Schilthorn Annual Report, 2024 Marked By Closures And New Openings

Since mid-October, the Schilthorn summit has been inaccessible from Birg due to the construction of a new cable car. The closure is directly reflected in the frequency of use of the cable car and the sales of the affected restaurants and shops. The remaining restaurants, hotels and winter sports, on the other hand, paint a positive picture. Highlights of the past year were the opening of the steepest cable car in the world and the first Funifor cable car in Switzerland in mid-December.

The past year was marked by two special events: On October 13, 2024, the cable car between Birg and Schilthorn ran for the last time. Due to construction work on the new cable car, the Schilthorn summit will be closed for several months. Since then, Birg has been the terminus and the summit building is being used as a construction site hotel. Exactly two months later, on December 14, the new, steepest cable car in the world was opened between Stechelberg and Mürren. On the same day, Switzerland's first Funifor cable car between Mürren and Birg also went into operation. The opening of both cable cars marked a major milestone in the SCHILTHORNBAHN 20XX project.

Closure shapes the statistics

The closure of the Schilthorn summit and the 360° Piz Gloria restaurant are directly reflected in the statistics: compared to the previous year, the frequency of use of the cable car has decreased by 5.2 percent. In the restaurant, however, the figures remained at the previous year's level until the construction-related closure in the autumn. The Bistro Birg was able to increase by a full 11 percent, which can be explained by the catering for the construction workers. The shops were the ones who lost out: the sales area of ​​the Top Shop on the Schilthorn had to be significantly reduced during the construction phase, and now it is also closed. The small temporary shop on Birg cannot make up for the gap, which results in a loss of sales of 19 percent. In the temporary shop in the Hotel Blumental in Mürren, sales were maintained compared to the previous year.

Positive effect on remaining restaurants and hotels

During the intensive construction phases at the stations, the businesses that were not directly affected by the construction work benefited: The Panorama Restaurant Allmendhubel experienced another record season with a 10 percent increase in sales. This result is also reflected in the frequencies of the funicular, which showed an increase of 5.7 percent compared to the previous year and 8.3 percent compared to the 5-year average. The Gimmelen Restaurant also stands out: it recorded a full 55 percent increase in sales, which indicates the good snow conditions - without artificial snow! - on the Gimmelen. The Hotel Alpenruh was able to increase both accommodation and catering, with an increase of 17 percent. The Hotel Blumental remained at the same level as last year.

Winter sports with a plus

Winter sports are also a clear winner at the end of the year. Thanks to the early start of the season on September 28, 2024 with Pända Snowpark Sessions in Engetal and the start of public winter sports operations on November 2, the cumulative frequencies at the winter sports facilities are up 24 percent by the end of December.

Outlook for the current year

The new Funifor cable car between Birg and Schilthorn will open on March 15, 2025, meaning that the 360° Piz Gloria restaurant and the Top Shop will be able to resume operations in their usual size. The second track of the Mürren-Birg Funifor cable car will open on November 28. The old cable car will run parallel to the first, new track during the winter months and will be demolished in the spring. But other construction projects are also planned for the summer, independent of Project 20XX: Firstly, the new building of the staff house in Mürren with 13 residential units (the company has reported) and secondly, the implementation of the AURO project at the Winteregg chairlift, which promises cable car operations without staff. The event highlight is clearly the third edition of the Swatch Nines from April 7 to 12, 2025, when the top-class freestyle scene will meet in the Schilthorn area for exclusive sessions. This year, the Schilthornbahn general meeting will take place on Friday, June 20th in Mürren. According to information from the Federal Tax Administration, the tax value of the Schilthornbahn share for the 2024 tax year is 1,250 francs (previous year: 1,340 francs)