The OK Bergbahnen (OK Bergbahnen) is planning the start of the 2022/23 winter season at Fellhorn/Kanzelwand on December 9th. The Nebelhorn, Söllereck, Ifen, Walmendingerhorn, and Heuberg/Parsenn ski areas will then follow gradually.
Riezlern, November 21, 2022 – The Oberstdorf · Kleinwalsertal Bergbahnen are only a few weeks away from the start of the 2022/23 winter season. Preparations are in full swing, the lifts are ready for operation, and the construction of the snowmaking systems has also been completed. "We are well prepared and are already counting down the days until the start. And we have also done our homework regarding even more 'efficient' use of energy and resources so that guests can enjoy the usual skiing and winter experience in our mountains next winter," says CEO Andreas Gapp, looking forward to the start of the season.
Skiing experience as usual – all slopes will be snow-covered
"We sense that our guests' desire and anticipation for skiing is high. Therefore, the most important message we want to convey to our fans, friends, and guests is that we will be starting the winter season with our full range of offerings this winter. This naturally also means that we will be making snow as usual, and that skiers can be 100% confident of finding perfectly groomed slopes on all seven of our mountains," explains Gapp.
Despite this clear commitment to an unrestricted skiing experience, the OK Bergbahnen takes the issue of energy extremely seriously. "Ten years ago, we launched our sustainability initiative MyMountainNature, in which we rely, for example, on 100% green electricity or generate some of it ourselves in our hydroelectric power plant on the Nebelhorn or with our photovoltaic systems on the Fellhorn and Walmendingerhorn. A very important optimization measure for energy efficiency this winter will be the optimization of our snowmaking management. Furthermore, we will refrain from 'garaging' cabins and chairlifts due to weather conditions, and we will not activate the seat heating on the corresponding systems. It is important to us that we exploit every opportunity to save energy without noticeably limiting our guests' skiing experience," continues fellow board member Johannes Krieg.
Mountain railways launch Mission OK together with the region
The importance of energy to the Oberstdorf/Kleinwalsertal tourism region is also demonstrated by the "Mission OK," launched jointly by the OK-Bergbahnen, Kleinwalsertal Tourism, and Oberstdorf Tourism. This pursues the same goal of implementing energy-saving measures across all service providers – from the mountain railways to the landlords – without compromising the holiday experience. In addition to the measures initiated by the mountain railways, the region will, for example, reduce public lighting by 50% where possible or switch to LED technology, reduce the temperature in public buildings and implement other measures. "As a recent, representative survey shows us, responsible use of energy is also extremely important for guests. They will support sensible measures as long as they do not significantly limit the holiday experience. This is precisely what we want to ensure with Mission-OK and at the same time encourage guests to participate. Because if everyone adapts their behavior just a little, we can achieve a lot together," Krieg concludes.
Planned season start dates for the individual ski areas:
• Fellhorn 09.12.2022
• Kanzelwand 09.12.2022
• Nebelhorn 10.12.2022
• Söllereck 16.12.2022
• Ifen 16.12.2022
• Walmendingerhorn 16.12.2022
• Heuberg/Parsenn 16.12.2022
