Skiers on the Swabian Alb have to be prepared for higher prices. Rising energy prices and higher minimum wages are causing problems for ski lift operators.
Lichtenstein/Albstadt (dpa/lsw) - Ski lift operators are also increasing their prices in the Swabian Alb due to the rise in energy costs. The amounts would be more or less uniform, said the managing director of the Schwäbische Alb tourism association, Louis Schumann. "A dynamic price system like on the Feldberg will not be established. The prices shown on the Internet will remain as they are". The Liftverbund Feld had announced that when booking in advance via the Internet, a price would be displayed that depended, among other things, on the capacity utilization of the facilities. The minimum price for an adult day ticket is therefore 39 euros.
According to Schumann, the lift operators on the Alb are significantly smaller and do not have the appropriate technical options for a variable system. The biggest cost drivers are energy prices. Artificial snow is not produced on the Swabian Alb.
"Due to the minimum wage that has been introduced, wages have risen by 15 percent and energy costs have risen exorbitantly," said Jochen Gekeler from the winter sports arena in Lichtenstein (Reutlingen district). That's why there were considerations to increase the prices by 20 percent. Now it is twelve percent more. "A day ticket for adults now costs 30.50 euros, before it was 27.30 euros." However, there is a 30 percent reduction on the prices shown on the website from Monday to Friday.
Also this year the winter sports arena relies on the so-called snow farming. Snow groomers in Lichtenstein collect the existing snow on a harvest field and bunker it in a heap. If necessary, tractors then bring the snow onto the slopes.
According to Schumann, the prices for the ski lifts in the Swabian Jura will be fairly uniform, with the winter sports arena being in the upper price segment because there are more lifts and supporting programmes. The winter sports club in Ebingen in the Zollernalb district announced that they wanted to increase the prices, but were still in agreement.
According to Schumann, there is no fixed date for the start of the winter season on the Alb. "For us, the season begins when it snows."
