Sustainability
Responsible skiing days in Tyrol
At Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau, great emphasis is placed on resource-efficient practices, both in the services we offer our guests and in our daily operations. Consequently, the cable car companies implement targeted measures to protect natural resources and the environment. These include efficient energy management, sustainable travel options for our guests, free use of ski buses, and electricity generation through our own hydroelectric power plant at the Schatzbergbahn.
Efficient energy & resource management
Increasing energy efficiency plays a central role in all areas to be able to offer our guests a great, high-quality experience in the long term. All lifts in the Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau are electrically powered, for which 100% green electricity from Austria is purchased.
In addition to hydroelectric power generation, the photovoltaic system is also used to generate electricity.
In addition, our fleet of vehicles is being transitioned to electric mobility wherever this is operationally and technically feasible.
Another goal is to expand our own electricity production using water and photovoltaic systems.
Waste is systematically separated, collected at designated waste stations, and sent for professional recycling.
Sustainable investments
The Hornbahn 2000 has replaced the old Hornlift 2000 since the start of the 2022/23 winter season. A large part of the Hornbahn 2000 bottom station was built underground and the roof was greened. This not only serves the visual design and integration into the landscape, but also reduces soil sealing. At the top station, the area of the service room was utilised to serve as the base for the "Top of Alpbachtal" observation tower. The entire viewing tower was constructed from timber, significantly reducing its embodied carbon. The unheated viewing room inside the tower remains unheated during operation and requires no energy for heating or cooling.
Furthermore, particular emphasis was placed on efficient ropeway technology, with the use of a direct drive system increasing energy efficiency by up to 15%.
Snow management
The emphasis is also placed on the regular optimisation of snow guns and snow grooming machines. For this reason, targeted investments are made in efficient snowmaking systems and upstream infrastructure, with the goal of achieving resource-efficient snow management to guarantee beautiful skiing days for our guests in the long term.
Our piste machines have been equipped with a snow depth measurement system, which enables efficient and precise management and control of snow production.
The purchase of one of the first hybrid piste machines in 2015 underlines our early awareness of resource and environmental protection.
All snow groomers in the Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau are equipped with GPS for digital snow depth measurement. This enables us to determine the exact snow depths at all times and consequently only produce snow where it is needed. This efficient snow management reduces both water and energy consumption.
Snow making
Since the 2025/26 winter season, 30 additional snow guns have been operating in the Alpbachtal and 14 new snow guns in the Wildschönau.
In summer 2024, the Alpbacher Bergbahn invested 1.5 million euros, a large part of which went towards the purchase of 50 tower snow guns. This increases the efficiency of the snowmaking system by around 20%. In addition, the new devices are more resource-friendly and consume significantly less energy. This makes a further important contribution to the sustainable use of natural resources.
In 2023, 40% of the snow guns in the Wildschönau were replaced, consuming up to 35% less electricity
Hydroelectric power
The hydropower station at the bottom station of the Schatzbergbahn generates, on a multi-year average, more than half of the annual electricity consumption (around 2.2 gigawatt hours) of the cable cars in the Wildschönau region. The groundwater heat pumps for heating the Schatzbergbahn station have been modernised in an energy-efficient manner.
A total of 9 reservoirs with a capacity of 494,100 m³ form the basis for efficient and technically reliable snow production, providing excellent ski days on perfectly groomed pistes.
- The water used for snow production remains within the regional cycle; it is merely temporarily stored in the reservoirs and as snow, and is returned to nature as meltwater in spring.
- The reservoirs collect the required water primarily through spring snowmelt and precipitation.
- The strategic location of the reservoirs allows for efficient filling and ensures reduced energy consumption during snow production.
- POnly water and cold air are required for snowmaking; no chemical or biological additives are used.
Piste construction
In areas affected by construction work, the turf is first removed, stored and then replanted. In addition, the area is regularly monitored and revegetated with site-specific plants to support successful recultivation and to preserve biodiversity.
The focus of all projects is on an implementation that is as gentle as possible. All construction measures are therefore carried out in close cooperation with qualified specialist planners in the fields of biology, geology, geotechnics and hydrology and in consultation with experts for piste safety and alpine skiing.
In this way, we can offer our guests an excellent piste experience while strictly taking alpine nature conservation into account.
Arrival & mobility on site
Guests can travel in comfort by train. With the ÖBB-Erlebnistickets i you can travel from Germany, the Netherlands and Austria to the Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau by train without any stress or traffic jams.
A new local public transport concept was introduced from the 2023/24 winter season, making the bottom stations even easier to reach by public transport. Use of the ski buses is also free of charge.
Guests travelling by e-car will find a total of 16 e-charging points at the bottom stations.
For our employees
Our corporate mission statement firmly establishes that all employees demonstrate a deep awareness of nature and environmental protection across all activities (in particular regarding the avoidance of dirt, noise and waste).
We organise free car sharing for our employees to drive to and from work.
We also provide staff accommodation in the immediate vicinity of the workplace in Inneralpbach if required.
