New Austrian law will prohibit alcohol on the slopes

Austrian ski resorts have called for a ban of alcohol on the slopes, effective beginning in the 2019-20 winter season.  Austria is revered as the home of après-ski and has long been one of the most popular destinations for winter sporters, in large part for that very reason.  It remains to be seen how the on-slope bars and mountain restaurants will cope with the new legislation.

Alcohol banned from on-slope bars and restaurants only

The 2019/20 ski season will see the implementation of the blanket ban prohibiting the sale of alcohol in on-mountain restaurants.  It will also be forbidden for skiers and snowboarders to bring their own bottles of alcohol for consumption on the slopes.  Alcohol will still be sold in the villages and the hopes are that the après-ski scene will not suffer too much from the new law.  But on-slope après-ski bars have predictably raised an outcry about the new law, saying their entire business policy is oriented around the sale of alcohol and without this revenue, many of them will be forced to close.

Austria's new law meets with controversy from winter sports world

Après-ski is a staple of the Austrian ski scene and it's hard to imagine the slopes without people enjoying a few drinks on the mountain terraces.  While Austrian authorities have assured the public that this won't interfere too badly with the après-ski scene, skiers and snowboarders are understandably concerned about how the new law will affect their favourite establishments.  "Sure, after a few drinks you might be a little fuzzy around the edges, but we all have a good laugh trying to ski down to the village in the evening," said one skier.  "Après-ski won't be the same with this new law," said another.

UPDATE: For anyone who didn't guess, this was an April Fool's article! Alcohol is NOT banned on the slopes in Austria and doesn't show any signs of being banned in the near future!