Municipality and Sattel Hochstuckli AG join forces for Skiing operations at Hochstuckli

The municipality of Sattel and Sattel Hochstuckli AG plan to jointly revive skiing operations at Hochstuckli. To this end, the municipal council is submitting a proposal to voters for an expenditure of approximately 530,000 Swiss francs. This funding will cover the preparatory work for the commissioning of the Hochstuckli ski lift for a maximum of five years, starting with the 2026/27 winter season. Sattel Hochstuckli AG will continue to bear the costs of operating the ski lift itself – provided there is sufficient snow. In return for this financial contribution, Sattel Hochstuckli AG will provide free annual ski passes to Sattel schoolchildren.

Sattel Hochstuckli AG (SHAG) announced a repositioning of its winter operations at the end of June 2023. Since the 2023/24 winter season, the skiing offerings at Engelstock have been geared towards beginners. The two ski lifts, Bärenfang and Hochstuckli, are no longer in operation. SHAG made this decision at the time for economic, social, and environmental reasons, and the municipal council understood the rationale. Nevertheless, the council, along with a large portion of Sattel's residents, regretted this decision. At the end of July 2023, approximately 100 adults and children gathered in the town square and lobbied the council to maintain the ski operations at Hochstuckli.

In several discussions, the municipal council and the SHAG board of directors sought solutions to maintain or resume ski operations. It became clear that resuming ski operations at Hochstuckli would only be possible with external financial participation. Since the residents of Sattel had repeatedly advocated for skiing at Hochstuckli, the municipal council considered financial participation by the municipality, provided the conditions were right.

The municipal council and SHAG subsequently agreed on the following support:

Starting in the 2026/27 winter season, the municipality will finance the preparatory work for ski operations at Hochstuckli for a minimum of three and a maximum of five winter seasons. The first year will receive a maximum of approximately CHF 210,000, and subsequent years a maximum of approximately CHF 80,000. SHAG will cover the daily operating costs of the ski lift. At the same time, all schoolchildren in Sattel will receive a free season pass. All other residents of Sattel will continue to receive special discounts as part of the agreement to host the ski lift.

The municipal council concluded, based in particular on the following aspects, that financial support by the municipality, with the consent of the voters, is in the public interest:

• Youth and school sports: This program offers children and young people low-threshold access to winter sports in the immediate local recreation area. The free annual pass for Sattler schoolchildren represents a direct benefit for the community.

• Recreation and quality of life: The ski operation at Hochstuckli fulfills an important function as a locally anchored leisure and exercise offering and strengthens the attractiveness of the municipality as a residential and recreational location.

• Tourism and location development: The revitalization of Hochstuckli supports the overall tourism offering and indirectly impacts local value creation and the use of existing infrastructure.

• Subsidiarity and transformation phase: Due to climatic and economic conditions, operating the preparatory work on a purely economic basis is currently not possible. Support from the municipality is subsidiary and time-limited to enable a transition to the sustainable future development of Hochstuckli.

The municipal council is aware that winter sports facilities at lower altitudes are increasingly affected by climate uncertainties. For precisely this reason, support is explicitly limited to a maximum of five years. The support is intended to revitalize Hochstuckli during a transitional phase and simultaneously gather experience for future tourism uses, without the municipality incurring long-term financial obligations. This is because, in parallel with the potential resumption of skiing operations, Sattel-Hochstuckli AG is pursuing strategic considerations for the long-term tourism development of Hochstuckli.

For interested members of the public, an information event will take place on Friday, April 10, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. in the Eggeli assembly hall, where the municipal council and the board of directors of Sattel Hochstuckli AG will be happy to answer questions about the project.