Growing Opposition to Ski Area’s Permanent Lift Closures
Growing Opposition to Ski Area’s Permanent Lift Closures
Published : 20-Jul-2023 07:11
The decision to close the main lifts at the Sattel-Hochstuckli ski area in Central Switzerland is reporting to be causing unease with most local residents.
The decision has been made to permanently close the resort's highest lifts but to keep its nursery slopes open, so that ski school lessons can still be given with the resort's focus entirely on beginners and families.
The reason is that operating the main ski lifts is seen as no longer financially viable due to uncertain snow cover and rising operating costs.
The centre's two highest drag lifts, Bärenfang and Hochstuckli, which took gave the ski slopes a maximum height of 1,491m with nearly 700 metres of vertical from its 800m base. According to SkiResort.info, the Bärenfang drag lifts dates back to 1950. However the slopes got very little snowfall at any level last winter. From next winter reports indicate the plan is to only operate a drag lift and gondola to Mostelberg at top altitude of 1,200 metres.
Most of the local population want the decision reversed, with arguments against the plan including the fact that there'll be no point in buying a season pass any more and the limited terrain will also put off many ski holiday makers.
The popular argument is that snowmaking could be used to build a base during cold periods, however the local ski lift company has responded that last winter it was too warm for snowmaking machinery to work at any point.
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