LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – The International Olympic Committee in Lausanne stated 13 March that it will continue to support Dow Chemical as a major sponsor for the Olympic Games in 2012 in London, rebuffing attempts by the government of India to have the company removed. The Times of India and other Indian media report that the Indian Olympic Committee had earlier asked the IOC to drop Dow as a sponsor, out of respect for the victims of the 1984 Bhopal chemical disaster in which some 25,000 people died.
The IOC is quoted as saying it was aware, when discussing sponsorship with Dow, of the Bhopal issue, but since Dow bought Union Carbide, which owned the Bhopal plant, 16 years after the accident, it could not be held liable.
The Indian government then stepped in to ask the IOC to reconsider, but Tuesday it said its decision stands. The Wall St Journal India, in a blog, says that activists in India are calling for a boycott of the London Games and are planning protests.
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – The SportAccord policy advistory board met for the first time in Lausanne 7 March to help the group create a framework for the use of the .sport domaine name extension. The new board includes representatives from the International Olympic Committee and 24 representatives of international sports federations, several of them based in Lausanne.
SportAccord’s new group will work on defining and operating “the adequate usage policy for the future .sport domain name, specifically in the field of reserved names policy, registrant eligibility, naming restrictions, usage policy and enforcement mechanisms.”
World Cup finals canceled in Grindelwald
Nik Zoricic (photo: Canadian Ski Federation)
GENEVA / BERN, SWITZERLAND -Nik Zoricic of Canada, 29, died early Saturday afternoon in Grindelwald, canton Bern, after taking a bad fall during the Ski Cross World Cup 10 March. “Zoricic fell heavily just before the finish in the round of eight, crashing directly into the safety netting and thereafter lay motionless”, Swiss Ski, the organizers, said in a statement issued at 15:15. “The medical care from team doctors and Air Glacier followed immediately. Despite reanimation Zoricic died at 12.35 as a result of severe neurotrauma.”
Zoricic began his ski career as an Alpine athlete and switched later to Ski Cross. He was sixth in the overall standings in 2011 and he won two podium places in his career, one this season in Les Contamines, France, and one during 2010/11.
The Toronto Star, hometown newspaper for Zoricic, reported Saturday that “the Zoricic family was a fixture on the Ontario ski scene after coming to Canada from Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, when Nik was just five. His father, Bebe Zoricic, is the FIS coach at the Craigleith Ski Club in the Blue Mountains ski area. ‘He lived with ski racing his whole life,’ said [Alpine Canada president Max] Gartner. ‘The whole heart and soul of the whole family was ski racing.’”
Fellow skiers were holding a candlelight memorial ceremony on the course late Saturday.
The organizers decided to cancel the entire event in Grindelwald, including both races from Saturday 10 March and the World Cup Final Sunday, noting that “the Organizing Committee, FIS and Swiss Ski express their deepest condolences to the family and friends of Nick Zoricic and the Canadian Ski Team.”
He is the second Canadian competitive skier to die in less than two months. Freestyle champion Sarah Burke died 19 February after a crash in Utah, USA.
Link to Canadian Ski Federation site, The Globe & Mail, Canada
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – A rundown of some of this week’s news highlights:
Nestlé charged with lack of protection, death of former worker
Charges were filed against Vevey-based multinational Nestlé in Zug by a Colombian trade union and a human rights group for not adequately protecting a former employee, Luciano Romero, who was murdered in Colombia by paramilitaries in 2005. The case could have broad implications according to Germany-based human rights group ECCHR (European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights) because it is the first filed against a Swiss company in Switzerland for a crime committed outside the country. ECCHR – Nestle, Newsletter French, pdf (Fr)
The charges come as world media are focused on the safety of foreign multinational workeres in conflict areas, notably in Nigeria, with the deaths Thursday 8 March of two foreigner workers in Nigeria. In separate news, Nestlé announced Friday morning that it is offering scholarships to a number of its trainees in Nigeria, to bring them to Switzerland to see home office operations.
Solar Boat evades pirates, navigates way to world record
PlanetSolar, the world’s only entirely solar-powered boat, whose home is Yverdon, made it through the pirate-infested waters of the Gulf of Aden. The MS Tûranor PlanetSolar is now navigating the waters of the Red Sea and expects to arrive 4 May 2012 in Monaco, at which point it will become the first solar boat to circumnavigate the globe.
