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It’s going to be summery this weekend. For many people, this is the right time to put their ski equipment in the basement and declare the winter season over. The cable cars are also reporting positive results for the time being, although some winter facilities are still open.
With the figures from March, Switzerland’s cable car companies are drawing an initial positive assessment of the winter season. Five percent more guests traveled to the Swiss mountains last winter. The average over the past five years is four percent.
The railways are even happy with March, which was sometimes too warm or too windy. The number of so-called first entries is five percent higher. With first-time entries, guests are only counted once, even if they take the train multiple times. In February, however, there were nine percent fewer first entries. According to the Swiss Cable Car Association, February and March were too warm.
Legend: The Swiss cable cars transported more guests in the winter season. Keystone/CHRISTIAN BEUTLER
Many ski areas had to stop operations for several days, in some cases due to strong winds. The association attributes the fact that more guests found their way to the mountains to the quality of the ski slopes and the events that attracted guests to the mountains.
However, there are big regional differences: While cable cars in the Bernese Oberland, the Jura and also the Freiburg Alps recorded declines, the Valais and Graubünden regions were able to increase significantly. The cable cars benefited from good snow conditions. Ticino was able to attract a particularly large number of guests (+43 percent), except at Easter.
Promising start
However, at the start of the season it looked like it would be a much better season. The railways recorded an increase of 26 percent in the months of November and December. Compared to last year, the snow conditions were better, even at low altitudes. However, the start was not equally positive for all regions. The Engelberg-Titlis region, for example, postponed the start twice. The skiers started in mid-November.
The association considers the fact that the snow fell later and there was less snow to be symptomatic of climate change. As a result, many ski areas are reaching their limits, he writes in a short analysis from December 2023. The ski areas are therefore also challenged in terms of communication.
Nothing is likely to change. Not just in winter. Because for cable cars the following applies: after the season is before the season. The hiking season will soon begin. Last year’s was positive. The bar is high.