Pitztal Needs Environmental Assessment to Expand

22nd January 2026

The Austria Supreme Court has ruled that expansion plans for additional slopes and lifts on the glacier ski area in Pitztal must undergo an environmental impact assessment, EIA.

The controversial plans would mean an expansion of the Pitztal ski area and a potential merger with the Ötztal glacier ski area, which would also include previously untouched areas around the Karlesferner glacier.

A formal application was first submitted to the Tirol state government in May 2015.

Strong resistance emerged from environmental organisations and alpine associations, who warned of the massive encroachment on glacier and high-mountain habitats.

The project has become a symbolic conflict between the economic interests of winter tourism and the protection of alpine natural areas.

The Austrian Alpine Club has welcomed the ruling, in which the Supreme Court explicitly emphasises the protection of glaciers and high-alpine regions.

Pitztal, The Tirol, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI