When you think of ski resorts in Switzerland, most picture a labyrinth of hundreds of kilometres of runs snaking down the mountain. However, one Swiss company has far more humble ambitions, having applied to build the smallest ski resort and lift in the world.
As many continue to fear for the future of major Swiss ski resorts amid rising global temperatures, a new planning application submitted in St. Gallen hopes to buck the doom and gloom. The company behind the idea, IG Skilift AG, plans to open the smallest ski resort in the world right in the heart of the city.
Situated on the appropriately named Schneebergstrasse, the resort currently consists of a three-story apartment building and garden. As part of the plans, the company hopes to build the shortest ski lift in the world to help cater to the 20-metre-long black ski run that will satisfy thrill-seekers for seconds at a time.
In addition, the resort will feature lighting so that skiers can get their fill of intense but brief night skiing, and an après-ski stand is planned for when they've explored all the nooks and crannies of the one run on offer. If approved, the ski resort will run from February to March next year, after which the building that it is based in will be demolished.
With St. Gallen only 700 metres above sea level, some may be worried that the tiny resort may go through the whole season without the weather in Switzerland gifting them any snow. The organisers explained that they wouldn’t be using fake snow and would instead ask the local council to deliver as much snow as possible collected from road snowploughs, which they will then smooth out into an unlikely piste.
Speaking to the St. Galler Tagblatt, artist and tour de force behind the project Anita Zimmermann said the project was designed to “celebrate winter sports again” and “make the impossible possible.” She noted that they had already secured the mini ski lift and the workers needed to install and operate it effectively.
When asked about the financial viability of the smallest ski resort in the world, she added that "if we were thinking economically, we would have to approach this differently. But we don't have to think that way."
The proposal will now be sent to the local authorities for final approval. However, with the end of the 20-metre run and ski lift situated so close to various St. Gallen homes, the question of whether the locals will be in favour of turning their neighbourhoods into a tiny St. Moritz Laaxs' an answer.