Tourism Mountain railroads satisfied with winter season to date
Despite difficult weather conditions, the 2025/2026 winter season has gone relatively well for Swiss mountain railroads so far. From November to the end of January, high-altitude ski resorts in particular benefited from early snowfall.
05.02.2026, 09:49
SDA
Although the number of guests fell by 4 percent overall compared to the previous year, the figures are still 17 percent above the five-year average, as reported by the Swiss Cableways Association (SBS) on Thursday.
Lower-lying ski resorts in particular struggled with the low snowfall. In ski resorts located below 1500 meters, the number of guests fell by 14 percent. In areas located between 1500 and 2000 meters, the drop in guests was 4 percent. Only ski resorts above 2000 meters recorded an increase in guests of 3 percent.
The decline mainly affected smaller ski resorts, which are often located at lower altitudes. Destinations with an annual revenue of less than CHF 2 million recorded a 28% decline in guests, while the large ski resorts (revenue over CHF 10 million) recorded a slight increase of 3%.
There are also major regional differences: While the two largest ski regions, Valais and Graubünden, still recorded slight increases of 3% and 1% respectively, all other regions lost guests.
According to the SBS, Eastern Switzerland (-13%) and Central Switzerland (-8%) were particularly badly affected. In a five-year comparison, however, all regions recorded growth according to the association - from 8% in Eastern Switzerland to 25% in the Bernese Oberland.
For the season monitoring, the Swiss Cableways Association analyzed the number of guests (first-time admissions) of its more than 120 members across Switzerland from the start of the season to 31 January 2026.
