Theo Schnider is Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bergbahnen Sörenberg. Here in 2019 at the Ochsenweid ski lift.Image: Boris Bürgisser
Many weak winters have brought the Sörenberg ski area in Lucerne to the brink. Now the offer is being adjusted. There is no other way. The turnaround could still be achieved.
13.11.2024, 05:0513.11.2024, 08:19
Michael Graber / ch media
“It takes courage now,” says Theo Schnider. He is the chairman of the board of directors of Sörenbergbahnen. It’s summer. Schnider sits in the village. He tells the story vividly. Points to the mountain. That train there. That slope there. There is much enthusiasm in Schnider’s words. And decision. And, just: courage. “We have to make the decisions now,” he says.
Not all ski lifts in the ski area will be open this winter. Three T-bar lifts are still closed. Two at Rischli, one at Ochsenweid. “Of course,” says Schnider, ”changes hurt, but they’re not as painful as staying in a place where you don’t belong.” Beat Feuz won one of his first FIS ski races there. A slalom. And thanks to the entrance directly from the village, the lifts are popular with beginners and families. Or better: was. They don’t open anymore.
Schnider says the Brunnenboden Rischli lift was not open for a single day last winter. There wasn’t enough snow: “It makes no sense to keep something just for sentimental reasons.” Sörenberg is a low ski area. Although the Brienzer Rothorn has its highest point at 2,350 meters above sea level, most of the slopes are below 1,500. That’s a critical limit. Thanks to its location on the northern slope, the area is surprisingly snow-sure. On a very good day, over 6,000 people still come to the ski area.
Don’t be led by the principle of hope
However, unpleasant decisions cannot be avoided, he says. Global warming makes it impossible for the now closed
He knows the resistance. And he also knows that some people are fundamentally skeptical about climate change. “But we cannot negotiate with physics,” Schnider makes clear. For him it is about departure, not demolition. The board of directors named the project “New Horizons”. Increased focus on summer tourism. Pooled forces. Avoid ski tickets with dynamic prices. «We must work with what is possible and responsible. Not with what we want and at any price.”
This Friday morning there is a lot of traffic going through the village. The mountain railways are always the destination. Either the small gondola to Ros Weid or then the large, modern gondola to Rothorn. Just to refresh. With over 20 million francs. Wrestling king Joel Wicki, who hails from the region, was also present at the inauguration. The railways are the pulse of the village and the region. If the railways suffer, tourism suffers. Many of the jobs are closely related to operations on the mountain.
Do not obstruct the view
In the last financial year, which ended in May, there was a loss of 2.4 million francs. Schnider, long-time spa director of Sörenberg and director of the Entlebuch Biosphere, warned at the general meeting of the mountain railways two years ago that the future of the mountain railways was in serious danger with more bad winters . A combination of realism and optimism is important to him. He doesn’t sugarcoat things, but he is firmly convinced that “the turnaround can be achieved.” It’s not too late yet. But perspectives are needed. “The view forward is only blocked by always looking back.”
A trip to the Rothorn. The gondola glides silently up 1100 meters in just under 6 minutes. It is well filled. Schnider knows some of the guests. You can see her pride. In the long term, the percentage of summer tourism in Sörenberg is expected to rise to 40 percent. It is currently at 20 percent. The Rothorn is flanked by Lucerne and Bern. The cog steam railway from Brienz brings hordes of foreign tourists up the mountain, and more families and tourists come up via Sörenberg. The Sörenbergbahnen restaurant is busy. “This is a good day,” says Schnider.
The cable cars have set up a small world of adventure with a movie upstairs. It’s about sustainability. This should be made clear with dominoes. If one falters, others will soon fall. That’s the message. It is an impressive and powerful statement for more sustainability, for a more conscious approach to nature. Outside, a group of Asians are standing in front of the last remaining pile of snow.
Don’t close your eyes to reality
“What this world should look like is in our own hands,” says Schnider. He talks about further plans and has many ideas. Standing still, he
The gondola goes back to the valley. View of the lower ski area. It is hopeful that there will be snow for the next few years. But he cannot predict what things will look like in 20 or even 50 years. ”We are no longer allowed to invest in new winter sports facilities below 1,500 meters above sea level,” he writes in the annual report. This affects most of the ski lifts in the area. “We must not close our eyes to reality, even if we don’t like it.”
He believes, no, he is sure, he immediately corrects himself, that “the course for the future is now set.” More decisions would have to be made, but a start was made. All constructive change begins with acceptance. That does not mean that everyone involved must have the same opinion. “Acceptance is accepting the situation and drawing new energy from it,” says Schnider. Many of the locals will certainly have to get used to this way of thinking, “but I am also confident here. Understanding is growing.” He agrees.
Schnider has a firm handshake. And courage. And trust.
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