Last winter, according to government regulations, ski resorts could only open for nine days. This year, they hope that this scenario will not be repeated. Part of the preparations for the coming season includes introducing new measures to prevent the spread of Covid. The price of ski passes will also rise due to inflation and rising energy prices.
“We are planning to increase the price by 10 to 15%. Electricity has gone up, diesel and inputs will also go up, and our expenses are growing. We have to increase the price; we cannot exist without it, “said Vlastimil Plecháč, the director of the U Čápa Ski Resort.
Other ski resorts are also planning to increase prices. “We have already ordered new price lists, the increase is estimated at 15%. The reasons are clear, it’s last year’s season, during which ski-centers were not operating, the increasing costs of energy, diesel, and of course, wages,” commented Petr Bažant, spokesman for Skiaréna Jizerky.
According to him, the increase in prices will hardly affect the interest in skiing. “Some measures related to Covid-19 will have a more significant impact on the number of visitors,” he estimated. Only those who have been vaccinated or present proof of having tested positive in the last six months will be allowed to ski. The certificates will be checked by cashiers who sell ski passes, and ski resorts should randomly require them from skiers before boarding a lift or cable car.
Skiaréna Jizerky operates three ski resorts in the Jizera Mountains, but two could not use last year. “We hope that this winter will somehow be better. We are in the final part of the preparations. We already have the transport equipment ready, we are working on snowmaking, and we are currently waiting for the frost so that we can start the snow cannons, “described Petr Bažant. Skiers in the Jizera Mountains ski-resorts have been awaiting several innovations since last years, such as the extension of one of the ski slopes and a new kind of lift on the tourist slope.
Some ski resorts have already started snowmaking. This includes the Krkonoše Ski Resort Černá hora – Pec, the Svatý Petr and Medvědín resorts in the largest Czech winter resort Špindlerův Mlýn, the Říčky Ski Centre in the Orlické Mountains or the South Bohemian ski resort Lipno.