Crans-Montana says yes to Women’s World Cup in 2013 in a turn-about (correction)
World Cup in Crans-Montana, 2012
The Valais resort of Crans-Montana said Monday it would not be hosting the 2013 Women’s World Cup in skiing, despite the success and nearly 50,000 visitors to the men’s event in late February.
A turn-around was announced Thursday 8 March after a meeting Wednesday night when the concerns of some players about hosting the event at the height of the ski season, which could mean closing to the public the popular Nationale run for several days.
The group of communities in the region, ACCM, has thrown its support behind not only a bid for the Cup next year, but an investment of CHF400,000 a year to keep Crans-Montana on the World Cup circuit. The funds require final approval, but the signal at the end of the week was clear: the resort is ready to fight to get the events.
Also under discussion are the re-creation of two or three significant runs.
One former Swiss president gets pie in face, another joins Rousseau protesters in NY
Micheline Calmy-Rey, who completed her year as president of Switzerland in December 2011, was shocked, as were many in the political world, by a pie that was shoved in her face earlier this week by a man angry over her role in the losses incurred by bank BCGE several years ago. The incident, outside the human rights film festival in Geneva, appeared to be more a form of aggression than a humorous incident.
Another former Swiss president, Pascal Couchepin, joins a group in New York Friday 9 March, for Occupy Rousseau, to hold up the Geneva philosopher’s example of fighting inequality and social injustice.
Cern technology behind Geneva airport’s solar panels
The airport in Geneva Friday received delivery of the first of some 300 high-temperature solar thermal panels that will cover a surface of 1,200m2 on the roof of the main terminal building. The panels will be used to heat the buildings during winter and cool them in summer. Their vacuum technology was developed at Cern for particle accelerators.
Nuclear power plant told by judge it must close early
Muehleberg, Switzerland’s aging nuclear power plant that has been the focus of protesters’ calls for closure because of the high cost of keeping it safe, was told it must shut down by June 2013. Safety issues were cited as the reason. The decision was made by the Swiss Administrative Court 1 March but announced the 7th, Wednesday. It is one of five nuclear power plants in the country and was scheduled to be phased out as Switzerland gets rid of its nuclear energy programme, but the decision speeds up the process by several years.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Hugh Quennec is a familiar name to Geneva Servette Hockey Club fans, as one of its two owners, with Chris McSorley. The Swiss Canadian, who runs Continental Capital Markets, which has offices in Nyon and Zurich, has now stepped in to save another Geneva Servette, the city’s football club.
GSFC said early this week that it was bankrupt, and as the door appeared to be swinging shut, Quennec quietly stepped in, and the relief throughout the world of Geneva football and sport in general was audible.
The club has 30 days to find some CHF3 million to settle short-term debts, after Quennec paid a symbolic CHF1 to take over the shares of Majid Pishyar, former owner. Quennec is putting up CHF650,000 and will now hustle to find investors to make up the difference. The critical task right now, he says, is to get a clear picture of the overall financial situation.
Links to other sites: RTS public TV, Tribune de Geneve
View of the Jura range from La Faucille (photo, Shirley Curran)
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Visitors to the Geneva area for the car show get a real bonus this year, with excellent skiing lined up for this weekend in the Jura, with ski lifts 3 minutes from the centre of the city.
The snow is superb, reports our Jura correspondent, with fresh powder.
Tip for iPhone, iPad owners: the new My Switzerland national tourism office app, released 28 February, as well as the GVA Geneva airport app, released 6 March, were both selected by the iPhone store as featured “noteworthy” apps this week.
Weather forecast, snow conditions
Highs of 8C in Geneva, 10C in Sion, and 7-8C in Verbier and Crans-Montana. Mostly sunny, with overnight lows falling below freezing, keeping the still-deep snow in good condition. Expect strong winds today on the west side of Lake Geneva, gusting heavily in the mountains, but winds should die down by Saturday. Temperatures will rise Monday and Tuesday with highs of 14C, so get your skiing in this weekend.
Some fresh snow fell in many areas, in relatively small amounts, 5-20cm. Snow is hard at 1,500m in the Alps, but powder at 2,200-2,400m. Temperature Friday morning at 2,400m near Crans-Montana: -8C.
