Disappeared ski lift resurfaces following 50 years of glacial retreat

A melting glacier in Austria has revealed the remains of an old ski lift, offering a glimpse into the country's past winter sports history. The ski lift, built in 1970, was operational for an unspecified period before being encased in ice.

The discovery was made on the Dachstein, a mountain range in Upper Austria. According to Georg Bliem, manager of the Dachstein Glacier Cable Car, the old ski lift was found after about 50 years in the ice. The exact condition of the ski lift remains is not specified in the article.

The ski lift was used for summer skiing on the Dachstein glacier. It's worth noting that the glacier has shrunk significantly over the years. Since the mid-19th century, the Hallstatt Glacier on the Dachstein has shrunk from 5.27 square kilometers to about 2.22 square kilometers.

The manager of the Dachstein Glacier Cable Car estimates that a tourist attraction known as the "Glacier Palace," dug into the glacier for tourists, may only exist for another four to five years. The glacier's retreat is gradually causing the disappearance of ice masses in the mountains, posing risks such as falling into crevasses that were previously covered by ice.

Due to the glacier's retreat, hiking trails need to be rerouted and secured. Rising temperatures are causing ice masses in the mountains to disappear, a trend that is being closely studied by the research group investigating the impacts of climate change on the Hallstatt Glacier at Dachstein, called the "Institute of Geography, University of Innsbruck."

The discovery of the old ski lift was previously reported by the "Krone Zeitung" in Upper Austria. The wooden structure of the ski lift disappeared under the ice cover, but its reappearance serves as a stark reminder of the effects of climate change on our environment.