“Over the past ten years, the financial situation of ski lifts has generally improved.” At least that is the conclusion reached by Professor Philipp Lütolf of the University of Lucerne. The researcher closely analyzed the financial situation of 77 ski lift companies in Switzerland, of which 19 are dedicated to mountain excursions and 58 to winter sports. It appears that 75% of the former and 30% of the latter have a good to very good return on investment.
Particularly large winter sports regions with good snow cover were among the best performing. “Interestingly, three of the largest companies (Zermatt, Laax and Davos) contributed 40% of the total earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of the winter sports lifts studied,” add the Swiss Ski Lifts (RMS).
However, at the lower end, around 25% of ski lifts must rely on large-scale external financial assistance to ensure financing of future investments. Also note that the increase in energy costs in 2022 and 2023 has weighed on certain companies, leading in some cases to a reduction in investable EBITDA of up to 30%.
In another register, summer ski lift offers have evolved positively, with summer transport products having increased by 45% on average, between 2014 and 2022. According to RMS, these offers now represent 25% of revenue.
In short, the majority of facilities are on track to achieve financial stability, even as changes such as rising energy costs and climate change challenge them. “With targeted investments in technical snowmaking and the strengthening of summer activities, ski lift companies will be able to assert themselves in the long term,” consider the RMS.
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