Checking the mask requirement will be a challenge, according to the lift operators.
The ski areas feel ready for the season opening on December 24th. FFP2 masks are sometimes available for sale at the lifts, but the control of the mask requirement will be challenging, according to a broadcast from the APA to the lift operators. Lift chairman and ÖVP member Franz Hörl left it open today whether legal action would be taken against the FFP2 mask requirement. Once more he compared the alpine ascent aids with the Vienna underground.
Not all ski areas will put their lifts and gondolas into operation on December 24th, and there will also be restrictions on the open lifts. Nationwide, take-away food and drink will only be permitted where it is possible to drive.
In Tyrol, the federal state that is most dependent on winter tourism in Austria, most of the lifts have FFP2 masks and hand them over at cost price – it is still recommended to stock up on yourself. In Ischgl, the ski season does not open until January, originally December 24th was also planned here. Alois Rainer, chairman of the gastronomy department in the Tyrolean Chamber of Commerce, has “massive incomprehension” about the take-away regulation. “Who will compensate the hosts for this additional damage?” He said today.
In Salzburg the season starts without the Ski World Cup region Saalbach-Hinterglemm. The Schmittenhöhenbahn in Zell am See (Sbg.) Will sell the masks for two euros at all ticket outlets. 20,000 pieces were organized, so that one will surely get over the Christmas season, according to its managing director Erich Egger. Egger believes that the control is possible because the FFP2 masks are characterized by their simpler mouth and nose protection and a certain look: “They look something like the mouthguard of a knight's armor.”
From Vorarlberg it was said at the APA that they are looking forward to the start tomorrow, Thursday. The Lech-Zürs region remains closed, it starts here on the 26th. The Kleinwalsertal, which is an enclave according to German rules, has a special status, explained cable car chairman Andreas Gapp. The recommendations of the “Winter Code Vorarlberg” are stricter than the federal security requirements, for example regarding the frequency of tests.
In Styria, the lift operators are still finalizing the order for the masks, most of which will be given out at cost price. Section chairman Fabrice Girardoni said today that a check to ensure that only under 14-year-olds do not wear masks will be carried out by the ski lift operators “as far as possible”. In some ski areas this can be done quite easily using the lift tickets, for example when young people up to the age of 14 can purchase discounted tickets.
In Carinthia, the managing director of the Turracher Seilbahn, Fritz Gams, said: “We will try, but we are not the police.” In his federal state the FFP2 masks will probably be available for two euros each, according to the Carinthian cable car chairman Manuel Kapeller-Hopfgartner.
In Upper Austria, nine ski areas have announced that they will open on December 24th, announced Tourism Councilor Markus Achleitner (ÖVP). In the Hinterstoder and Wurzeralm ski areas, it is recommended that you bring your own FFP2 mask; it can be purchased for 3 euros at the entrance to the valley station.
In order to control the expected rush in Lower Austria's ski areas, winter sports will only be possible with advance notice from Thursday. “Access to the ski area is only permitted with a valid ticket or a reservation”, Jochen Danninger (ÖVP) emphasized on Wednesday. Online services are intended to help visitors plan. The website winternavi.at shows “where tickets can be booked and in some ski areas also how many tickets are still available in the respective ski area”. Many winter sports enthusiasts would probably ski in Lower Austria for the first time this year because a journey to the large ski areas of the western federal states is too far for them for a day trip, explained Isabella Hinterleitner, head of the task force “Going out safely in Lower Austria”. It assumes “more than three million” potential guests.
