The members of the Vorarlberg Cable Cars' Specialist Committee elected a new chairman on October 7th: Dr. Andreas Gapp (46), one of the three board members of OBERSTDORF · KLEINWALSERTAL BERGBAHNEN, takes over from Hannes Jochum, who has represented the interests of the specialist group as chairman for the past two years. His new deputies are Mag. Christoph Pfefferkorn (Skilifte Lech Ing Bildstein GesmbH) and Thomas Lerch (Gargellner Bergbahnen GmbH & Co KG).
Through his position as specialist group chairman, the network will become even closer again. "The events of the last few days and weeks have demonstrated just how important networking within political bodies is. The strong networking among the many colleagues contributed significantly to the quick and unbureaucratic passage of the exemption for Kleinwalsertal regarding the RKI travel warning," said Andreas Gapp.
Nature conservation and the joy of skiing
Andreas Gapp is also pleased to be able to create the framework so that the cable cars become even stronger partners for their regions. The specialist group's previous focuses – such as promoting young talent or the compatibility of nature and economic viability – will continue. Furthermore, Gapp wants to place greater emphasis on the joy of skiing and the fun of being active in the great outdoors. "We have focused a lot on factual discussions in the past. That's important. But we mustn't forget why we're doing this: We want to give people moments of happiness. We provide them with top-quality products so that they can enjoy skiing and enjoy nature – summer and winter," explains Gapp. Gapp would also like to place an additional focus on nature conservation. "Nature conservation must be understood as a topic that we don't just discuss as a one-off measure, but as a process that accompanies us continuously," Gapp concludes.
Vorarlberg Cable Car Association
The Vorarlberg Cable Car Association represents the interests of 71 members and 32 ski areas. Across Vorarlberg, 306 cable cars and lifts are in operation, serving a total of around 1,000 kilometers of slopes. On average, over 1,000 employees and 20 apprentices are employed by the Vorarlberg cable car companies. Annually, the Vorarlberg cable cars generate net revenue from passenger transport of around €150 million and reinvest an average of €50 million.
