Quo Vadis Fichtelberg?

What has been practiced for years in many ski areas internationally is now coming to Oberwiesenthal as well. We are talking about the gradual sale of our ski area, the Fichtelberg. What started with the lift systems now continues with the popular mountain hotel, the Fichtelberghaus. I would like to share a few thoughts with you about this. 

First, I want to emphasize that in my opinion the decision was the right one. Only a financially strong investor has, among other things, the opportunity to rekindle our ski area to what it once was. I recall the 1960s when our region was called the 'Saxon St. Moritz'. Back then, skiing boomed and the ski area and its surrounding infrastructure around the Fichtelberg thrived. The trigger for this boom included among other things the then international successes of the alpine ski racers from the Fichtelberg. My father Eberhard Riedel was also part of this 'miracle of the Fichtelberg', together with his sports colleagues Ernst Scherzer, Peter Lützendorf and the success coach Joachim Loos.

And it is clear that times change and ski areas worldwide face new challenges. A major topic is climate change, which is especially felt at lower elevations. That is a fact. Due to the often strained snow situation, potential guests and vacationers cannot be blamed for preferring higher, snow-sure areas in winter. Consequently, ski area operators face multiple fronts. On the one hand, declining visitor numbers; on the other, constant pressure to innovate and modernize. To offer a unique vacation and skiing experience, snow reliability must exist, but lifts, gastronomy and hospitality must also be kept in an appealing and modern state. 

Every year investments are required that must first be earned. In addition, with the changed climatic conditions, ski areas must reinvent themselves. To remain viable in the long term, a transformation process must be initiated. From the classic winter ski area to a year-round entertainment mountain with adventure playgrounds, Flying Fox, trampoline park, summer toboggan run, mountain bike trails, and who knows what else.

And this is exactly the difficult situation in which the Fichtelberg and thus the entire Oberwiesenthal region find themselves. The financial expenditures for necessary adaptations are too high for the public sector to justify to taxpayers. 

Therefore, a private investor is certainly the best solution, especially since the investor acts from a business perspective. In the best case, the infrastructure will be renewed and optimized so that profitable operations are possible at the Fichtelberg year-round, and thereby the region benefits. Other hotels, shops, cafés and the entire town can share in the uplift of a ski area. Or they can be pulled into the depths by economic decline if it is not possible to operate the area economically. And this is the flip side of the coin. If you cannot make money, then the private individual — unlike public hands — has no interest in continuing the operation. Once the whole thing is sold, it is sold. Pushing public interests — the term recreational area — through is impossible with a financially negative deal for the investor. Unless one is lucky enough that the private investor also acts as a patron of the region — which I will not comment on further in this case. 

What I perceive as very positive is that the investor is already the lessee of the Fichtelberghaus and owner of the lifts. Since last year he has also been operating a summer toboggan run, which is very well received. Another puzzle piece on the path to sole ownership of the entire Fichtelberg, which brings enormous potential. I would also like to raise two critical questions that have not been asked to date.

What exactly is the investor aiming for? Does he really want to make money? Does he really want to contribute something to and for the region? Is it also a 'genuine' concern to keep the Fichtelberg ski area continuing? Will he sometime turn the ski area into the 'Saxon St. Moritz' or even 'Kitzbühel'? Or is he just using the investment to park money and regard it as a tax write-off project? If that is the case, then the entire ski area could quickly fall into disrepair, as is the fate of some smaller ski areas in neighboring countries.

And why wasn’t this done 10 to 15 years ago? It would have saved a lot of time, money, and energy. 

We should certainly keep our eyes and ears open and stay vigilant about where the journey with our beloved excursion destination and ski area Fichtelberg is headed. Maybe in a few years we will be Saxon St. Moritz again? I am indeed very curious.

Yours, Peter Riedel