Tampere plans to buy Mustavuori lifts and snow guns

Tampere is preparing to buy the ski lifts and snowmaking equipment at Mustavuori ski resort from its bankruptcy estate, in a move that could allow skiing to resume this winter, Yle reports.

The city estimates the equipment is worth about 90,000 euros. Funding is expected to come from a supplementary budget, which the city council will consider in early December. The purchase decision would be made afterward.

Mustavuori Oy filed for bankruptcy in September after prolonged financial difficulties. The company’s creditors have agreed that the resort’s infrastructure can be sold to the city first, according to Jukka Etu-Seppälä, Tampere’s director of sports and youth services.

If the city acquires the equipment, it could directly procure an operator for one winter. A network of local clubs is interested, but the city has not yet held formal talks with them. It plans to begin a tender early next year to find a longer-term operator from the following winter.

At least three local groups are considering running the resort: Tampere Snowboarders, Tampere Slalom Club and Mustavuori Trailcrew. Trailcrew vice-chair Jani Vesikko said the clubs want to keep the resort operating beyond a single season.

Opening this winter would also depend on buying rental equipment, including skis and boots, from the bankruptcy estate. The clubs have asked about purchasing it, but the estate could instead sell the items at public auction. The slopes also need maintenance after the summer, and snowmaking requires at least two weeks of freezing weather.

Mustavuori Oy owed customers who had bought season passes in advance just under 29,000 euros when it went bankrupt. Yle was unable to reach the bankruptcy administrator on Tuesday to clarify what will happen to those passes or how the equipment will be sold. Vesikko said the clubs would not charge customers a second time for next winter if they take over operations.