As of: March 7, 2024, 12:51 p.m
By: Florian Neuroth
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The mild winter causes problems on the ski slopes.
Now the operator of the largest ski area in Thuringia is filing for bankruptcy - despite millions in funding from the state.
Steinach – The winter sports season is still ongoing.
While the swimming trunks are slowly being unpacked elsewhere, skiers and snowboarders are making the most of the last few weeks on the slopes.
From low mountain ranges to high alpine locations with guaranteed snow – over the next month and a half, the ski areas in Europe will gradually close shop.
Things are different in Thuringia's largest ski area, the Silbersattel ski arena in Steinach.
According to the operator Thüringen Alpin GmbH, ski operations there had to be stopped in mid-February.
The mild temperatures were to blame - that has serious consequences.
The Silbersattel ski arena attracts winter sports enthusiasts to 9 slopes in Steinach, Thuringia.
Due to the mild winter, the operator of the ski area has now had to file for bankruptcy.
© Steve Bauerschmidt via www.imago-images.de
Ski resort operator in Thuringia files for bankruptcy – due to the mild winter
As it became known on Wednesday (March 6th), Thüringen Alpin GmbH has filed for insolvency at the Meiningen district court (Schmalkalden-Meiningen district).
The MDR
Thuringia reports on this
, citing a court spokesman.
The German Press Agency
also
describes a “financial imbalance” at the company based in Steinach in the Sonneberg district.
The district court has ordered provisional insolvency administration, the agency writes.
Managing director Axel Müller told
MDR
that the main reason for the financial problems was the “unusually mild winter”.
Müller speaks of a “total failure” in February.
In addition, the operator probably paid large sums for snow production and also suffered from “increased energy costs”.
Operations stopped in mid-February – “now we don’t have the money to get through the low-sales summer months,” says Müller.
Other ski areas are also ending the winter sports season early due to little snow and high costs
Thuringians are not the only ones suffering from this winter's record temperatures.
Due to a lack of snow, the Bavarian ski center Mitterdorf near Philippsreut (Freyung-Grafenau district) ended its season several weeks earlier than planned two weeks ago.
No snow and high costs for artificial snowmaking meant the temporary end to winter sports fun.
Something similar was recently heard from Bad Leonfelden in Austria.
“Due to the ongoing warm weather, we unfortunately have to decide on the 2023/24 winter season earlier than planned,” explained the operator.
In some areas it may be a goodbye forever.
At Jenner am Königssee (Berchtesgadener Land district), ski operations will be completely stopped.
Demand was too low given the high costs of making snow and preparing the slopes.
“In order to cover our costs, we would have to charge very high prices for ski tickets.
Nobody can or wants to pay for that,” explained a spokeswoman, who also cited climate change with frequent warm spells at Christmas.
Insolvency administrator is optimistic that the restructuring of the ski resort operator in Thuringia will be successful
It seems unclear whether this will also be the case in Thuringia.
According to the dpa report, the insolvency proceedings are aimed at restructuring the company.
All possibilities would be examined.
He is “optimistic that the renovation will be successful with the support of the municipalities in which the lifts are operated and the Free State of Thuringia,” said the provisional insolvency administrator Kai Dellit.
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According to Dellit, Thüringen Alpin GmbH operates the two ski areas in the Thuringian Forest - with ten employees and 34 seasonal workers.
A total of nine slopes attract skiers to the Silbersattel ski arena in Steinach.
Just at the beginning of the year there was 14 million euros in funding from the state of Thuringia.
The aim is to renovate the ski arena, especially with a view to ensuring that it can be used all year round.
Cyclists are already racing down Steinach in summer.
“The mountain is calling,” it says on the homepage alongside pictures of helmeted mountain bikers.
The multi-million dollar renovation of the ski arena in Steinach in Thuringia should not be affected by bankruptcy
According to Steinach's mayor Ulrich Kurtz (independent), the project worth a total of 16 million euros under the name “Silbersattel Steinach Adventure and Activity Park” is not affected by the bankruptcy.
But the situation is “difficult,” he told MDR.
In addition to the ski arena, Thüringen Alpin GmbH also operates the Schmiedefeld winter world with two slopes, a fun park and a children's and toboggan area.
The Thuringian Ministry of Economic Affairs also assures that it will not withdraw its funding commitment.
The bankruptcy shows once again “that an operator model that is predominantly geared towards winter tourism is no longer viable,” said a spokesman.
Those tourist locations in the Thuringian low mountain ranges that have so far had sufficient snow would also have to be used all year round.
(Florian Neuroth)