Infrastructural investment in Slovenian mountain resort

The Vogel ski resort, located above Lake Bohinj, is planning substantial investments as part of the efforts to attract even more visitors year around. They are planning to build a new panoramic cable car, as well as a bike park and an archaeological hiking trail.

Like many other ski resorts, Vogel applied last year to the Economy Ministry’s call for applications designed to help ski resorts turn into year-round destinations, as a way to help operators offset increasingly snowless winter seasons.

The resort has been granted €6.4 million in grants for a €8.5 million project to build a new cable car and introduce new attractions to further prolong what have already been successful summer seasons.

The new cable car will replace a 40-year-old two-seater in the area called Zadnji Vogel. It will be more environmentally friendly, faster and more comfortable.

“Affording beautiful views, the car will also be running in the summer and will be able to carry bikes,” Aleksandra Fiorelli of the operator Žičnice Vogel told the STA.

The company also intends to build a bike park and a disc golf, and expand the children’s playground. This way the resort will be better equipped to host team-building activities.

Moreover, an Alpine archaeological hiking trail will be set up, with digital information boards allowing visitors to experience how life used to be in the mountains.

The operator is planning several other investments to replace old ski lifts, and upgrade the accommodation facilities, but these will likely have to wait.

The summer and winter seasons at Vogel have already become equal both in terms of revenue and the number of visitors.

Last year both the winter and summer seasons were very good and the operator is expecting this year to be similarly successful. After a short period during which Vogel faced a lack of snow in December, there is now nearly a metre and half.

The resort currently relies wholly on natural snow. Plans for a water reservoir to produce artificial snow have been drawn up, but since the resort is part of the Triglav National Park it faces several restrictions. An even bigger problem is lack of water, said Fiorelli.