Avalanche bulletin
From the Swiss Institute for Avalanche Rsearch, WSL (full bulletin, all areas):
“On the northern flank of the Alps not including the northern Alpine Ridge from Chablais to the Wildstrubel, as well as in the regions of northern Tavetsch and Flims, the danger zones are found above approximately 2200 m. On the northern Alpine Ridge from Chablais to the Wildstrubel, the hazardous zones are found above approximately 2600 m. The size and spread of the freshly formed snowdrift accumulations tend to increase with ascending altitude and during the course of the day. They can be triggered as avalanches even by a single backcountry skier or freerider. Experience in evaluating avalanche danger is imperative.”
What’s on in Alpine resorts
This is one of the busiest weekends of the year, on and around the slopes. Great weather and excellent snow make this a very special year for several of these key events:
Crans-Montana: note that the Snowgames, earlier scheduled for 10-11 March, have been moved to 7-8 April. This weekend the Kiwanis are organizing a charity drive moonlight snowshoe trek and party for 300 at Violettes.
Davos, the Parsenn Derby, 9-11 March, open to all, is one of the world’s oldest ski races, first run in 1924. It’s a wonderfully lively three-day event in one of the country’s most beautiful ski regions, canton Graubuenden. The resort also holds its Snow Jam Party 10 March.
Engadin ski marathon, St Moritz in canton Graubuenden, is a huge and beautiful event where thousands of cross-country skiers take part, 11 March. The marathon has been held since 1969 and is one of the main winter outdoor events in Switzerland.
Grindelwald, in canton Bern, 10 March is hosting a Skicross World Cup event, giving spectators a chance to see this new Olympic winter sport in action.
Les Mosses, canton Vaud, 10-11 March, 1,000 people participate in the Mara cross-country dog sled race, one of the most important ones in the winter competition circuit. Full moon guided cross-country skiing followed by hot wine is also on offer this weekend.
Muerren, near Grindelwald in Bern, 10-11 is holding its White Style Open, for freeskiers and snowboarders, with open competitions and lessons from a pro.
Verbier: time to put a reminder on your calendar that 23 March one of the world’s top Xtreme sports events, the final leg of the Freeride World Tour, is held in Verbier. Words cannot capture this breathtaking event.
Villars, canton Vaud, Saturday night 10 March, full moon skiing on the Bretaye slopes , disco and party time, CHF10 for a pass for the event that starts at 17:00 and goes until the wee hours.
Zermatt, one of the best of the many moonlight ski run offers that take advantage of this weekend’s combination of good weather, great snow and a full moon.
Jura ski report
Jura ski lifts: the crowd are gone, but the snow is great!
We thought the season was reaching an end but this week’s snowfalls have been a delight and we were skiing in powder snow again with temperatures well below zero.
The Crozet installations will run only at weekends and on Wednesdays from now till the end of season but Lélex is still operating fully and the Faucille/Mijoux installations, with tip top snow coverage. The French holiday period is over so you can have runs almost to yourself now!
Ed. note: snow depth remains 50-150cm in the higher resorts. Daily snow and weather bulletins, plus opening hours are aonthe Monts-Jura site, “infos neige”.
DUBAI, UAE – Roger Federer swept away the challenge from Andy Murray in the final of the ATP tournament in Dubai, 3 March. The Swiss dominated the game with an aggressive forehand while the Scot was forced to run around behind the baseline. Murray beat Novak Djokovic in the semi-final to end the Serb’s run of three successive wins in the tournament. However in the final the Scot’s first serve failed him, dipping to 50% after being 65% earlier. Federer barely broke a sweat as he forced Murray on to the defensive, breaking the Scot’s serve three times while dropping his own serve just once to win 7-5 6-4 in a match that was more one-sided than the score suggests.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Saturday afternoon 3 March promises great tennis, with Andy Murray and Roger Federer facing off for the finals of the Dubai Open. Murray defeated the world’s number one player, Novak Djokovic Friday night in straight sets, 6-2, 7-5, in an impressive performance with strong serves that lead the Guardian to say “No early-season blues, then, for Murray in 2012, which may turn out to be his breakthrough year.”
