Thorbach, Flühli, Switzerland — After years of minimal snowfall, a small ski area in Switzerland is closing and dismantling its lifts.
Blue News reports that Skilift Schratten Flühli has announced that it has closed its lifts for good. Its base area elevation is 920 meters (around 3018 feet) above sea level, and a top elevation of 1250 meters( 4105.5 feet). This has resulted in the ski area struggling to operate during the winter due to warming temperatures and a lack of snowfall. The oldest t-bar lift in Lucerne’s canton (member state) saw minimal operating hours. The small beginner lift saw more operating time but didn’t operate much. It has been operated by the Flühli snow sports club since 2012.
Skilift Schratten Flühli’s only Facebook update from last winter showed their ski area without snow.
They released the following statement on September 12th:
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“It was great – many thanks to everyone who contributed to the Schratten flühli ski lift
With a lot of passion and great commitment, we have kept the oldest T-bar lift in the canton of Lucerne alive over the last 12 years, together with you. Now we can no longer defy the forces of nature. After careful consideration and with a heavy heart, we have come to the conclusion that we must stop operating the ski lift and the children’s lift.”
On September 19th, they provided further details as to why they’re closing the ski area. Some of the reasons include the T-bar only operating in half of the twelve seasons they operated the ski area, the large amount of money they spent to keep the ski area going, the pending projects they would have needed to do, and a lack of visitation. The next-door restaurant, Thorbach Beizli Flühli, closed for good this past spring. They plan to dismantle the lifts and return the hill to nature.
Ultimately, this closure shows the challenges lower-elevation ski areas in Europe face. With an increasingly warming climate, higher-elevation ski resorts with modern infrastructure are likely to survive, but ski areas situated at a lower elevation need to get creative or prepare to return their hills to nature.
Image Credits: Skilift Schratten Flühli , Skiresort.info