstein glaciers are locally up to 100 m thick, so that active glacier protection seems at least possible.

The 2012 Ski Mountaineering World Championships took place in the area of ​​the ski and cross-country skiing infrastructure Ramsau-Dachstein.

At the end of 2013, the ice palace got into the talk because, according to the exact definition of the state borders, it is located in Obertrauner municipality area, not Ramsauer, as had been assumed. This has no effect on business practices on the Dachstein, as the income is divided between the communities - the ski area is north of the main ridge, and therefore largely in the Obertraun area. However, the problem is that the Ice Palace is now part of the Upper Austrian Dachstein European and Nature Reserve  (EU02 / N098), where building permits are handled more strictly.

The intensive tourist development, which has been moving towards adventure tourism due to the snow problems in recent years, is also viewed critically on site. It corresponds to a modern concept of visitor flow control, which on the one hand makes nature conservation tangible to a broad public and makes it a local economic factor, on the other hand, through concentration, it keeps other areas undisturbed. This balancing of interests is also supported by UNESCO, which emphasizes the Dachstein as a “natural landscape of unique beauty and special scientific importance” as well as a “testimony to continuous human, economic and cultural activity”.

deals

Alpine and cross-country skiing

The ski area includes

  • a double chair lift and three drag lifts
  • five runs and two ski tours
  • three cross-country trails

Snowboard

The Horsefeathers Superpark Dachstein fun park is located along the Hunerkogel tow lift . The park is located at an altitude of 2,680 to 2,620  m and has a length of about 350 meters. The park designer is the former snowboard professional Bernd Mandelberger.

In addition to the 287 m long Austriaschartelift, the Beginner Park is located at an altitude of 2,669 to 2,629  m .

The Pleasure Jam is an annual competition event at the start of the season in mid-November, which has been taking place since 2003 and since 2008 as part of the Ticket to Ride World Snowboard Tour .

Ski tours and freeriding

Because of its high alpine location, the Dachstein is very suitable for ski tours and freeriding .

  • The Austrian National Ski Tour is approx. 25 km long and overcomes a difference of 2400 meters in altitude. The tour starts at the mountain station of the Dachstein-Südwandbahn cable car on the Hunerkogel, it runs over the Hallstätter Glacier to the Simonyhütte . A hiking trail leads from the hut to the Gjaidalm , from where you can get to the Krippenstein ski area . The last part leads over the slopes of the Krippenstein to Obertraun .

Alternatively, you can ski down from the Simonyhütte via the Weittal or the Wiesberghaus to Hallstatt .

  • Edelgrieß descent: Edelgrieß is a wide cirque between the Türlspitz and the Gamsfeldspitz . The Edelgrieß is the top freeride run. It leads into the Ramsau, overcomes a difference of 1600 meters in altitude and reaches a slope of up to 45 degrees. From the mountain station of the Austriascharten lift, the Rosmariestollen , which was created especially for ski tourers, leads to the south side and to the start of the Edelgrieß descent. In the lower area there are variants over the Kraml-Lahn and the slope of the Gamsfeldlift, or over the Karboden back to the valley station of the Dachstein-Südwandbahn.
  • The Fluderinne is a classic, extreme steep face descent . This descent also overcomes a difference in altitude of 1600 meters in two sections, the steep Hochkar and the Knolllahn .

Cross-country skiing

According to the Gletscherbahn, the longest glacier trails in the world are located on the Schladming and Hallstätter glaciers. They are located at approx. 2600  m and are accessible from July to November, depending on the snow conditions. Especially in autumn, many international athletes use the cross-country trails to prepare for the next winter season.

Other tourist attractions are:

Skywalk

The Dachstein Skywalk , a viewing platform in the south face of the Dachstein and with 200,000 visitors one of the most popular tourist offers in Styria. A glass floor allows a view down to the south wall.

Ice palace

The Ice Palace was carved into the ice of the Schladming Glacier in 2007 . It comprises several rooms such as the throne room , the crystal dome or the blue salon . The pillars in the throne room and other decorations were handcrafted from the ice by Chinese ice carvers. In the course of the work, a natural crevasse was found that can be viewed through a viewing hatch. In the following years, other topics came up in the ice palace:

  • first the ice figures from the film Ice Age were brought to the ice palace after the annual Ice World exhibition in Lübeck . They were illuminated with cold light in different colors and filled with mystical music.
  • From 2010 characters from the Simpsons series were shown.
  • In 2013 the objects were related to the World Ski Championships in Schladming.
  • In 2017 well-known sights of Styria were carved out of ice in great detail.
  • In 2018 European sights (such as the Brandenburg Gate and Maneken Pis) were added.

