Bummer news out of Austria where Unterberg Ski Resort has announced it permanent closure.
The small ski area in Lower Austria announced Monday that it is permanently ending lift operations after failing to open for a single day during either of the past two winters.
Unterberg relied entirely on natural snowfall and did not use artificial snowmaking. Operators said increasingly mild winters and what they described as the noticeable effects of climate change had made economically sustainable lift operations impossible.
Even the snow that fell during the 2025-26 season was never enough to open the mountain.
That followed another completely lost winter the year before.
“With a heavy heart, we, the managing directors of Schilift Underberg GmbH, have to announce the final end for our ski area.
After the acquisition and rescue of the ski area in 2014 and years of operation for regional winter sports, the consistently mild winters and the noticeable climate change now force us to permanently discontinue the lift operation. We would like to sincerely thank our loyal customers, partners in the Pernitz-Muggendorf region, and our great team, who fought to the end for every snowflake, for every step.
A concept for the future use of the Underberg for hikers and snowshoe travelers is being worked on. Details will be announced in the coming weeks on the official website of the ski area.”
Two Straight Winters Without a Single Day of Skiing
Unterberg had planned to begin its 2025-26 season in December if snow conditions allowed, according to its operating calendar. The snow never arrived in sufficient quantities.
Managing director Erich Panzenboeck confirmed to Austrian broadcaster ORF that Unterberg did not operate its lifts for a single day in either of the past two seasons.
The decision to permanently close was made toward the end of summer.
Unterberg marketed itself as a natural-snow ski area, an increasingly unusual distinction in an Alpine ski industry where snowmaking has become a fundamental part of winter operations.
The mountain’s operators deliberately went without artificial snowmaking. That worked when winter delivered enough natural coverage, but left the ski area with few options during prolonged warm and dry periods.
According to ORF, the operators concluded that the combination of mild winters and the absence of snowmaking made a financially viable future for the lifts unrealistic.
“Certain things cannot be stopped.” -Erich Panzenboeck
Unterberg Was Saved From Closure Once Before
This is not the first time Unterberg’s future has been in doubt.
Three local business owners took over the ski area in 2014, saving it from an earlier closure and investing in its continued operation.
At the time, Unterberg was positioned primarily as a family-oriented ski area serving communities around Pernitz and Muggendorf, roughly an hour from Vienna. The mountain ranged from about 2,300 feet to 4,400 feet in elevation.
In better winters, the formula could work.
A 2017 report from the Lower Austrian government said Unterberg recorded roughly 25,000 skier visits during its first 35 operating days that season. The ski area offered about 10 miles of natural-snow trails, four surface lifts, beginner terrain and ski and snowboard instruction.
ORF reported that about 30,000 winter visitors had reached the mountain during another strong stretch that same season.
But Unterberg had been vulnerable to poor snow years for a long time.
An ORF report from 2017 noted that the ski area had already been forced to remain closed for an entire previous winter because of insufficient snow. A separate 2020 report described another season in which the lifts never operated at all.
The latest two consecutive lost seasons ultimately proved too much.
The Mountain May Still Have a Winter Future
The end of lift operations does not necessarily mean the end of winter recreation at Unterberg.
The owners are working with landowners on a plan that could allow ski touring and snowshoeing to continue on the mountain. Details are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
That would preserve at least part of Unterberg’s winter identity without requiring the expensive infrastructure and staffing necessary to operate a conventional ski area.
The timing of the announcement also creates a striking contrast within Austria.
Just days ago, Pitztal and Kaunertal glaciers announced they are targeting Sept. 26 for the beginning of their 2026-27 ski seasons. Those high-elevation glacier areas reach above 10,000 feet and operate in a completely different environment from Unterberg.
Austria is also home to resorts that have invested heavily in other ways of guaranteeing early-season snow. Kitzbuhel, for example, plans to begin skiing in November using snow preserved from the previous winter.
Unterberg took the opposite approach.
Its identity was built around snow that fell naturally from the sky. After two consecutive winters in which that snow was never sufficient to open the lifts, the operators decided the model was no longer sustainable.
The lifts will not reopen for a third attempt.