Federer defeated Juan Martin del Potro 7-6, 7-6 in a far more tightly contested race.
Get out the waterskis!
Here comes the sun! Show melt season is here
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – There is plenty of snow but you’ll have to be an earlybird this weekend to avoid skiing in soupy stuff. Temperatures are rapidly climbing, with highs Friday of 16C in Geneva, 17 in Lausanne, 19! in Sion and 11C even in Zermatt, this is spring ski season.
Weather forecast
MeteoSwiss is promising us more of the same Saturday, but temperatures will drop Sunday to highs of 10-11C around Lake Geneva and 3C in Zermatt. Expect the snowline to fall to 800 m Monday, with some snow forecast.
Check out Jared Bloch’s videos from his snowshoe trek up the Salève next to Geneva last weekend on his “Wheels Enthusiast” blog.
Jura report
by Shirley Curran
Spring is almost here in the Jura mountains and this week has seen temperatures shoot up so that our sun-facing slopes become rather slushy after about 11:00. If you want to enjoy the thick layers of snow that still cover our pistes despite the almost drought conditions of the month of February, you do well to get onto the snow early in the day or to stick to the north-facing slopes. We have the promise of yet more sunshine for the next few days, and everything is operating until March 12th from when the Crozet side of the Lelex/Crozet resort will only operate on Wednesdays and at weekends.
Local weekend highlights
If you’ve just returned to the Lake Geneva region from school ski holidays in the Alps you might want to stay closer to home. Check out our events page, and consider heading to beautiful Annecy for its Venetian Carnival weekend. GenevaLiving blog carries a complete list of Carnival activities.
Enjoy the sunshine!
ITF video from Lausanne at http://www.triathlon.org/multimedia/video/2011_lausanne_elite_team_triathlon_world_championships/
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – The popular Lausanne triathlon, which pulls in several thousand people in August, has been forced to give up its slot in the Dextro Energy Triathon ITU World Championship Series due to lack of funding. The International Triathlon Federation, which moved its European office to Lausanne in September 2011, announced Thursday 1 March that there is a change of venue for the 25-26 August ITU circuit races, from Lausanne to Stockholm.
The ITF did not provide details, nor does the web site of the local organizers mention the change. The Lausanne races in 2011 were sponsored by a mix of local and global series funding, with ASICS as the main local sponsor.
Dutch ride over England
Update 23:00 BERN, SWITZERLAND – Three goals from Lionel Messi gave Argentina a 1-3 win over Switzerland in their friendly match, 29 February. The game was balanced until the last few minutes when a defensive error gave Messi the chance for a little piece of brilliance. The last goal was from a penalty. The young Swiss team played well, keeping control for extended periods and demonstrating technical skills. Unfortunately Lionel Messi was on the other team.
England lost to The Netherlands 2-3 at Wembley.
Home friendly for Switzerland with Argentina
Two big ones are England vs The Netherlands and Germany vs France
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Football fans who are not heading to Bern for the 29 February evening friendly with Argentina are likely to be glued to the TV, with this game broadcast on RTS (new name for Swiss TV and radio) and two major matches also being aired: England versus The Netherlands friendly at Wembley and Germany vs France in Bremen.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Initial reports that skiers might have been caught by an avalanche Sunday 26 February at Les Crozets in Valais were wrong, police report. The slide, 100 metres long and 50 wide, covered a road that is part of a groomed slope.
The danger of avalanches is expected to rise significantly by Wednesday, with warmer weather and mostly sunny conditions, warns WSL, the Swiss Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research.
Patrouille Suisse ready to swoop over the slopes in Crans-Montana between World Cup ski race runs
View from Crans-Montana area at dawn Friday, a weekend filled with promise for World Cup skiers (click on image to view larger)
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – A good time was had by all, but the repeat of 1987, when the Swiss dominated the World Cup ski competition in Crans-Montana, never quite happened 24-26 February.
The sun was mostly shining, the skies were filled with the roar and impressive aerobatics of the Patrouille Suissse planes, and Swiss skiers put in a good but not brilliant performance.
Didier Cuche, in his final run on a Swiss course before he retires at the end of the season, came in first in Friday’s Super-G, with five Swiss in the top 20, but as the crowd of 23,000 and the snow both warmed up, the Swiss performance slipped a bit.
