Climate Change In The Alps: Five Ways Swiss Ski Resorts Are Fighting For Survival

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) Switzerland is a popular winter sports destination, but the days of guaranteed snow are over. Ski resorts and winter sports destinations are being forced to rethink their strategies to survive. This content was published on February 15, 2026 - 10:00 8 minutes

After studying German and Scandinavian studies in Zurich and Oslo, I graduated from the MAZ School of Journalism and worked as a journalist for different Swiss dailies and as a freelance writer covering a wide range of topics. I have been with SWI swissinfo since 2023.

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1. Ski resorts are changing ownership

Swiss ski resorts are mainly owned by cable car and lift companies, in which local communities often hold a stake but do not have majority control. In autumn 2025, the municipalities of Flims, Laax and Falera, in canton Graubünden, made headlines when they banded together to buy their ski area,“Weisse Arena”. The citizens and local assemblies voted overwhelmingly to take over the entire area at a cost of CHF94.5 million ($123 million). The overriding aim was to prevent it from falling into the hands of foreign investors. The latter had promised to invest millionsExternal link, but local stakeholders would have lost their say.

Vail Resorts from the United States, the world's largest ski resort operator, has set its sights on the Alps. It has already acquired the ski lifts of Crans-Montana and Andermatt-Sedrun. The company often focuses on sites with development potential where lifts, accommodation and leisure facilities can be combined into one huge resort. The presence of these new investors is changing the character of the mountain regions. Thus, in Andermatt, Egyptian businessman Samih Sawiris is shaping touristic development and has even created a new village centre. In Saas Fee, the Austrian Schröcknadel familyExternal link holds a majority stake in the ski resort, as well as several properties.

Like“Weisse Arena”, other Swiss ski resorts are also rallying to prevent foreign takeover. The cable car and lift company in Lenzerheide, canton Graubünden, has adopted a structure with over 3,500 shareholders, in which the municipality holds almost half of the shares.

2. Higher-altitude resorts are expanding their infrastructure

As a rule of thumb, a slope must have 30cm of snow cover for 100 days for it to be worth grooming and operating. A new tool, known as Snow Compass, helps ski resorts determine whether they will still have such snow cover in the future. The tool, which was developed by the Swiss Cable Car Association and Switzerland Tourism together with the Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research, the federal technology institute ETH Zurich and MeteoSwiss, uses scientific methods to generate forecasts for the future of the slopes. It is evident from the data that the winter season will be significantly shorter in certain locations.

The tool also clearly shows that cable car companies and the associated winter sports resorts still depend heavily on winter business. The colder months continue to attract guests reliably and are therefore by far the most profitable. As a result, places that know they will still have snow in the future are investing. High-altitude ski resorts are replacing old lifts with modern facilities and renovating restaurants. Thus, Saas Fee has renovated the world's highest funicular railway to the Mittelallalin at almost 3,500 metres above sea level; the cable car to Mürren in the Bernese Oberland has been modernised, at a cost of CHF130 million; and CHF80 million has been invested in new gondolas in the Flims Laax Falera ski area. The Berner Zeitung newspaper writes of an“arms race in the mountainsExternal link.”

>>A short video that looks at how Swiss mountain resorts are being assisted by the“Snow Compass” forecasting tool:

3. Ski resorts are joining forces

Where possible, Swiss ski resorts are banding together to shoulder the investments. Larger, interconnected ski areas offer winter sports enthusiasts more kilometres of slopes, more restaurant facilities and more different activities. The operators can share the costs and organise their marketing and ticketing jointly. Well-known interconnected ski regions include Arosa-Lenzerheide in canton Graubünden and Les Portes du Soleil in canton Valais. In the latter, skiers can even glide across the border and keep skiing in France.

The most recent merger involved ski resorts in three different valleys across two cantons. The Andermatt-Sedrun ski area was completed External link in autumn 2018, with Disentis joining six months later. New cable cars and restaurants were built at high altitude to connect the resorts via the Oberalp Pass. Huge sums were also invested in snow farming and snowmaking. The US operators promise a seven-month ski season.

More Debate Hosted by: Simon Bradley How is climate change affecting winter sports where you live?

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