ChrisC
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Flims, Laax & Falera To Take Over Tourist Facilities For 50 Million Swiss Francs To Block US Purchase
Flims, Laax & Falera To Take Over Tourist Facilities For 50 Million Swiss Francs To Block US Purchase
www.snowindustrynews.com
Swiss Villages Band Together to Buy Flims-Laax-Falera Ski Resort to Block U.S. Takeover - SnowBrains
In a bid to keep one of Switzerland’s largest ski resorts in local hands, the municipalities of Flims, Laax and Falera announced plans on Wednesday, September 24, to jointly purchase the infrastructure of the Flims-Laax-Falera ski area for CHF 94.5 million ($118 million). The proposal, shared by...
snowbrains.com
At some level, Flima-Laax is one of the most American-like resorts:
- Europe’s premier freestyle hub: 4 snowparks, Europe’s largest half-pipe (200 m), and frequent World Cup events.
- Premium-priced Express Lift Queues
- Location: Graubünden canton, eastern Switzerland (near Chur, ~90 min from Zurich). I saw LOTS of traffic heading back to Zurich on a Sunday evening, very Colorado I-70
- Ski area: ~224 km (139 mi) of slopes linked by 28 lifts.
- Vertical drop: ~1,900 m (6,200 ft) — from Vorab Glacier (3,018 m) down to Flims (1,100 m)
Deal
- The three municipalities (Flims, Laax, Falera) plan to acquire the tourist infrastructure of Weisse Arena Bergbahnen AG (including mountain lifts, restaurants, avalanche systems, etc.) for CHF 50 million to block a potential U.S. investor purchase.
- Ownership would be transferred to Finanz Infra AG, a company that has been managing snowmaking since 2005, which will then lease the assets back to Weisse Arena Bergbahnen AG for operations.
Financial Structure
- Total Asset Value: CHF 94.5 million (residual book value).
- Municipal Contributions:
- Laax: CHF 20 million
- Falera: CHF 10 million
- Flims: CHF 2 million + CHF 18 million (already invested in FlemX cable car)
- Other Financing:
- CHF 20 million loan from Weisse Arena Bergbahnen AG
- CHF 42.5 million borrowed capital
Leaseback Terms
- Weisse Arena Bergbahnen AG continues to operate facilities, covering all costs, depreciation, and future upgrades.
- Minimum operation: 300 days per year.
- Continued discounts for local residents.
- Municipalities won’t need to give further subsidies—rent paid by Weisse Arena will cover costs.
Stakeholder Positions
- Municipal leaders: Call the project fair, balanced, and systemically important for protecting local tourism.
- Reto Gurtner (Weisse Arena President): Confirms outside investor interest but supports municipal takeover for long-term stability, even if short-term offers may have been higher.
Referendums
- Falera Municipal Assembly: October 23, 2025
- Laax Municipal Assembly: October 24, 2025
- Flims Ballot: October 26, 2025
Bottom line: The municipalities are executing a “sell-and-lease-back” model to keep critical ski and tourism infrastructure locally controlled, safeguarding it from foreign ownership while ensuring Weisse Arena continues daily operations.
American Model:
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