Gastein / Austria: News Snowmaking Equipment and Piste Improvements

Snow Making Equipment in Sportgastein
Construction Summer 2005

What is going to be built this year?

Building (mostly underground):
- Pump Station in Nassfeld near to the Valley Lift Station of the Goldbergbahn 
  Altitude: approx. 1.600 m (incl. Transformer Station and Garages for 2 Piste  Machines)
- Pump Station in Goldberg middle, near to the Middle Lift Station of the Goldbergbahn
  Altitude: approx. 1.910 m (incl. Compressor Station and Water Cooling System)

Pipelines:
- Water Catchment at the Nassfeld Dam (daily water storage point of the Salzburg AG
  Hydro Electric Power Station) with a connection to the Pump Station at Nassfeld
- Underground pipes with tap connections and fittings shaft for snow making covering an area
  of about 10 Hectare.

Our reasons for making these investments

More Snow Security
... the interest in Winter Sports from November onwards has increased
tremendously.The combination of the high altitude and snow making facilities is a competitive advantage for Sportgastein – especially during this time.

Extending the Length of the Season
...both before and after high season. A completely new and unique combination has taken place with the recent opening of the Spas and the Sports Medical Centre.

Securing the Economy of Tourism
... Active sports exercise is one of the main motives for a winter holiday. No snow means no, or a lesser number of guests, i.e. this in turn means less turnovers in enterprises, and no guaranteed employment in winter tourism.

Technical Facts

• Water Supply
  - 3 Pumps - max. extraction: 360 m³ / hour (=100 lit./sec)
  - 89,000 m³ Water demand in a normal year (that equals 0,87 % of the water supply from the Hydro Electric Power Station in Böckstein
• Snow Making System
  - Lanzen System (with an external compressed air supply and
  - Low Air Pressure System (with electronically supplied propeller cannons)
• Snow Covering
  - approx. 10 ha expansion in Summer 2005
  - approx. 35 ha after completion

Skiing Area Sportgastein

• Altitude
  - 1.585 m Bottom Station
  - 1.917 m Mid Station
  - 2.650 m Top Station
•  Lift Carrying Capacity
  - 2.351 Persons / per hour – Goldbergbahn Lift 
  - 1.199 Persons / per hour -  Kreuzkogel Lift
• Piste Area
  - Approximately 60 Hectare of prepared pistes
  - free Skiing

Piste improvements

The present situation:

The present ski run goes from the Jungeralm Lift Station towards the Angertal. At an altitude of approximately 2,060 metres the wide run narrows almost to a right angled ski run. This almost 200 metre long ski run poses because of its narrow width a danger that is going to be improved now.

After an inspection by the "Skiing Facility Working Group" in July of last year this correction to the piste was also greeted from technical skiing sport view, and will certainly be judged as a vast improvement of comfort for winter sports guests.

This piste improvement has been approved by the Ministry for Environment. The realisation will be supervised by an Ecological Construction Inspector. Officially stipulated compensatory measures were carried out by the Gasteiner Lift Company already in summer of last year, with the construction of a biotope as well as the removal of an existing drag lift.

And this is how it will look in the future:

Because of extensive ground changes the Jungeralm run will be appraised by winter sports enthusiasts tremendously. The run has become a lot more attractive because of the correction of the narrow constriction. To help improve the safety and comfort for the winter sports enthusiasts in this area, a new 50 metre wide section of the piste will be rerouted over the rock. The narrow run that was until now, the only downhill run in this area is still suitable for skiers needing some practise.

The planned measures contain the clearing away of the rock at the beginning of the ski run, and the ski-technical organisation of the new section by means of ground remodelling. At the same time a gentle transformation from the new ski piste to the existing terrain will be respected.

Several water ditches cross the already existing section of the piste below the inlet of the ski run. Until now wooden boards have had to be laid in sections across the ditches, to make the partly deep channels technically possible for skiing over. In spite of previous efforts, all the measures that have been made for a possible trouble- free crossing, have turned out to be very labour consuming and unsatisfactory. Therefore, the base of this drain will be raised and the embankment levelled.