Mountain railroads under pressure Grisons winter sports area to be sold - municipality has no interest
The Fideriser Heuberge winter sports and hiking area is likely to change hands soon. The current owner Walter Vetsch wants to sell the facilities.
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- Owner Walter Vetsch apparently wants to sell the Fideriser Heuberge winter sports area.
- The municipality of Fideris is interested in its continued existence, but not in acquiring the facilities itself.
- The toboggan run in particular is plagued by snow uncertainty, while the high-altitude ski area is considered relatively snow-sure.
The Fideriser Heuberge in Mittelprättigau is apparently about to change hands. The local entrepreneur and former FDP councillor Walter Vetsch would like to sell the winter sports and hiking area, as first reported by "Südostschweiz" on Monday afternoon. When asked, Fetsch did not want to comment in detail, but confirmed that a sale was likely.
The mayor of Fideris, Luca Giger, was more explicit in his comments to "Südostschweiz". According to him, Vetsch openly communicated his intention to sell at the general meeting of Heuberge AG. The municipality is not yet aware of any specific interested parties. However, one thing is clear to Giger: Fideris itself is out of the question as a buyer.
Municipality relies on new sponsorship
On the one hand, the municipality lacks the financial means to take over a currently unprofitable winter sports area. On the other hand, the municipal council believes that it is not a municipal task to operate ski lifts or mountain lodges. Nevertheless, it wanted to actively support the process. The municipality is prepared to talk to potential investors about possible future models, emphasizes Giger.
The aim is to maintain the facilities as an important local recreation and tourism offer for locals and guests. The mayor also considers the establishment of an interest group to be conceivable.
Valuable infrastructure - but dependent on the weather
The area includes three mountain huts, four ski lifts and the longest toboggan run in Switzerland at around twelve kilometers and 1100 meters in altitude. This run in particular is considered a central pillar of the infrastructure - but suffers particularly from the increasing uncertainty of snow.
The ski area itself is located at over 2000 meters and is therefore considered to be comparatively snow-sure. Insiders estimate the value of the entire facilities to be in the high single-digit millions. Most of the land belongs to the municipality of Fideris.
Decades of eventful history
The history of the Heuberge goes back a long way. The first mountain chalets were built back in the 1930s, followed later by ski lifts and a cable car. After a fire at the end of the 1970s and several changes of ownership, Walter Vetsch bought the area in 2011. A year later, it was connected to the electricity grid. Most recently, the operators announced their intention to become energy self-sufficient by 2030.
With the Fideriser Heubergen, the second Graubünden mountain railroad is already facing a possible sale. The Pischabahn in Davos' Flüela Valley is also looking for a new investor. If no one can be found, there is a threat of dismantling - another sign of the growing economic pressure on smaller winter sports resorts.
