Winterhorn ski area goes under the hammer

The slopes and lifts at the Winterhorn ski area in the Swiss Alps remained closed throughout the entire past winter season. The reason for this unusual and drastic measure was the lack of profitability of one of the smallest ski areas in the canton of Uri. The Winterhorn ski area has been operating at a loss for years and also faces very strong competition in Uri and across Switzerland. The sale of the site to an investor who can and wants to sustainably boost its appeal is now expected to turn things around for the Winterhorn ski area.

When choosing a sales platform, the people behind the Winterhorn ski area, led by managing director Claus Dangel, showed their creative side. Since the middle of last week, the Urnese ski area in the Swiss Alps has been up for sale on the online auction site ricardo.ch. The minimum bid was set at 250,000 Swiss francs (approx. 165,000 euros). According to management, this sum is needed both to pay off the ski area's existing debts and to get the lifts running again.

Dangel promises potential investors that conditions in Uri will soon improve. A few weeks ago, Egyptian property magnate Samih Sawiris announced his entry into neighboring Andermatt, meaning that synergies can be expected at Winterhorn. The Egyptian investor's plans include merging several ski areas in Uri and building several new hotels in Andermatt and the surrounding area. However, according to reports, Sawiris is not interested in the Winterhorn ski area, although Dangel says he already has inquiries from other investors on his desk.