New lifts, the merging of small ski resorts, comprehensive artificial snowmaking and ever more comfort and service - the Alpine winter sports resorts are fighting for their guests. The competition between winter sports resorts and lift companies for guests is fierce, as demand is stagnating. Many large ski resorts are trying to satisfy their guests with ever more modern and comfortable lifts, while smaller and medium-sized winter sports resorts are seeking their salvation in mergers.
The poorly accessible, remote ski resorts in particular are losing out. Such winter sports resorts are often unable to cover their costs and have to be kept alive by the resorts concerned at great financial expense for fear of losing their wealthy winter clientele.
Massive investment on the one hand, poorly utilized resorts and significant overcapacity on the other are likely to lead to a decline in the number of ski resorts.
The fear of climate change and the decline in snowfall at low and medium altitudes is leading to the increasingly intensive use of snowmaking systems.
Austria and Tyrol in particular, with their almost perfectly developed ski resorts and professional advertising and marketing, have left the competition in Germany and Switzerland behind. In order to survive the competition, many managers see their salvation in more and more offers. This includes the construction and expansion of ski lifts and cable cars as well as the merger of ski resorts that previously operated on their own. However, according to the internationally binding Alpine Convention, these major expansion and merger projects should not even exist...
The Alpine Convention - international treaty on the protection of the Alps
Since 1991, there has been an "Convention on the Protection of the Alps" in which the Alpine countries and the countries bordering the Alps commit themselves to far-reaching protection of the unique Alpine cultural and natural landscape. In the so-called Tourism Protocol (§ 12), the states that have signed the protocol undertake to align their policies in such a way that new ski lifts are only approved if old lifts are dismantled and the areas that become available are renaturalized. However, as can be seen from the new lift construction projects, this mandatory regulation is not being implemented, or only inadequately.
This article sheds light on the conflict that has been bitterly fought between supporters and opponents of new closures and ski area mergers for many years. It can be assumed - even if the author is not aware of any empirical studies on this - that many winter sports enthusiasts will initially welcome the expansion and comfort improvements to ski areas. The situation is different for most ski tourers. Although they occasionally use existing lifts to reduce ascent times or to increase the range of day tours, they are generally opposed to the expansion plans. In addition to the various nature conservation organizations, the Alpine associations, DAV, ÖAV and SAC are among the most determined opponents of the ski resorts' expansion policy.
Freeriders and off-piste skiers are in the middle: This is because it has been shown that more lifts do not necessarily lead to better opportunities for off-piste skiing or that if almost all slopes can be reached without major ascents, they will be skied within a very short time, which tends to make such areas less interesting for freeriders. Interestingly, the arguments used by some of those responsible to push through their expansion projects are always that they want to create particularly attractive offers for deep snow skiers / freeriders. Reason enough for PowderGuide to take a critical look at the ski resorts' expansion plans.
New closures, new lift constructions and mergers in times of climate change
In view of the uncertain prospects of how strongly global warming will affect not only winter sports opportunities, but also how this will change people's leisure behavior, new developments of entire ski areas in the Alps seem to be out of the question. Especially as such new areas are expressly excluded by the Alpine Convention.
The current lift and cable car projects are either expansion projects of existing areas or mergers of previously existing winter sports areas.
However, these projects almost always encumber areas and areas that were previously little or not used at all, often damaging or destroying valuable biotopes. To make matters worse, endangered wildlife species such as capercaillie, ptarmigan and ibex are extremely sensitive to disturbance in winter and areas that are used intensively and regularly by winter sports enthusiasts no longer meet their habitat requirements.
List of known development and connection projects
Due to the difficult information and source situation, we have limited ourselves to listing the development and new construction projects in the German-speaking Alpine countries.
There is currently no central body that collects and publishes all interconnection and expansion projects. We are dependent on the knowledge and information from the community. All information is provided without guarantee!
