Styrian cable car conference held at Loser
At the cable car industry conference on the Loser, with over 130 participants, future strategies and energy supply were once again on the agenda. This year, the Styrian cable car industry has invested 100 million euros.
The cable car industry's day was once again a huge draw this year. The relevant trade group hosted the event under the motto "Cable Car Operators Kiritog" on the Loser, where the new panoramic cable car opened just last year. More than 130 participants accepted the invitation to the industry event, featuring high-profile speakers. Wolfgang Mayrhofer, Managing Director of Atomic Austria GmbH, spoke about the ski industry and its ideas for the future. Verbund CEO Michael Strugl also spoke about the challenges of energy supply.
Decades of tradition, modern infrastructure
Guests' leisure activities were also examined: Styrians love and appreciate their winter holidays in the local mountains – and so do the numerous foreign guests. With its fresh mountain air and breathtaking winter landscapes, Styria invites visitors to sporting adventures every year, whether on skis, snowboards, or snowshoes. "The connection to winter sports is unbroken, and demand remains high," summarizes Oliver Käfer, Managing Director of the Styrian Association. "This is made possible by the Styrian cable car companies, who, through constant improvements and investments, ensure that guests feel comfortable and can truly enjoy the winter," says Fabrice Girardoni, Chairman of the Styrian Cable Cars at the Styrian Chamber of Commerce. He emphasizes: "We are building on our decades-long tradition, utilizing and improving the existing infrastructure to be fit for the future."
Styrian cable car operators invested a total of 100 million euros in 2025, half of which went into numerous valuable improvements to the cable cars and lifts. For example, at the Fageralmbahn in the Schladming-Dachstein region, a modern eight-seater cable car is replacing two existing double chairlifts. Skiers now reach the sunny, magnificent high plateau in enclosed gondola cabins in just twelve minutes. In the spirit of sustainability, the new cable car was taken over by the Grossarl Bergbahnen in excellent condition and reinstalled on the Fageralm. Most of the mechanical components, such as the valley station, mountain station, towers, roller assemblies, and traction equipment, will be reused. Managing Director and Deputy Section Chairman Daniel Berchthaller is looking forward to the opening of the new upcycled cable car with great anticipation: "We hope to be able to offer our guests even greater comfort, and sustainability is also very important to us."
A new ten-seater gondola also provides a significantly faster connection from the Planai to the Hauser Kaibling: In less than five minutes, you're at the transmitter plateau—just a lift ride away from the highest point of the Schladming Four Mountains ski area. With a capacity of 2,800 people per hour and a speed of six meters per second, this speedy upgrade offers an efficient and comfortable connection. The four-seater "Sonneck" chairlift to the Planai has also been retired: the new eight-seater "Mitterhausalm I" chairlift is now in operation. With a capacity of 3,000 people per hour and a travel time of just three minutes, waiting times are a thing of the past.
Snowmaking secures the future of winter sports
"The wealth of investments, which will have an impact for up to 40 years into the future, demonstrates that Styrian cable cars have great confidence in the future of winter sports," emphasizes Girardoni. Snow reliability plays a central role in this. "Lack of snow" is the most frequently cited concern among winter sports guests. Snowmaking systems, in which €18 million was invested this year alone, provide a proven solution. "They ensure the long-term future of enjoying nature in the mountains," says Girardoni. Entire tourism regions benefit from this, as Josef Herk, President of the Styrian Chamber of Commerce, emphasizes: "The cable cars secure the regional value chain and thus jobs in numerous sectors." He describes the cable car industry as a "reliable guarantor of regional jobs."
