Gaissau-Hintersee

The bankrupt ski resort is threatened with the final end

The Gaissau-Hintersee ski area is still at a standstill.

(Bild: Markus Tschepp)

There is no future without artificial snowmaking, according to the new owner of the Gaissau-Hintersee ski resort. GH Projektentwicklung GmbH has taken over the ailing ski resort in summer 2023. The aim is to operate all year round. But the concessions are in danger of expiring.

The investment sum is massive: according to Andreas Schnaitmann, 30 to 40 million euros are needed to keep winter and summer operations running. Schnaitmann is the spokesman for GH Projektentwicklung GmbH, the current owner of the crisis-ridden ski resort. 

Without ski operations, overnight stays and municipal tax will be lost. Day visitors don't leave enough.

Paul Weißenbacher, Bürgermeister Hintersee

The ski area has three chairlifts and four T-bar lifts. These have been closed for two years. "Without artificial snowmaking, there's no need to open. Then we might have 30 ski days a year," affirmed Paul Weißenbacher, the mayor of Hintersee, adding: "Without skiing, we would lose overnight stays and local tax." Cross-country skiers and ski tourers instead of skiers are nice alternatives. "But day visitors don't leave enough." It would therefore be important for the new operators to quickly find someone who is prepared to invest properly. "We've had enough people with ideas and plans in the past."

Concessions are running out
But time is pressing! The permits for operating the lift are expiring. An extension is only possible if operation is guaranteed. "If the ski area closes, it will never come back," says hotelier Albert Ebner. The state of Salzburg has also already promised subsidies, but these are linked to an economic operating concept and a minimum operating period of three years. 

Images like these bear witness to a successful past, but they will not be seen this winter season either.

(Bild: Gaissauer Bergbahnen GmbH)

Ebner would also like the resort to operate all year round. The entrepreneur envisions mountain biking in summer, skiing, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and ski touring in winter - combined with a children's adventure land. 

The new owners say that they have bought the lift company so that, as in the past, a buyer with no connection to the region does not come into the picture. "The ski area is important for the communities and local life. We no longer have a Kramer, we are in danger of becoming a sleeper community," says Schnaitmann. The public sector has a positive attitude towards the project. However, the municipalities are facing their own challenges due to their budgets. 

30 percent less snow, despite good location
In addition to all the economic challenges, climate change is not stopping at Gaissau-Hintersee. According to a study, natural snow in Salzburg's ski resorts has decreased by 30 percent at altitudes below 1500 meters since the beginning of the 1960s. The valley stations in Gaissau-Hintersee are located at 740 and 860 meters above sea level. Although precipitation is expected to increase by 2050, snow depth and the length of the ski season will be shorter due to the rise in temperature. 

One bankruptcy followed the next
Without rapid concepts and concrete plans, the ski resort is threatened with imminent closure. The first lift in Gaißau was opened in 1970. Further lifts followed. In 1985, the ski resort went to the Saalbach-Hinterglemm mountain railroads. They sold it to an investor in 2011. In 2014, a Salzburg company acquired a majority stake in the company and brought a Chinese investor on board, who subsequently took over 75 percent of the ailing operation.

After several winters with little snow, the company successfully paid off its debts in January 2017 through restructuring proceedings. However, the majority owner failed to make promised investments and outstanding lease payments. Bankruptcy proceedings were therefore reopened in the fall of 2019. The company was sold to a local demolition contractor. The latter attempted to install snowmaking, but failed in 2022 for financial and nature conservation reasons. The ski resort went bankrupt again.