Categorization of projects
- 3: Project approved, information checked and secured
- 2: Project in the planning stage - unclear if and when this will be realized
- 1: Information from the community, without formal confirmation
Austria
- Ischgl / Samnaun: New development Piz Val Gronda | 3
- Arlberg: Lech-Warth merger | 3
- Rendl (Arlberg)-Kappl (Paznauntal) merger | 2
[There are fierce protest from the Tyrolean Environmental Ombudsman].
- Merger of Arlberg Lech-Zürs and St. Anton | 2
- Kitzbühel: Construction of the "Brunn" in 2014, thus opening up a new area where previously only a quiet side slope ran | 2
- Kitzbühel: Construction of the "Bichlalmbahn" to replace the former lift. Time still open due to legal proceedings. This would reopen the closed current touring ski area. | And after the failed merger of Zell am See with the Kitzsteinhorn (a lawsuit is also allegedly being filed against this), probably the biggest project of the coming years: the merger of Zell am See/Schmitten with Saalbach Hinterglemm and Fieberbrunn. | This would create a new top dog that would put Kitzbühel or the ski world in the shade.
- Connection between Kitzbühel and St. Johann | 1
- Connection between Westendorf and Kitzbühel? | 1
- Upper Austria, Ryhrn-Priel region: merger of the Wurzeralm ski area with the Hutterer Höss area | 2
- List continues ...
Switzerland
- Expansion and new construction(!) of the Andermatt-Sedrun ski area | 3
- Merger of the central Swiss ski areas of Engelberg, Melchsee Frutt, Hasliberg (Meiringen) | 2
- Merger of the Grisons areas of Lenzerheide and Arosa | 3
- Construction of a new gondola lift from Göschenen to the new Andermatt-Sedrun ski area | 2
- Connection of the Valais ski areas of Zinal and Grimentz | 2
- Schilthorn / Mürren: Connection via two lifts from Blumental to Hubel and Schiltgrat | 2
- Merger of the Zermatt and Saas Fee areas | 1
- List to be continued ...
Germany
- Ifen and Walmendingerhorn connection failed the citizens' test. Nevertheless, modernization of the Ifen ski area | 3
- Construction of a large parking lot on the Feldberg in the Black Forest | 2
- The list goes on ...
Two examples are used to illustrate the problems and conflicts associated with the construction of new mountain railroads:
Ischgl's motto: "Relax if you can!" - The battle for Piz Val Gronda
The once poor mountain farming village of Ischgl has enjoyed a meteoric rise to become one of the most famous ski resorts in Tyrol and Austria. The ski resort managers are working with great success to continually expand the service in order to offer their guests the most modern and comfortable facilities.
For several decades - the first plans to develop Piz Val Gronda date back to 1976 - a fierce and emotional dispute has raged between conservationists and those responsible for the ski area and tourism in Ischgl regarding the development of Piz Val Gronda (2812 m), which is considered to be extremely sensitive. In order to integrate the area into the existing large ski area, a new cable car and a new piste will be built.
This expansion will make the area around the Heidelberger Hütte, which was previously reserved for ski tourers and hikers, much more accessible and will be much more frequented. Although all expert opinions and an environmental impact assessment voted against the development, the tourism industry ultimately succeeded in incorporating this mountain into their ski area.
Modest gain, drastic loss
The "gain" for the "Silvretta Arena" ski area is a modest 1.3 km of ski slopes, which will be added to the existing 240 km of slopes. Piquantly, Ischg advertises that the new construction would create an extraordinary "freeride ski area". In view of the modest increase in pistes, but the large increase in areas for deep snow skiing, the focus actually seems to be on expanding the freeride terrain. In view of the extensive areas available for freeriders in Ischgl/Samnaun, the question naturally arises as to whether this project makes sense.
However, it is not only in Ischgl that there are major expansion plans and wishes: planning and construction is also taking place in many other ski resorts, as if the number of winter sports enthusiasts automatically increases with every new lift. In reality, however, the number of winter sports days (i.e. the number of days that skiers and snowboarders spend in ski resorts) is decreasing or at best stagnating. In addition, as societies age (more and more old people, fewer and fewer young people), the demand for action sports is also likely to decrease rather than increase. The uncertain prospects due to climate change have already been pointed out.
