Glarus sports lifts tremble If there is no snow, that's it for skiing in Braunwald

Things are not looking good for the Braunwald cable car lifts. If there is not enough snow this season, they will not survive the season. This has long been a reality in France and Germany.

Green mountain landscapes and ski slopes made of technical snow. Things are bad for the ski resorts in the mountains. Especially for the lifts operated by Sportbahnen Braunwald.

The Sportbahnen Braunwald lifts will only open next year if there is a good winter this season, reports "Südostschweiz".

The figures were already red in the 2022/23 financial year: a loss of one million francs. Last season then tore another financial hole of 2.3 million francs in the cash register. Reason: there was simply not enough snow.

Operating expenses rise to almost 4.8 million

But this is not the only thing the ski resort has to contend with. As the newspaper writes, turnover rose by 28 percent to 2.85 million francs in the last financial year, and income in the restaurants even doubled. However, operating expenses grew by 58 percent to just under 4.8 million francs, which is too high.

A few weeks ago, the rescue came for the coming season: shareholders of the sports lifts injected new capital amounting to 1.7 million francs.

The annual report states that the company's continued existence is "assessed as positive, provided the climatic conditions allow normal winter operations in 2024/25". This means that if there is not enough snow this season, the Braunwald sports lifts will not survive.

Beneficiaries will have to pay a fee in future

But even if there is enough snow, a long-term solution is urgently needed. This is because the sports lifts lack CHF 800,000 every year to break even. Beneficiaries such as hotels, stores and owners of vacation accommodation will have to pay a certain amount each year to make up the shortfall.

A decision on the desired financial contribution is to be made in the first half of 2025. If beneficiaries were to reject this proposal, the sports lifts would have to shut down some or even all of their lifts.

In France, entire ski resorts are already closed

This scenario has already happened in France. Entire ski resorts are closing there. The most recent example is the Alpe du Grand Serre ski resort in the municipality of La Morte, 150 kilometers southwest of Geneva.

The first ski lift went into operation in 1939, but just a few weeks before the first ski day of the season, the ski resort closed for good, as reported by French broadcaster TF1. It is located at 1400 meters above sea level in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.

The lifts ran up to an altitude of 2180 meters; eleven ski lifts and three chairlifts with 55 kilometers of pistes were last in operation. There is also no major renovation work, the lifts are in good shape and the snow groomers are well maintained.

Many people are losing their jobs and fear for their livelihoods

The closure means that 20 ski instructors will lose their jobs. The ski renter and his wife in the village will lose their livelihood. Those who already have a season ticket will probably be left holding the bag. The owners of the 700 vacation apartments have also been left out in the cold. Even the farmer's wife, who used to sell her hot cheese to tourists in the village, is worried.

But the closure of the Alpe du Grand Serre ski resort is not an isolated case. In the last 50 years, 180 unprofitable ski resorts have been closed in France.

The Le Grand Puy ski resort is also closing this year due to a lack of snow. This at an altitude of 1370 to 1800 meters above sea level. Because it will always be snowing, the slopes have often been completely green in recent years.

In addition, turnover has fallen by 60 percent in recent years. The municipality helps out with 350,000 euros annually. However, voters did not want any further investment. Until it was finally decided by 71.3 percent to close the ski resort. The five lifts were demolished and sold.

But it's not just in France that ski resorts are closing, in Germany too. The facility on Jenner am Königssee will not be operating this season, nor will any others. Only recently, millions were invested in its modernization, but there was simply not enough snow.