Many ski resorts try to attract mountain bikers in summer. What do they do with bike offers in ski resorts? We ourselves offer a special offer for mountain bikers in one of our ski resorts with the Wurbauerkogel bike park and are also a member of the Gravity Card with the bike park.

What makes a ski resort profitable?
As banal as it sounds: snow. After all, the economic success of a ski resort is not based on summer guests, but on ski guests. Snow safety is therefore a central cornerstone alongside perfectly groomed pistes, modern transportation facilities and a good infrastructure on site, such as stores, ski hire, restaurants, beds and more.

The ski season is getting shorter, the mountain bike season longer. Wouldn't it be a good idea to invest in the summer offerings?
In principle yes, generally no. You always have to analyze the respective area individually and sound out the potential and economic feasibility accordingly. There is also the factor of the local destination, how it is positioned and so on.

Is climate change an issue for the ski resorts in which the Schröcksnadel Group is involved?
We recently had experts from the Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics back at the hotel to bring us up to date with the latest scientific developments. Of course, this is an issue and must be included in all planning.

Another challenge for ski resorts is that not so many people want to afford expensive skiing anymore. How can the destinations continue to attract enough winter sports enthusiasts?
Skiing alone is not expensive. Today, they pay a lot of money for bikes or racing bikes, but also for cross-country skiing equipment. You're right when you say: "People often no longer want to afford skiing." Why not? Because they have often lost touch with it. It is therefore important to introduce children to this sport in a playful way, to give them the fascination of the mountains from an early age. To achieve this, all stakeholders involved in ski tourism must pull together - tourism organizations, service providers and the sporting goods industry. This is why, for example, we actively support the campaigns "Your winter. Your sport."

Saas Fee has hosted the most famous downhill mountain bike race on snow in Switzerland for many years. What do you think of mountain bikers on ski slopes? Should the ski resorts open up to them in winter too?
They are wild dogs! Here, too, you can't simply impose a concept or an event on the rest. It's about organizational issues, safety issues, legal issues and, last but not least, economic issues.

You will be speaking at the Ride Congress on the topic: Why invest in the summer or why not. What can the audience expect?
The perspective of a mountain lift operator who is responsible for ensuring that around 800 employees receive their wages at the end of the month and who is also a passionate skier and mountain biker.


Dr. Markus Schröcksnadel is the head of Vereinigte Bergbahnen GmbH. He is also CEO of Feratel Media Technologies, one of the world's largest providers of tourism information systems.

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