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“We hope St. Gallen’s ski areas will open immediately”: Mountain railways appeal to St. Gallen government
What happens next to the closed ski areas? The canton of St. Gallen wants to make a decision tomorrow Wednesday, while the ski resorts criticize the government’s information policy. Both Appenzell and Glarus will open their ski areas tomorrow.
The immediate future of St. Gallen’s ski areas is up in the air. The mountain railways in the canton are still stopped.
“I feel much safer on a ski slope in Valais than on an SBB train, on the Lausanne metro or on an S-Bahn in Zurich.” This is what the Valais government adviser, Christophe Darbellay, told this newspaper. The Valais is one of the cantons in which the ski areas are open. In seven cantons, including St. Gallen, the ski areas are currently closed. The cantons of Appenzell Innerrhoden and Ausserrhoden, as well as Glarus, reopened their ski areas on December 30.
Confusion about calculating the R-value
Heinrich Michel, CEO of Bergbahnen Flumserberg
The Federal Council rules of December 11 are clear: anyone with a replay value less than 1 can open the ski areas. However, the cantons issue permits.
On the part of the ski areas, the case of the canton of San Galo is clear. “Due to the development of reproductive value and the use of hospitals, there can only be one result: ski areas have to be opened as in other cantons,” says Klaus Nussbaumer, CEO of Pizol Bergbahnen AG. Heinrich Michel de Bergbahnen Flumserberg also has clear demands from the government:
“We expect the St. Gallen ski areas to open immediately after the R-value has been significantly and consistently below the required value of 1 since early December.”
The R value in the canton has long been below 1. However, the statistics are always displayed with a delay of 14 days.
In fact, the chart for the canton of St. Gallen shows that the breeding value has been below 1 since December 6. “The R-value is always displayed with a 14-day delay and then corrected up or down,” says Thomas Zuberbühler, Head of Communication for the Canton of St. Gallen. The last value shows the infection rate from 14 days ago.
When the canton decided on December 19 to close the ski resorts on December 22, the R value was above 1. “Currently it is again below 1, so we are clarifying with the hospitals what the capacities are like in the intensive care units “. says Zuberbühler. The government had planned a briefing for December 30. Ski areas are also on the agenda.
However, the government calendar is too weak for the ski resorts. “Our cantonal government is causing significant additional losses in its ski resorts. While thousands of skiers from Zurich and St. Gallen travel to the Grisons ski areas, the St. Gallen government takes more time to advise, ”says Michel. Urs Gantenbein, CEO of Wildhaus AG, is of the same opinion:
“All winter sports areas are open everywhere. The more we can understand, the less why St. Gallen’s winter sports areas should remain closed. “
Urs Gantenbein, Director of the Wildhaus Mountain Railways
Gantenbein emphasizes that the government’s decision to close the ski areas was not only supported, but supported. “But now it is increasingly difficult to understand this no and make it understandable for urgent customers and service providers in the region,” says Gantenbein. Experience in neighboring Graubünden has shown that, mainly due to the lack of gastronomy, only half as many guests as usual arrive. «Then there is not the concentration of guests that we feared. In addition, the protection concepts of the industry, which we have all implemented with great effort ”.
Appenzell Innerrhoden and Ausserrhoden open ski areas
Both Appenzells will go back to skiing on Wednesday, December 30. All ski areas have submitted protection concepts that could be approved by the canton, according to a message from Appenzell Innerrhoden. The deciding factor is the number of views, which has been 0.8 for almost a week. At the same time, the situation in hospitals has calmed down somewhat. This means that the conditions for the reopening of the ski areas are met. It is also important for the governing council of Appenzell Ausserrhoden to give children and young people in particular the opportunity to exercise outdoors when they are not at school.
Dissatisfied with government communications
According to Gantenbein, no information has been received from the canton since December 19. “Above all, we did not know until today when a reassessment of the general situation will take place.” It is difficult to adequately inform guests and employees. “The government of St. Gallen leaves its ski resorts completely up in the air regarding information on how to proceed,” says Michel, CEO of Flumserberg.
The current situation makes it difficult to plan mountain railways for the near future. “We would like to plan, but our hands are tied at the moment. Employees continue to work short time, ”says Gantenbein. In case the government gives the green light on December 30, be prepared. Nussbaumer, CEO of Pizol: “We are ready to resume operations at any time.”
