Small Swiss Ski Area in Toggenburg Region Closes After Years of Snow Shortages

The Tanzboden ski lift in Ebnat-Kappel, Switzerland, will not operate again, bringing an end to the village’s last remaining ski lift after years of poor snow conditions, financial pressure, and disputes over when the ski slope could be prepared. Ebnat-Kappel sits in the Toggenburg valley of northeastern Switzerland in the canton St. Gallen, between Lake Constance and the Säntis massif and within the broader Eastern Switzerland/Liechtenstein winter-sports region. The village is at the lower end of the valley, while larger ski areas lie further up the valley. The largest ski area in St. Gallen is Flumserberg, which is about an hour from Zurich.

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The Tanzboden Ski Lift Cooperative announced the decision this week after reviewing the lift’s economic and climatic conditions, as well as feedback from local residents. The cooperative said it could not find a viable way to fund the investments required to continue operating the lift sustainably. The decision brings an end to an operation that survived a previous financial crisis through the creation of a cooperative in 2011 and ends more than 60 years of skiing at the small ski area which dates back to 1962.

Snow in this low-lying ski area has increasingly become the central problem. The Tanzboden base station sits at approximately 865 meters (2,838 feet) and tops out at 1,181 meters (3,875 feet), making the low-elevation slope particularly vulnerable to warm winters. Last winter, the lift operated for just 10 days. The previous season was even worse, with the ski area opening for only five days after a controversial snow-depth rule prevented operations for much of the winter.

Under an agreement with the landowners, the slope could only be prepared once there was either 40 centimeters (16 inches) of snow or a compact, continuous snow cover of 20 centimeters (8 inches). The same restrictions applied to the use of snowmaking equipment. The rule became a major source of frustration for the cooperative and local skiers. In the winter of 2024-25, the lift remained closed despite periods when local skiers argued that conditions were sufficient to operate. The landowners, Marianna and Fredy Amacker, maintained the requirement, citing concerns over the condition of the land.

The dispute became particularly heated in the last few years, with the landowners facing criticism from frustrated local skiers. But despite the controversy, the cooperative now says the snow-depth rule was not ultimately responsible for the lift’s closure.

In recent years, there simply has not been enough snow to operate the slope reliably. “Without snow you can’t prepare a slope,” the cooperative board told the Toggenburger Tagblatt.

The cooperative spent the summer looking for potential partners, new ideas and alternatives that could keep the lift operating. None produced a workable solution, leaving the cooperative without sufficient financial resources to continue. Patrick Zollinger, president of the Ebnat-Kappel Transport Association and tourism manager, said the closure was painful but not unexpected. “The sword of Damocles has been floating over Ebnat-Kappel for a long time,” Zollinger said.

The end of the lift does not necessarily mean the end of winter recreation in the village. Zollinger said Ebnat-Kappel could instead build on activities such as snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and ski touring, while remaining an accessible destination for visitors seeking quieter winter experiences. He also hopes the village’s children will still have an opportunity to learn to ski locally, potentially through a joint project involving the area’s ski clubs. The cooperative will formally decide what happens next at its Ordinary General Assembly on October 31, 2026, at the Aula Wier in Ebnat-Kappel.

The loss is nevertheless significant for local winter sports. The Tanzboden has been part of Ebnat-Kappel’s ski culture for decades, while the wider Toggenburg region has a much longer history of competitive skiing. For now, however, the Tanzboden ski lift’s long battle to survive appears to be over.