Suspension bridge and stairs to nowhere

The highest suspension bridge in Austria was opened in 2013. The staircase to nowhere , another viewing platform, allows spectacular views down to the south wall and over to the neighboring peaks of the Dachstein

photos

  • View of the fun park and trail

  • Dachstein Ice Palace

  • Schladminger Lift slope

  • Schladminger Lift slope

  • Summit high Dachstein

  • Dachstein Skywalk

  • Dachstein Skywalk

  • Dachstein-Südwandbahn

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Planai-Hochwurzen-Bahnen Gesellschaft mbH (ed.): Austria's ski touring Eldorado . Folder. ( Obertraun municipal office: Ski tours in the FreerideArena Krippenstein (PDF) [accessed on November 10, 2009] with route map).
  2. ↑ alpincenter-dachstein.at
  3. ↑ Winter sports and climate change: "Dramatic and scary". Augsburger Allgemeine, November 14, 2018, accessed on February 10, 2019 (German).
  4. ^ Franz Mandl: The chronology of the tourist Dachstein development. ANISA project, Retrieved November 6, 2009.
  5. ↑ Klaus Reingruber, Andrea Fischer: Investigation of the climate and mass budget on the Dachstein Glacier . Project description. Ed .: BLUE SKY Wetteranalysen, Institute for Meteorology and Geophysics [IMGI] of the University of Innsbruck. 2006 ( land-oberoesterreich.gv.at [PDF] Press conference September 1, 2006: Climate summit at Krippenstein: Melting glaciers as harbingers of the climate catastrophe? ). ; Andrea Fischer: The Dachstein Glacier - impressive indicators of current climate change . Interim report. Ed .: Institute for Meteorology and Geophysics [IMGI] of the University of Innsbruck. 2007 ( attnang-puchheim.ooe.gv.at [PDF; accessed on November 18, 2009]).
  6. ↑ a b ANISA project: The chronology of the Dachstein development for tourism. From the beginning to overdevelopment ; Schladminger and Hallstätter Glacier, Dachstein Mountains - Glacier Status Report 2012 (detailed photo documentation and critical opinion on the renovation of the Ice Palace access), both web link anisa.at, accessed on July 5, 2019.
  7. ↑ Ski mountaineering world cup in Schladming-Dachstein ( Memento from January 4, 2011 in the Internet Archive ), schladming-dachstein.at, February 24, 2009.
  8. ↑ Authorities have been informed about the border dispute on the Dachstein for years - LH Pühringer: "We are happy about every square meter of Upper Austria". Thomas Kramesberger in mein district.at, November 28, 2013;
    Styria loses Ice Palace on the Dachstein. steiermark.orf.at, November 21, 2013.
  9. ↑ Summit dispute over the Dachstein: The ice palace now belongs to Upper Austria. Format.at, November 21, 2013.
  10. ↑ See airy suspension bridge on Dachstein opened. steiermark.orf.at, July 30, 2013.
  11. ↑ https://www.derdachstein.at/de/dachstein-aktuell/gletscherbericht Overview of the operating company, accessed on March 26, 2019
  12. ↑ Horsefeathers Superpark. Funpark, accessed on February 25, 2011
  13. ↑ Cable cars and lifts. ( Memento from November 17, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Dachstein-Gletscherbahn, accessed on December 4, 2009.
  14. ↑ Horsefeathers Pleasure Jam - web presence of the event ( memento of the original from August 30, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Retrieved January 8, 2010. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.pleasurejam.com
  15. ↑ a b Skitouring El Dorado-Dachstein. ( Memento of the original from January 28, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. The Austrian National Ski Tour, accessed on January 7, 2010. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bergstieg.at
  16. ↑ Ski touring ( memento from July 29, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ), Dachstein-Gletscherbahn, accessed on January 7, 2010
  17. ↑ Cross-country skiing ( memento from July 31, 2012 in the archive.today web archive ), Dachstein-Gletscherbahn, accessed on January 15, 2010.
  18. ↑ Sky Walk and Ice Palace ( Memento from March 7, 2009 in the Internet Archive ), ramsau.com
  19. ↑ Austria Advertising , quoted. According to the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, Tourism and Leisure Industry (Ed.): Tourism in Figures. Austrian and international tourism and economic data . 45th edition. March 2009, table visitor numbers of sights in Austria 2007 , p. 63 ( portal.wko.at Tourism in Figures ( Memento from April 12, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) PDF; 2.1 MB). Tourism in numbers. Austrian and international tourism and economic data ( memento of the original from April 12, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / portal.wko.at
  20. ↑ a b Eispalast ( Memento from December 21, 2009 in the Internet Archive ), Dachstein-Gletscherbahn, accessed on February 2, 2010 (content no longer available there).
  21. ↑ https://www.derdachstein.at/de/dachstein-gletscherwelt/gletscher-erlebnis/eispalast , accessed on March 25, 2019
  22. ↑ Suspension bridge and stairs open to nowhere
  23. ↑ See airy suspension bridge opened on Dachstein , steiermark.orf.at, July 30, 2013