The project was given the go-ahead by the Czech Republic’s Environment Minister last week, as part of a new draft zoning law for the country’s UNESCO-recognised Šumava National Park, going against the findings of an environmental-impact assessment that said a ski lift was a bad idea.
The new lift and runs at Hraničník would have a 3km-wide operating area, which the minister feels will involve minimal disruption to the park as a whole.
Local media reports 70,000 Czechs visit Hochficht each year, and that the country’s President, Václav Klaus, who is said to be a keen skier, wants to be the first on the new lift.