Fight against climate change: Invest or abandon expensive “life-extending measures”?: Winter sports centers struggle to survive

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The numbers speak for themselves: while the ski areas above 1,800 meters recorded strong increases in visitor numbers last year, the situation below looked bleak. According to Cable Cars Switzerland, the number of visitors to ski areas between 1000 and 1200 meters dropped by almost half, while at mid-altitudes between 1200 and 1800 meters the decrease was between 20 and 30 percent.

Ski areas such as Jaun-Gastlosen FR, Moléson FR, Grächen VS and Sattel-Hochstuckli SZ have been struggling with a lack of snow for a long time. It’s not just about the cable cars and ski slopes: “Without winter tourism, the shops in the village, the post office, the club life, the farm shops and, most importantly, the restaurants in the village would definitely be in great danger,” says the Marketing Tschiertschen GR spokesperson.

“Schiertschen model”

The town of Grisons achieved this feat last autumn: thanks to a capital increase, 1.2 million francs were raised for the local mountain railways, and a tourism law passed by the overwhelming majority secured a further 200,000 francs a year from the community. Therefore, financing of ski operations is secured for ten years. This was even worth reporting to the German “Spiegel”.

However: If the snow conditions are bad, skiing will not be enjoyable. And in recent years this has been happening more often. Investing in emptiness?

“The concept is not only a financial aid for the mountain railways, but also ensures the sustainable development of the tourist area for ten years,” said Tschiertschen’s spokesman. The concept includes increasing bed capacity with a “holiday zone”. In this way, the economically necessary frequency increase for mountain railways can be achieved. Only then can permanent snowmaking be financed to guarantee the required 100 days of skiing.

Tschiertschen spent six years developing this model. Plan of the Hochwang GR ski area opposite. The railways there will stop this winter; Here too, long-term business must be secured with a “Schiertschen model”.

Plan for other ski areas

The secret to Tschiertschen’s success? “Early, intensive and sustained cooperation among all interest groups”. This has not only to do with the idealism of private investors and the romance of smaller ski areas, but also with economic realities: “Many people quickly realized that the value of the properties of the local people as well as the second residents would immediately drop significantly if there was no mountain railway,” explains the speaker .

Critical question: Should low-lying ski areas invest a lot of money to stay open despite climate change? Or will you give up on costly “life-extending measures”?

For snow sports to be profitable, there must be a minimum number of snow days per season. However, their numbers are gradually decreasing. Slope management is expensive and not everyone can afford technical snowmaking; because, according to the TechnoAlpin expert, one kilometer of piste with technical snowmaking requires an investment of approximately one million francs. In Switzerland, only 50 percent of the slopes have technical snowmaking opportunities.

“It is also becoming difficult to obtain financing, as many banks charge a risk surcharge on loans due to unpredictable snow conditions,” explains Jürg Stettler (59), head of the Institute of Tourism and Mobility at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences.

Change is needed – but it takes money

But that doesn’t mean the end of deeper ski areas: “Either they manage to make more money in the summer, or they have to get money from the public sector; both are often necessary,” says Stettler.

Flumserberg cites SG as a positive example; A hybrid form of service allows for a rapid transition from winter to summer activities. “Many ski areas cannot undertake such a conversion for financial reasons,” explains Stettler. Because ski lifts are of no use in summer work. Ski lifts and cable cars, on the other hand, are more expensive to purchase and maintain and are subject to strict regulations.

Stettler concludes: “Each community must make a profitability calculation and carefully ask itself whether it can, or even should, afford winter sports structures.” According to him, the account may not work for some.

Source :Blick