Gaissau-Hintersee

The bankrupt ski resort is threatened with the final end

The Gaissau-Hintersee ski resort remains at a standstill.(Bild: Markus Tschepp)

Without artificial snowmaking, there is no future, according to the new owner of the Gaissau-Hintersee ski resort. GH Projektentwicklung GmbH took over the ailing ski resort in the summer of 2023. The goal is year-round operation. But the concessions are set to expire.

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

The ski resort has three chairlifts and four T-bar lifts. These have been out of service for two years. “Without artificial snowmaking, there’s no point in opening. Then we’d maybe have 30 days of skiing a year,” affirmed Paul Weißenbacher, the mayor of Hintersee, adding: “Without ski operations, we lose out on overnight stays and local taxes.”

Without ski operations, we lose overnight stays and local tax revenue. Day visitors don’t spend enough here.

Paul Weißenbacher, Bürgermeister Hintersee

Cross-country skiers and ski tourers instead of downhill skiers are nice alternatives. “But day visitors don’t spend enough here.” It would therefore be important for the new operators to quickly find someone willing to invest substantially. “We’ve already had enough people with just ideas and plans in the past.”

Licenses are expiring
But time is running out! The permits for lift operations are expiring. An extension is only possible if continued operation is guaranteed. “If the ski resort closes, it will never come back,” says hotelier Albert Ebner. The state of Salzburg has also already pledged subsidies, but these are tied to a viable business plan and a minimum operating period of three years. 

Ebner would also like to see year-round operations. The entrepreneur envisions mountain biking in the summer, skiing, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and ski touring in the winter—combined with a children’s adventure park. 

The new owners state that they purchased the lift company to prevent, as has happened in the past, another buyer with no connection to the region from taking over. “The ski resort is important for the communities and local life. We no longer have a local shopkeeper; we’re in danger of becoming a ‘sleeping community,’” says Schnaitmann. The public sector is supportive of the project. However, the municipalities face their own challenges due to their budgets. 

30 Percent Less Snow, Despite a Good Location
Adding to all the economic challenges is the fact that climate change isn’t sparing Gaissau-Hintersee either. According to a study, natural snowfall in Salzburg’s ski resorts has decreased by 30 percent at elevations below 1,500 meters since the early 1960s. The valley stations in Gaissau-Hintersee are located at 740 and 860 meters above sea level, respectively. Although precipitation is expected to increase by 2050, snow depth and the length of the ski season will decrease and shorten, respectively, due to rising temperatures.

One bankruptcy followed another
Without swift strategies and concrete plans, the ski resort faces imminent closure. The first lift in Gaissau opened in 1970. Additional lifts followed. In 1985, the ski resort was acquired by Bergbahnen Saalbach-Hinterglemm. They sold it to an investor in 2011. In 2014, a Salzburg-based company acquired a majority stake in the company and brought a Chinese investor on board, who subsequently took over 75 percent of the struggling business.

After several winters with little snow, the company successfully emerged from debt through a restructuring process in January 2017. However, the majority owner failed to deliver on promised investments as well as outstanding lease payments. As a result, bankruptcy proceedings were initiated again in the fall of 2019. The company was sold to a local demolition contractor. The contractor attempted to install a snowmaking system but failed in 2022 due to financial constraints and environmental regulations. The ski resort went bankrupt once again.