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The Kitzbüheler Alpen offers a double guarantee of snow |
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.jpg) |  | | “Mother Hulda and her 2,422 diligent helpers guarantee there will always be snow“! | |
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Thank you Mother Hulda for giving us snow!
10 reasons why ...
The Kitzbüheler Alpen offers
a double guarantee of snow: natural snowfall and a high-tech backup of snow cannons. Please find below a list of the 10 most important factors that contribute to absolute snow guarantee in the Kitzbüheler Alpen:
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Five factors that guarantee natural snowfall |
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| 1. | Northwest orographic barrier at the Alpine Divide: One of the most prevalent weather conditions in the northwest is the cloud band over the Alpine Divide. This generates heavy snowfall in the Kitzbüheler Alpen. | | 2. | Constant quantities of new snowfall*: The average annual snowfall in Kitzbühel has remained constant since official records commenced in 1958. Each year, more than 2.5 m of snow falls in the valley, and a total of 8 m in the mountains. Anomalies such as winter 2006/07 have occurred in the past. In 1989, 1972 and 1963 the region had less than 140 cm of new snow throughout the season. | | 3. | Winter in Hahnenkamm*: Since 1993 the Kitzbüheler Alpen region has become markedly colder. Snowfall is now a more frequently occurrence, providing more snow, which remains longer on the ground. Hahnenkamm is covered in more than 20 cm of natural snow for almost six months of the year. | | 4. | Piste locations: The majority of the region’s pistes are found in idyllic, snow guaranteed resorts in a north, north eastern or north western geographical location, where the sun dips gently, allowing the snow to last longer on the ground. | | 5. | Alpine grassy slopes as a base: The region’s grassy slopes offer the perfect base for snow-covered ski pistes. While ski resorts with rocky or rugged terrain require very thick layers of snow, the smooth grassy slopes of the Kitzbüheler Alpen only require a 20cm compact layer to create the perfect piste. Woods on the left and the right of the pistes prevent snowdrift. | | | | | * Source: Based on metrological data from the Innsbruck Academy for Metrology and Geology for Kitzbühel-Tal valley and Kitzbühel-Berg (Hahnenkamm) regions compiled since 1948. |
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Five factors that guarantee artificial snowfall |
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| 1. | Snowmaking machines: A total of 2,422 snowmaking machines (918 snow cannons and 1,504 snowguns) guarantee snow over 441 km of pistes | | 2. | Snowmaking capacity: The snowmaking facilities in the Kitzbüheler Alpen have all been upgraded with the latest technology last winter. This ensures that the entire ski resort of St. Johann in Tyrol can be covered in snow within a mere 60 hours. And within 72 hours, 110 km of local piste can be immaculately covered and prepared for exhilarating skiing. That is a distance equivalent to Kitzbüheler Alpen – Munich. | | 3. | Raw material for the snowmaking machines: 25 local reservoirs provide a total of more than 1 million cubic meters of water, thereby ensuring adequate water supply for permanent snow during the long winter season. | | 4. | Temperature for snowmaking*: Kitzbüheler Alpen has an average of 157 days when the temperature drops below zero. This usually happens at night, when it invariably snows. Of these 157 days, there are 77 days (2.5 months) when the temperature never rises above zero allowing it to snow around the clock. | | 5. | Snow Experts: Skiing in the Kitzbüheler Alpen has been a popular winter pastime for almost 100 years, and for the last 20 years nature has been assisted by high-tech snowmaking machines. The region’s snow experts and piste managers know the Kitzbüheler Alpen slopes, climate and weather conditions better than anyone else. They offer the finest quality pistes from your first day of skiing to your last. | |
| | | * Source: Based on metrological data from the Innsbruck Academy for Metrology and Geology for Kitzbühel-Tal valley and Kitzbühel-Berg (Hahnenkamm) regions compiled since 1948 |
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