LINZ. A solution for the Kasberg ski area has been the subject of struggle for months – now the end is sealed. The operating company is insolvent. Going to bankruptcy court seems inevitable.
After yesterday’s general meeting, the operating company informed the state that the operating company was insolvent, said Economics Councilor Markus Achleitner (VP) the OÖN. An application for bankruptcy seems “inevitable”, the registration of which is already being discussed.
Uncertain financing
The realignment of the ski area was the subject of debate until the very end, because the operation had been in the red for years despite millions in state funding. The summer operation of the Almtal mountain railways was considered as a possible future scenario. This variant ultimately failed because of the five landowners who prevented this variant to the end. Also because they doubt the “sustainable profitability of a year-round operation”, as they formulated in a joint letter in the spring. The OÖN reported in detail.
A look into the past shows that the business model of the mountain railways was on shaky ground even before 2010. At that time, the mountain railways slipped into insolvency with 20 million euros. The Schröcks Nadel Group stepped in in cooperation with the Raiffeisen-Landesbank. Six years later – the annual loss was 850,000 euros – these shareholders withdrew, after which the state had to step in. The state government invested in the facilities of Almtal Bergbahnen GmbH and appointed the municipalities of Grünau, Scharnstein, Vorchdorf and Pettenbach as the new main shareholders. They commissioned the Hinterstoder-Wurzeralm Bergbahnen AG with the operative business.
Since the communities could not afford the disposals of the ski area, the state government promised support: a resolution was passed in the state parliament to compensate for the minus for ten years with a maximum disposal cover of one million euros. The time window ends with the 2025/26 ski season.
In the 2022/23 financial year, sales of EUR 1.5 million were offset by a disposal of EUR 1.32 million. Another 320,000 euros are not covered, it is said. The number of guests has also not developed positively in recent years – on the contrary: In 2010, 128,000 visitors were registered, in the previous year the number had halved to 63,000.
LRH: “Not survivable”
In addition, the operating company terminated its operating contract by the end of April 2024 at the latest.
In its audit of winter tourism in Upper Austria, the State Audit Office (LRH) also underlined that the operation is no longer profitable despite millions in funding from the state: the ski area would “not be able to survive” without tax money, the auditors judged.
The state has invested more than 5.5 million euros in Kasberg ski operations in previous years. The LRH did not see the continuation of the status quo as expedient. The Kasberg must at least cover its costs, it said.
Another problem: In order to be able to continue ski operations in general, massive investments would have to be made in the operating facilities. More powerful snow-making systems and a replacement for the group orbit (GUB) would be needed, both of which would have an investment cost of around 40 million euros.
Rudolf Raffelsberger, VP Mayor of Scharnstein, sees the future very “concerned”, as he said yesterday. Nevertheless, he does not want to speak of a definite end for the ski area: “A decision will not be made until next week at the earliest.”
How can the region be strengthened in the future from a tourism perspective? A company commissioned by the state and the responsible municipalities has dealt with this, and the so-called master plan is to be presented on Thursday next week. The focus should be on making the region more attractive – but also on “gentle use”, for example with ski touring or winter hiking, as Achleitner said.
Source: Nachrichten