Gebi Mair, a green member of the Tyrolean state parliament, asked his conservative state government "How much Ischgl can Tyrol take?". However, the government failed to provide an answer. Mair's criticism also applies to many other expansive cable car companies and tourist regions: "They simply don't understand that you can earn money in other ways besides skiing". His consistent demand from Ischgl's townscape is that places like Ischgl should be declared industrial areas where everything is permitted. "The rest of the country will be left alone, and the ski areas will also be dismantled."
The financial interests of Ischgl's tourism destination were ultimately the deciding factor in approving the project despite strong opposition from the Silvretta Alliance and the Alpine associations, for example. And if greed for profit wins out over conservation efforts, this means, in typical official language, that "the public interest in the development [is] to be weighted higher than the ecological objections."
"Pro Snow Paradise" - planned merger of the Central Swiss ski resorts of Engelberg - Melchsee Frutt - Meiringen Hasliberg
In Central Switzerland, there has long been a plan to connect the three existing ski resorts of Engelberg Titlis, Melchsee Frutt and Hasliberg Meiringen by building new facilities. This would also affect previously largely undisturbed wildlife habitats and sensitive ecosystems. In order to connect the three ski resorts, whose valley towns are only linked by long routes, 7 new lifts including pistes and snowmaking facilities as well as various connections and links, e.g. a tunnel, would have to be built, according to current plans.
Projected facilities for the realization of the "snow paradise"
Connection from Engelberg via Jochpass to Tannalp and back:
- 4-seater chairlift Jochpass-Ober Grumm
- 4-seater chairlift Engstlenalp-Schafthal
- 4-seater chairlift Hengliboden-Graustock
- Tunnel from Graustock into Schaftal (length 170 m)
- Open ski trail from Schaftal towards Jochpass
Connection from Tannalp to Frutt and back:
- 4-seater chairlift towards Hohmad
- 4-seater chairlift Tannendamm-Chringen
Connection Frutt to Fulenberg (transition to Hasliberg) and back:
- 4-seater chairlift Aa Alp-Spätbüel
- Spätbüel-Fulenberg aerial tramway
This would create the largest ski area in Central Switzerland with approx. 190 km of pistes, which also has a glacier in the Titlis area, albeit one with limited use.
This is also the subject of heated debate among project supporters and opponents:
platform for project opponents
platform for project supporters
Unlike in Ischgl, however, the "Schneeparadies" project only seems to be progressing at a snail's pace. One possible reason - in addition to the slow-moving Swiss bureaucracy - is that Egyptian billionaire Sawiris' investment plans for the Gotthard resort of Andermatt are progressing rapidly. In the course of this project, Andermatt is to be torn from its slumber and the Nätschen ski area with the Oberal Pass and Sedrun expanded to form the Andermatt-Sedrun Arena. The area is being expanded and modernized with the help of 14 new lifts (7 are replacements for old lifts). In return, the former Winterhorn ski area in neighboring Hospental is to be dismantled and the area declared a nature reserve. The mountain railway operators have agreed on this compromise with the environmental associations.
In the end, every winter sports enthusiast has to decide for themselves what consequences they draw from the expansive expansion projects: If you continue to ski in these areas, you are indirectly supporting the expansion policy of these winter sports resorts. Alternatively, you can prefer the numerous small but often fine winter sports resorts and contribute to their continued existence with your visit.
What the future holds - an outlook
"We will continue to experience cold and snowy winters in the future. However, the question is how many winters there will be in a row with no or too little snow. How can the tourism industry deal with the fact that guests will stay away for several years?"
The current solution is snowmaking systems. However, this requires low temperatures, energy and water. Making snow on the slopes is at best a temporary solution so that the municipalities and regions have time to position themselves differently, for example to promote summer tourism or develop something else entirely. At the same time, they must ensure good transport connections, as people will no longer travel by car in the long term, for example from Hamburg. It is important that people can also get around locally using public transport. When planning, you have to take into account that in future there will not only be less snow, but also less energy available." Climate researcher Prof. Helga Kromp-Kolb
