Climate change has never manifested itself as clearly as it did last winter. Low-lying ski resorts struggled to maintain operations due to the warm temperatures and the resulting lack of snow. Now the big moaning is starting - but the current conditions were foreseeable even for climate laymen. And more importantly, they are merely the harbingers of what lies ahead in the coming years.

The future is not in the past

Despite all the prophecies of doom, many mountain railroads are still dreaming of the heyday of skiing. The good old days are to be brought back by hook or by crook. Whatever the cost. More snow cannons and additional reservoirs are supposed to do the trick. "Back to the old days" is still often the only perspective they put forward. But you don't have to be a prophet to recognize this as a wasted effort. Even the market leader in artificial snowmaking now sees it that way.

The problem with Alpine tourism lies less in climate change than in the minds of some mountain lift operators. They have experienced the heyday of skiing and for them, skiers are still the sole savior. They are not interested in the summer business because the sales figures are considerably lower. In their eyes, the summer guest is still an irrelevant wallflower to this day.

This is exemplified in the Italian and French Alps by the duration of the season. This usually lasts from mid-June to August. If you want to use a mountain lift in September or during the Indian summer in October, the gates are locked. It is obvious that no solid added value can be achieved with such a small seasonal window. They are simply not interested in the summer business, period. The marginal interest in summer business could not be clearer.

Too big to Fail

After the warm temperatures in recent months, individual mountain railroads are now in trouble. Half as bad, you might say as a mountain biker. You can also pedal up the mountain under your own steam. Or you can take the e-bike. Mountain railroads are not a critical factor for the sport. True, but the problem is more profound. If mountain railroads stumble in the winter business, they can't invest in the summer offer either. And certainly not when they are facing bankruptcy. The problem lies in the fact that mountain railroads are "too big to fail" for many regions. They are the real engine of tourism, the driving force behind value creation. If they go out of business, they are later followed by hotels, then restaurants also close down and finally trail maintenance and trail construction also fall by the wayside. Then we mountain bikers will realize how important the mountain railroads were - even if we never used them.

Climate change cannot be stopped in a hurry. On the other hand, a change in mentality is needed in tourism. Many destination managers have given in, and the trend in the hotel industry is towards multi-season operations. However, many mountain railroads are faltering. In Austria and Germany, the majority of cable car operators continue to wander through the summer months with little or no concept when it comes to mountain biking. Even in exemplary Switzerland, MTB commitment rarely comes from mountain railroads. For them too, full winter coffers have obscured their view of the future. A rethink is now needed more urgently than ever. After all, summer tourism is not a wallflower but rather a solid alpine rose. This is where the future lies, not in the glossed-over past.
 

More blog posts by Thomas Giger

ride-mtb.com/blog/giger