A fleet of buses including scores of Swiss postal cars, and a one-way system for local roads, get the crowd of 23,000 ski fans moving smoothly
The second leg of the Super-G Saturday saw Cuche in third place and Beat Feuz, the new Swiss hope, in 10th, with Austrian Benjamin Raich winning the run.
The Giant on Sunday gave Cuche a 15th place but Didier Defago put in an excellent appearance and came in fifth. The event was won by Massimiliano Blardone of Italy in a surprise performance and Marcel Hirscher of Austria, who now leads the overall rankings, was second.
Didier Cuche is now fourth in overall ranking, and Beat Feuz third, with five events left in the season.
Crans-Montana event details, TSR, Fre and FIS live reviews
Skiing in Switzerland: waiting for the bus near Lake Geneva, to head up to the slopes
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Schools in Vaud are on vacation starting this afternoon, and the weather forecast promises us some of the warmest temperatures since early January. Expect the slopes to be busy.
Snow cover is still excellent everywhere, so no matter where you head, you can’t go wrong, but don’t sleep in: the best snow will be waiting for you in the mornings.
This is a shaping up to be a big and busy weekend in the Swiss Alps, with the men’s World Cup downhill races on in Crans-Montana.
Weather and avalanche risk forecast
MeteoSwiss is telling us to get out the sun cream. Temperatures in the Alps will be 1-3C on the low end with highs of 7 to 11C. Geneva and Lausanne can expect sunny skies initially but with some cloud cover as the weekend wears on, and the sharp cold bise wind blowing by Monday. Mountain areas will have only light winds.
The wet avalanche risk will rise as the temperatures climb. The danger of dry snow avalanches is 2/5 but for wet snow avalanches it rises to 3, throughout the Alps, for Friday.
Alpine resorts
The Norwegian (shown here) and Swiss ski teams trained in Anzeres this week, in the run-up to the World Cup races in Crans-Montana
The Crans-Montana men’s downhill World Cup ski races are the big weekend event. It is the last time that Didier Cuchewill race in Switzerland before his retirement, and Saturday night at the ice rink in Montana he will be given the trophy for “Swiss man of the year”, an honor he was given last month.
The races are open to the public. Tickets are CHF20-60 and the two towns of Crans and Montana have plenty of activities lined up.
Zermatt For those who would rather be racing themselves, Zermatt has a great event Saturday 25 February, a nighttime race from 17:00-22:00 that ends with a spaghetti dinner at Sunnegga.
Verbier A wild ride for anyone who loves sledding: Sunday 26 February the resort is hosting the final of the Valais Sled Trophy, “the legendary 10km La Tzoumaz ski run,” it says on its site. “Over a 4km long stretch, between pastures and forests, the 540 m drop will get everyone’s skates on! Families, amateurs, and USO (Unidentified sliding object) owners alike are invited to take part in this popular event – it’s a veritable sled party!” Take along some medical gel for bruises, for afterwards.
Jura report
by Shirley Curran
Slightly warmer weather has arrived but snow conditions remain excellent in the resorts in the Jura mountains.All are boasting over a metre and a half of snow at the higher levels. At the moment, with the French holidays continuing, crowds are developing from 10:00 onwards, but our large capacity lifts seem to cope and all runs have been open this week.
Ghetto-blasting snowboards and other things you might find on the slopes
And now a word about the people on the slopes you might want to avoid, if you’re not part of their group: Signal Snowboards, a US company, makes snowboards that do more than just move you on the snow and in the air, reports Wired. Take, for instance, their snowboards that shoot paintballs. Or blast music.
What you’re more likely to find on Swiss slopes this weekend is strange creatures, skiers in costume as they prepare to head off for Carnival.
Carnival time!
Basel Fasnacht
If you’re willing to go down from the mountains for a bit, Bern’s Carnival is on this weekend, worth a detour en route to the Bernese Alps resorts.
And one of Switzerland’s best shows starts Monday in Basel, the city’s famed Fasnacht, which starts in the wee hours and goes until late for three days and nights. The entire city turns out, well disguised and ready for some serious play, while the 30,000 visitors who pour into the city for the fun enjoy the show.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The head of Geneva’s sports programme has been suspended for the term of an investigation into the organization of the Geneva Challenger ATP tennis tournament. The city is a major sponsor and its administrative council issued a brief statement Thursday afternoon 23 February stating that he is the object of an investigation, without providing his name, into “organizational problems that have been noticed” in relation to the tournament.
