Fürstalm
A small Zillertal area between Gerlos and Gmünd that lost lifts one by one from 2005 and stopped altogether by 2010, sacrificed so that neighbouring Gerlosstein could survive.
- Region
- Tyrol
- Country
- Austria
- Status
- closed
- Year closed
- 2010
- Reason for closure
- Competition from the far larger Zillertal Arena next door, and a direct choice between keeping Fürstalm or Gerlosstein going. Gerlosstein was preserved and later given the Arena Skyliner; Fürstalm was allowed to wind down. The winter of 2004-05 was its last fully open season and it has not operated since 2010.
History
The Fürstalm ski area lay between Gerlos and the hamlet of Gmünd in the Zillertal in Tyrol, a small operation in the shadow of one of the largest linked ski regions in Austria. Its decline is well documented by Austrian lift enthusiasts: the winter of 2004-05 was the last in which it was fully open, and by the following season the practice lift and the Arbiskogel drag lift had both disappeared from the piste map. It has not operated at all since 2010. What killed it was a straightforward choice - the area could not sustain both Fürstalm and the neighbouring Gerlosstein, and Gerlosstein was the one kept, later gaining the Arena Skyliner. In its final years Fürstalm had become a curiosity for skiers who wanted empty pistes: reports from Easter 2005 describe it as a welcome alternative to the crowded Zillertal Arena, where one could ski almost alone. Its opening year, full lift inventory and piste names are not documented in accessible sources.
Lifts
| Name | Type | Manufacturer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arbiskogel | Surface lift | A drag lift that disappeared from the piste map after the 2004-05 season | |
| Unnamed lift | Surface lift | The practice lift, which also vanished from the piste map after 2004-05 |
Sources and further reading
More in Austria
Location
47.2060, 12.0290