Deadline is approaching

Kasberg executives sound the alarm: “We’re facing the end!”

Whether skiing will take place at Kasberg this winter is currently more than questionable.(Bild: Wolfgang Spitzbart)

Once again, alarm bells are ringing in the Almtal! According to the board members of the “lebenswertes Almtal” development cooperative, the planned takeover of Kasberg by the state is in danger of falling through at the last minute. A new lease agreement could not be reached with one of the affected landowners. The deadline is October 31. 

According to Karl Drack and Michael Stadler, the board members of the “Lebenswertes Almtal” development cooperative, the plan to save the Kasberg is in danger of falling through at the last minute. The takeover of Almtal Bergbahnen by Traunsee Touristik GmbH—a wholly owned subsidiary of OÖ Seilbahnholding—is still not on track. “According to information from the parties involved, a new lease agreement has not yet been concluded with one of the affected landowners. According to the acquisition agreement, which has already been signed, the agreement is not legally valid until all new lease agreements have been finalized. The deadline for this is October 31,” the duo stated.

Demand Not Met
They are disappointed that their demand for a “share deal” was not met. According to them, the state holding company should have taken over the entire Almtal Bergbahnen company, including all rights and obligations—and thus all existing contracts such as IT, energy, insurance, employment contracts, cable car concessions, etc.—right down to the lease agreements with the landowners.  “Despite repeated warnings on our part about future contractual problems, the state’s representatives—that is, the management of Landesholding and Seilbahnholding, along with their legal counsel—insisted on an ‘asset deal’—that is, merely the acquisition of the land, cable cars, lifts, other facilities, and inventory,” said Drack and Stadler. 

All previous lease agreements have become null and void. “The consequences of this are now evident. As a side note: due to the bankruptcy of Almtal Bergbahnen, which was settled in 2023, any potential hidden risks within the company would not have existed in the case of a ‘share deal,’” the two board members assert. 

Seasonal preparations have stalled
According to them, preparations for the season around the Kasberg have also stalled: “Since TTG is not implementing any marketing measures for the Kasberg until the acquisition agreement becomes legally binding—and since, despite numerous urgent requests from the public, there is still no advance sale of season passes—a regular start to the season in early December seems a long way off.”

Should the takeover fail, the end of preseason preparations and the dismantling of the facilities would be the sad end result of the deal. 

Karl Drack und Michael Stadler, Fördergenossenschaft

Postscript: “If the takeover were to fail now due to a new lease agreement with a landowner that has not materialized, our negotiating partners from the state would have completely thwarted the political will of the state government and the state legislature. A cancellation of the takeover, the end of preparations for the season, and the resulting start of the dismantling of the facilities would then be the sad end result of this deal.”