Gastein Turns Strong Summer Into Winter Investment Drive

The Gastein Valley is moving into the 2026/27 winter season with a strategy built around two priorities: making the mountains more attractive beyond skiing and strengthening the infrastructure needed to keep the pistes operating reliably.

Gasteiner Bergbahnen reported a positive summer season across its three main summer mountains—Schlossalm, Stubnerkogel and Graukogel. The company said visitor numbers increased across all three areas, supported by favorable weather, new family facilities and a program of events designed to broaden the appeal of the mountains.

The result is significant for a business that remains heavily dependent on winter. Gasteiner Bergbahnen recorded approximately 221,000 summer entries in 2025, while around 90 percent of its passenger-transport revenue continued to come from winter operations. During the 2024/25 winter season, first entries declined 3.3 percent to approximately 781,000 after warm weather affected conditions in February and March.

That contrast is shaping the company’s next investment phase. Summer attractions are helping Gastein diversify its mountain offer, but snowmaking and piste infrastructure remain central to the financial health of the resort.

Schlossalm becomes a family destination

The clearest example of Gastein’s summer strategy is Schlossalm above Bad Hofgastein. A new adventure area opened near the mountain station at approximately 2,000 meters above sea level, alongside the Hirsch & Maus mountain restaurant, which opened in December 2025.

The family-oriented area includes a water-play zone, a motor-skills course, panoramic swings, ball tracks and other play structures inspired by the alpine environment. The attractions are located close to the restaurant, allowing visitors to combine outdoor activities, mountain views and dining without extensive travel between facilities.

The redesigned area was developed after an ideas competition and represented an investment of approximately €1 million, according to the project’s supplier. Its equipment includes wooden features shaped like a marmot and a gentian, as well as a range of swings and climbing and balancing elements intended for both children and adults.

Accessibility is also part of the concept. The attraction, restaurant and surrounding mountain experience are being presented as elements that can be combined according to visitors’ interests and needs. That approach reflects a wider shift among alpine destinations toward facilities that can serve families, non-skiers and multigenerational groups rather than relying solely on traditional mountain sports.

The Hirsch & Maus restaurant is the other major part of the Schlossalm redevelopment. The project cost approximately €12 million and was completed in nine months. Overall investment by Gasteiner Bergbahnen during the period reached €16.1 million.

Snow reliability becomes the next priority

With the Schlossalm hospitality and leisure project now completed, Gasteiner Bergbahnen says future investment will focus increasingly on snowmaking and piste preparation.

“Perfect piste conditions” remain one of the company’s key responsibilities, chairman Andreas Innerhofer said, adding that Gastein will continue to invest in snowmaking systems and pistes in the coming years.

The decision follows a difficult 2024/25 winter. The season began strongly, with early valley runs available, but warmer conditions later in the season caused an early decline in demand and shortened operating conditions. The experience reinforced the importance of being able to produce and distribute snow efficiently when temperatures permit.

Gastein’s wider ski offer includes around 180 kilometers of slopes across several areas, including the family-oriented Schlossalm–Angertal–Stubnerkogel network, Dorfgastein–Großarltal and high-altitude Sportgastein. Sportgastein reaches approximately 2,650 meters and is promoted as the highest ski area in Ski amadé.

For the resort, snowmaking is not simply a technical upgrade. It supports the operating reliability of an interconnected network, helps protect the Christmas and holiday periods and gives the company greater flexibility when natural snowfall is delayed.

A new attraction for poor-weather days

The coming winter will also bring a new digital experience at Skigastein. Scheduled to open in mid-December, the digital Erlebniswelt is designed to provide a weather-independent attraction and extend the mountain experience beyond conventional skiing.

The project is intended to attract new audiences and give visitors more options when conditions on the slopes are unsuitable. Innovation, accessibility and flexible use are being highlighted as central elements of the concept.

The initiative reflects a broader change in how mountain destinations are planning their visitor offers. Instead of treating bad weather as lost business, resorts are investing in indoor or partially sheltered experiences that can keep visitors engaged during storms, poor visibility or breaks from skiing.

For Gastein, the digital attraction complements the region’s established mix of skiing, thermal spas, restaurants and winter activities. The valley offers three major ski areas, approximately 180 kilometers of pistes and access to both the Alpentherme in Bad Hofgastein and the Felsentherme in Bad Gastein.

Winter walking and events expand the offer

Additional plans for 2026/27 include a winter walking trail and the continuation of the winter walking swing introduced the previous year. The company aims to connect walking, mountain viewpoints and gastronomy more closely, giving non-skiers and mixed-ability groups a stronger reason to spend time in the ski areas.

The winter program will also include established events such as Gastein Sounds and New Year’s Eve on the mountain. Ski amadé’s broader calendar adds events including Gastein Classics, a snowboard World Cup and other sporting competitions.

The planned operating season is scheduled to begin on November 27, 2026, with partial operations at Schlossalm and Stubnerkogel. The Schlossalm–Angertal–Stubnerkogel connection is planned to operate daily from December 11, while Sportgastein is scheduled for daily operation from December 18 through April 11, 2027, subject to snow, weather and operational conditions.

A resort balancing diversification and dependence

Gasteiner Bergbahnen’s investment program illustrates the balancing act facing many alpine destinations. The company is developing family attractions, digital experiences and winter walking products to reduce reliance on skiing, while simultaneously investing in the snowmaking and piste systems that remain essential to its core business.

That balance is also visible in the company’s financial results. Gasteiner Bergbahnen generated nearly €38 million in revenue in 2025 and reported a positive operating result despite high costs and a below-average winter season. The winter business continued to account for the overwhelming majority of passenger-transport revenue.

The next phase will test whether the new summer and all-weather attractions can generate meaningful demand outside traditional ski periods, while the snowmaking investments protect the winter business from increasingly variable conditions.

For visitors, the result will be a broader Gastein experience: a family adventure world and mountain restaurant on Schlossalm, winter walking and non-ski activities, a new digital attraction and a continued focus on long, well-prepared ski runs.

For the operator, however, the underlying priority remains clear. Gastein is expanding what visitors can do on the mountain—but it is also investing to ensure that, when winter arrives, the slopes remain the destination’s most dependable attraction.