History of the Hochkar
Historical and nostalgic...
Seven lift systems, two conveyor belts, numerous hiking trails, via ferratas, and lofty experiences on the Hochkar 360° Skytour. The company Hochkar Bergbahnen is much more than a cable car operator. It offers guests an exceptional mountain experience – both in summer and winter.
Everything began with the construction of the Hochkar Alpine Road in 1962, marking the start of the skiing era in Göstling. Although Austria’s number one national sport had already made its way to Göstling an der Ybbs earlier, the mountain village first appeared on the radar of ski tourists in 1962. Since then, Hochkar has developed from an unknown ski mountain in the Eastern Alps into a popular tourist destination for both summer and winter.
1962 - 1965
1962 - Founding of Hochkar-Fremdenverkehrs-GesmbH & Co KG
1963-1965 - Construction of the Hochkar Alpine Road
1965 - Construction and commissioning of the single chairlift to the Hochkar fore-summit, as well as the construction and commissioning of drag lift A. In the following years, four more drag lifts were built.
1974 - 1998
1974 - Construction and commissioning of DSL Häsing
1980 - Construction and commissioning of DSL Gr. Kar
1990 - Construction and commissioning of 4SL Leckerplan
1990-1991 - Conversion to the magnetic card system by Skidata
1991 - Construction and commissioning of the practice lift Zagerlboden
1992 - Conversion to conveyor belt entry at DSL Gr. Kar and DSL Häsing
1994 - Construction and commissioning of 4SL Draxlerloch (replacement of the double drag lift Draxlerloch)
1995 - Construction and commissioning of the first detachable four-seater chairlift NÖs (replacement of the single chairlift)
1997 - First expansion phase of the snowmaking system
1998 - Further expansion phases of the snowmaking system up to the present
2003 - 2019
2003 - Performance upgrade of the pumping system for snowmaking
2005 - Construction and commissioning of 4SL Almlift and 4SL Häsing (replacement of drag lift A and DSL Häsing)
2012 - Acquisition of Hochkar by the "Vereinigte Bergbahnen Gesellschaft"
2013 - Redesign of the Zagerlboden children's area and construction of the ticket office building
2014 - Construction of the new operations building including new ticket offices
2014/2015 - Construction of the Hochkar 360° viewing platform
2017 - Construction and commissioning of the Sonnenlift drag lift (replacement of drag lifts B1/B2)
2019 - Two-week closure and evacuation due to massive snowfall
from 2022
2022 – Since February 2022, the merger of the Hochkar and Ötscher ski areas under the new company name “Hochkar & Ötscher Tourismus GmbH”.