The Bayerische Zugspitzbahn cannot plan.
Therefore: save where possible, invest money where necessary.
For example in artificial snow.
The Garmisch Classic ski area is covered with snow.
Even without a specific opening date.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen
- three euros and ten cents.
Or sixty euros for children.
That's how much it costs to take the cog railway from Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Grainau.
A few guests buy a ticket every day.
The only turnover that the Bayerische Zugspitzbahn, a company with 500 employees, currently makes.
Well, says board member Matthias Stauch, he and his team are of course not doing well at the moment.
The uncertainty “gnaws at you.
That is bothering you ”.
But his basic attitude helps him: He is the "optimist of the Lord".
Realist at the same time.
And a financial expert as a longstanding commercial director.
Ideal properties for making current decisions.
In these days when everything is still in the balance.
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Matthias Stauch is a board member of the Bavarian Zugspitzbahn.
© Bayerische Zugspitzbahn
He met with his team for two hours on Monday to talk about how the company is dealing with this uncertain situation.
For example, it will stop selling season passes with immediate effect.
It also quickly became clear: we were making snow.
The foundation for skiing in the Garmisch Classic area must now be laid.
Otherwise you would need a top winter - the likes of which rarely exists - to prepare the slopes.
Snow-making costs.
Stauch calculates 4.50 euros per cubic meter of snow.
About 300,000 cubic meters are required.
Makes 1.35 million euros.
Maybe for nothing in the end?
The total failure scenario does not occur with Stauch, nor does it with Sales Manager Klaus Schanda.
“We assume that the ski is open, we have to assume that.” The goal is still to end the winter slope season in the Garmisch Classic area on April 5th and on the Zugspitze on May 2nd.
The big question is when will it even start?
Ski operation: Possible start on December 20th - but nobody believes that
Prime Minister Markus Söder will appear before the press on December 10th.
Theoretically, he could allow skiing from December 20, as long as the stop is currently valid.
At the BZB you would be ready.
She needs ten days to organize everything for the start of the season.
Would fit exactly.
But no one believes that it will.
Rather, everyone expects an extension until January 10th.
After Söder's appearance last Thursday, the company announced the end of ski operations in 2020.
Even the optimist Stauch says: “We can probably write off the Christmas holidays.” And with it a third of winter sales.
This is generated by the mountain railway, which generates around half of its income in summer and half in winter, between December 20 and January 10.
Stauch still thinks positively.
He has no figures yet.
But after the lockdown in May, the summer was definitely going well.
Money was put aside and some “summer fat” was bought.
This helps.
In addition, savings are made.
Zugspitzbahn saves: everything that is luxury is postponed
When it comes to necessary investments - the new train station, for example, or repairs and modernization of the railways - the company maintains that "everything that is luxury will be postponed".
This includes the old rope lift between Längenfelder and Kreuzeckbahn.
"It annoys everyone," says Schanda.
“So right,” affirms Stauch.
It should be replaced by a magic carpet.
That'll have to wait.
However, the 59-year-old emphasizes, “downsizing is absolutely not an issue for us”.
In any case, he has no financial worries about the BZB, which has only been in the black since 2007 after many difficult years.
The break-ins will certainly be with the company for a long time.
But the BZB managed well.
In addition, with the Zugspitze cable car, for example, it offers products that pull.
“The guests will come back quickly.” And help the BZB to recover quickly.
Zugspitzbahn: Most of the employees have to work short-time - seasonal workers have already been hired
Most of all, Stauch is sorry for the employees.
A large part - the sales team has already met it, many will follow - he will soon have to put on short-time work.
This also applies to seasonal workers.
She has already hired Stauch, 50 to 60 for the ski area, 20 to 30 for the catering trade.
Even if the BZB tries to top up the money: "It hurts my soul." Because: "People want to lend a hand." He experiences them fully motivated and full of ideas.
In the end, however, says the optimist, this team will succeed "in pulling the cart out of the mud".
