Hope for a late ski season in Tölzer Land is low

There is still uncertainty as to whether there will be at least one shortened, corona-compliant ski season in Tölzer Land.

While some lift operators are still hoping, others have already lost the belief that it will open after March 7th.

Lenggries / Gaißach / Kochel

- tugs and chairlifts are still standing still due to corona.

If you don't go up the mountain yourself, you have previously had to do without the slopes entirely.

This hits lift operators from the district hard economically.

Most already see the season as written off.

Little hope of government aid

"I no longer believe that something will be relaxed for us on March 7th," says Josef Gerg, operator of the ski lift on the Draxlhang.

Even if they did, it would be little consolation.

Because: “The season is usually over for us on March 20 anyway,” he explains.

Next week he will start dismantling the snow and children's facilities.

“I will leave the surface lift and a conveyor belt standing for now, even if it probably won't do anything anyway,” he says.

In autumn he prepared everything for the season, in winter he got a new TÜV.

“The costs were not too low.

Now everything is obsolete. ”Gerg was able to generate a small compensation through the parking fees on the Draxlhang.

“We have compensated the costs somewhat.

But there is no talk of profit. ”His hope for state aid is no longer great either.

“Nobody knows how it works.

We haven't received anything so far, and even if we did, it won't be much, because it should be measured against the previous year's income, and it was already a bad season with a few days of skiing. "

Peter Lorenz: "A complete failure of the ski season would be catastrophic for us"

Peter Lorenz's mood is similarly gloomy.

"A complete failure of the ski season would be catastrophic for us," says the managing director of the Brauneck mountain railway.

"If nothing works after March 7th, it will be really tight." The chances of easing are slim.

Nonetheless, Lorenz says: “Hope dies last, as we know.” At this point in time, he cannot estimate the exact economic effects of a total failure.

“Nobody will do anything about it - even if something is still going on in March.

But it could improve liquidity. ”Because with regard to state aid, things are“ not looking rosy, ”says Lorenz.

Basically, he would need about three days to get everything started for the season to start.

"You would then have to see which slopes still have enough snow, it is now too warm for snow-making, and the valley runs will not have enough snow either." The Easter holidays are therefore his greatest hope.

"Skiing might no longer work there, but many would certainly take the mountain railway to go hiking."

You can read current information about the Corona-Lange in the Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen district here.

Georg Gerg, operator of the travel lift in Gaißach, has "already buried the subject".

He tries not to let himself get down.

“You can only say window paste about it.

But whining is of no use.

So: Check off the season and go on, ”says Gerg.

He could understand the government's decisions.

Because of Corona: Unsure whether previous shareholders will continue to operate Ötzlifte

Michael Krinner is less optimistic about the situation.

"At our altitude of 600 meters, we can now write off the season completely," says the managing director of the operating company of the Ötzlifte Kochel-Rabenkopf.

Only an “extraordinary March” could change that.

It is also not certain whether the shareholders will continue.

“With the previous bad winter there were now two season cancellations in a row - each with running costs of 4000 euros per year,” reports Krinner.

A decision has not yet been made at this point in time.

“We'll talk about it after winter.

But we can't go along with such a failure. ”Currently, he is dependent on his reserves.

You might also be interested in:

Empty shops in Bad Tölz: Mediation difficult due to Corona

At the borders with Tyrol: Schleierfahnder on Corona mission - almost every car is checked