With 3,003 lifts in operation, of which 973 are cable cars and 2,030 are t-bar lifts, the Austrian cable cars are the driving force behind the winter tourism industry. Although the number of lifts has reduced, the amount of passengers being transported on them has increased. The greater capacity has been achieved by replacing t-bar lifts with modern, more comfortable lifts.

There are different types of mountain lifts

• Funicular railways: The cars run on tracks and cables
• Aerial tramways (also: high capacity cabins, aerial lifts): They transport passengers in cabins attached to cables
• Circulating loop lifts: There are two cables, one for the ascent and one for the descent. At the terminals, cabins are detached to allow for the loading and unloading of passengers.
• Chairlifts: Chairs or bench-type seats, which can carry up to eight passengers, are connected to the haul rope by a steel cable grip. If the chairs are detached at the terminals, they are known as detachable chairlifts.
• T-bar lifts: transporting skiers and snowboarders by a series of vertical recoiling cables and t-bars, which are attached to a haul rope (e.g. a t-shaped bar transports two people)
  

There are 20,000 hectares of slopes available to skiers and snowboarders in Austria. Thanks to the production of artificial snow, 59% of all Austrian slopes are able to remain open all season without interruption. From late at night until the early morning, over 1,000 machines are preparing the slopes for the safety and comfort of guests.

With a yearly total turnover of approximately 1,3 billion euros, the cable car industry is one of Austria’s most important economic factors. The capital expenditure of 523 million euros is an important factor to regional value added in the alpine region. 33 % of all European skiers and snowboarders are customers of Austrian cable cars.