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Winter dream or chaos? Kassel Hüttenwirt struggles with fresh snow!
Niklas Meibert reports on an unexpected onset of winter in the Hannoverhaus in Carinthia, Hesse, on July 17, 2025.
Winter dream or chaos? Kassel Hüttenwirt struggles with fresh snow!
What is happening in the far north of Carinthia? Niklas Meibert, the landlord of the Hannoverhaus from Kassel, has experienced a very special kind of winter outbreak in the last few days. On Tuesday, a whopping 20 cm of fresh snow fell at dizzying heights of 2,565 meters, which not only created a wonderful picture, but also caused a lot of disruption to operational processes. merkur.de reports that ...
The sudden change from sunny spring days to wintry conditions came directly after a dramatic drop in the weather. The old snowfields, which had thawed heavily in June, had paved the way for this unexpected onset of winter. But the very wet snow put a damper on the guests coming to the popular hikes in the Ankogel ski area. Some even had to forgo their visit. Meibert reports that many guests originally came to build fun snowmen, but the adverse conditions also led to a large number of cancellations.
Business interruptions due to bad weather
The heavy rainfall and stormy winds meant that operations at the Hannoverhaus had to be temporarily suspended. A new employee from Hesse was unable to take the cable car to the hut due to the adverse conditions. “There’s something going on,” you could say, because winter is showing its unexpected side this season.
The Hannoverhaus, which offers space for around 50 guests in 14 double and multi-bed rooms, is just ten minutes from the cable car station. During the day, up to 300 guests usually gather there to enjoy the view and nature. But the conditions don't make it easy for hiking enthusiasts this year. The snow is rather soapy and wet, making hiking conditions much more difficult.
The weather and its impact on winter tourism
As the information from ardalpha.de shows, the mountains in Germany are severely affected by climate change. The Alps in particular are facing a rapid rise in temperatures, significantly shortening the snow season. Statistics show that snow depth in Europe is falling by an average of 12% per decade and the duration of snow cover has now decreased by 5.6%.
Over the last 50 years, the snow season at lower elevations has shortened by up to 34 days. This has a significant impact on ski areas that are considered snow-sure, as the number of these areas is continually decreasing. The challenges posed by climate change are becoming increasingly pressing for hut owners like Meibert and his colleagues as they try to maintain their operations under these changing conditions.
The winter of 2017/2018 was one of the few particularly snowy winters, with snow depths falling drastically at lower altitudes. In higher regions, however, the effects of climate change are becoming more pressing; Forecasts indicate that a decrease in natural snow cover of up to 70% is expected in the higher altitudes of Switzerland by 2100.
The Hannoverhaus, open from the end of December to the end of March and from July to the end of September, must therefore prepare for a future in which wintry idylls could become increasingly rare. Meibert and his colleague Lukas Decker, operator of the Kasseler Hütte in the Zillertal, are currently in regular contact to exchange ideas about the challenges and opportunities in the changing landscape.