Graubünden ski lift co's - A January with little snow and few day visitors

The Graubünden  lift companies had a slightly quieter start to the year than hoped, due to challenging weather conditions. As the Graubünden mountain railways' monitor shows, the number of first-time visitors in January was slightly lower than last year.

Mountain restaurants were thriving in January, their sales largely on par with the previous year. The pleasant weather encouraged winter hiking, sledding, or simply enjoying the sunshine.

However, the mountain railway companies faced challenges in their core business. Although conditions on the artificially snow-covered slopes were good for winter sports enthusiasts even in January, day visitors were scarce in many places. Markus Moser, President of the Graubünden Mountain Railways Association, observes: "Unlike locals, second-home owners, and holidaymakers, day visitors probably didn't realize how good the snow sports conditions were thanks to the snowmaking." A look at the climate bulletin from MeteoSwiss also shows that precipitation in January in northern Graubünden was only 32% of the average for the reference period of 1991–2020.

The result is reflected in the monitor of the Graubünden mountain railway industry association. This includes 23 mountain railway companies, which generate 90% of Graubünden's transport revenue. First-time entries in January 2026 were 3.6% lower compared to the previous year.

Artificial snowmaking: the driving force of destinations

As was the case during the holidays, the industry presented a mixed picture last month. Business was primarily good for mountain railways and mountain restaurants where efficient snowmaking allowed for a comprehensive and consistent offering. Markus Moser notes: "This once again underscores the importance of snowmaking as a driving force for destinations." This is a challenge that will likely continue to occupy smaller and medium-sized mountain railway companies. In addition to the necessary financial resources for efficient snowmaking, sufficient water availability during crucial cold spells will also be a significant success factor in the future. The winter of 2025/26 has clearly demonstrated this so far.

Despite all the challenges, Markus Moser remains optimistic for the current season, because, as everyone knows, "the final tally isn't until the end of the season." And overall, the industry is doing well thanks to the positive figures from the holiday season. As a result, there's a slight cumulative increase of 0.6% compared to the previous year as of the end of January. Long-term comparisons confirm this: The 5-year and 10-year averages for first-time entries in January 2026 show an increase of 8.2% and 12.1%, respectively. Cumulatively, guest numbers show even better figures, with increases of 13.6% and 19.6% over the past 5 and 10 years.