Where to Ski And Snowboard - Cattle help Lech get ski-ready

Cattle help Lech get ski-ready

9th January 2014, by Abi Butcher

The Austrian ski resort of Lech uses Highland cattle to prepare the slopes for skiing

The managing director of Lech Ski Lifts has devised a unique way of preparing the slopes for skiing.

This autumn, Michael Manhart put 23 Highland cattle out to graze on the slopes of the fashionable Austrian ski resort to remove the shrubbery and churn the ground with their hooves — so new snow could stick better.

Mr Manhart says the cattle “revolutionised” preparation for this year’s ski season and reduced the avalanche risk by creating an irregular surface with their hooves.

He told the Scottish Express: “Their hoof prints act against the snow cover sliding out of place by increasing its grip.”

He said Highland cattle cover the most rugged alpine terrain in Lech, stepping from rock to rock, adding: “Nothing stops them, not even barbed wire or electric fences. In fact we only managed to keep them in one place by giving them a salt lick once a week.”

The cattle ate all excess shrubbery, too, providing a far cheaper and more environmentally friendly preparation for the season. It was so successful Mr Manhart plans to use even more cattle next year —saying it saved him thousands of pounds.

Editor Watts was in Lech in December, for the opening of the new link between Lech-Zürs and Warth-Schröcken. Read his report here.