Philippe Voirol, who is officially listed as holding the post, is active in sports activities throughout the region.
BASEL, SWITZERLAND – Basel drew attention to itself again in the football world Wednesday night, defeating powerhouse Bayern Munich 1-0 with a goal in the 86th minute by substitute Valentin Stocker. Strong work from goalkeeper Yann Sommer throughout the match kept Bayern at bay.
This is the second shock Basel has thrown the football world in less than three months. FC Basel scored a famous victory when they beat the stars of Manchester United 2-1 in the final game of the group stage of the Champions League 7 December 2011.
Basel has more recently been in the news because of its young star Shaqiri. SI/AP reported late Wednesday that “pre-match talk had centered on Basel star Xherdan Shaqiri, who will join Bayern next season after the clubs agreed a reported $15.3 million transfer this month.
Bloomberg reports that Basel last reached the quarterfinals 38 years ago.
Mohamed Bin Hamman, 2010
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne has agreed to hear the case of Mohamed Bin Hammam vs Fifa, the international football body 18 and 19 April.
He was given a life ban from football in 2011 after a scandal surfaced in May over alleged payments for votes in an election bid to unseat Sepp Blattner as president of Fifa.
AP reports that Bin Hammam is also involved in a legal tussle with the Asian football body: “Bin Hammam, who denies wrongdoing, is involved in a second appeal to stop the Asian Football Confederation from replacing him as president.”
The group’s elections are scheduled for March. He earlier lost an appeal to CAS to hear his case against the same group for dismissing him as its president.
BERN, SWITZERLAND – GE Servette was saved by the bar in the last second of their match against Bern, allowing the Geneva team to win 2-3, 18 February. The win lifts Servette out of the bottom four relegation spots, just above Bienne. The top teams are Davos, Zug and FR Gotteron. There are two more games in the regular season, before the relegation and championship play-off sessions.
Servette football club managed to put aside their financial worries to beat Grasshoppers 3-1 at the Stade de Genève.
ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS – Roger Federer won his 71st ATP title while contesting his 101st final when he triumphed in the Rotterdam tournament, 19 February. He swept past the Argentinian Juan Martin Del Potro 6-1 6-4 in less than an hour and a half. The Basel player was in much better form than when he lost the recent Davis Cup encounter with the USA. Federer is currently third in the ATP rankings while Del Potro is tenth.
Avalanche danger growing, says federal office
Dutch prince “stable” but not out of danger after Austrian avalanche
Very steep slope above Ardon, canton Valais
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The weekend promises every skier’s dream: fresh powder on top of an excellent base throughout the Alps and Jura, warmer weather and mostly sunny skies.
There is a down side: the risk of avalanches is growing, thanks to the combination of warmer weather and significant layers of fresh snow.
Prince Johan Friso, 43, the second son of Dutch Queen Beatrix, is in stable condition in an Innsbruck hospital after being buried under an avalanche for 15 minutes.
He was skiing off-piste with three other people when the avalanche, reportedly 30 metres wide and 40m long, occurred.
He was wearing an avalanche beeper, which allowed rescuers to reach him quickly and he was resuscitated at the scene, but doctors say he is not yet out of danger.
Several members of the Dutch royal family were on holiday together, including the queen, reports the BBC.
Weather forecast, snow conditions
Frosted Jura (photo, Shirley Curran)
Saturday: sunshine and highs of 6-8C, with the Valais Alps the warmest area until you get to Ticino, says MeteoSwiss. Rain or snow in some areas on Sunday, but less likely in Valais. Get in your day on the slopes Saturday.
More snow appeared during the week than was forecast, so there’s a good fresh layer in most resorts. Alpine areas north of the Rhone had 10-25cm Wednesday and early Thursday, with peaks in the centre and some parts of the Vaud Alps getting 25-50cm.
The avalanche risk level is 3 for Saturday, but note that WSL, the Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research, is providing a longer than usual bulletin for this week. Three skiers were caught by an avalanche in Obwald Friday.
The WSL notes that “Snowdrift accumulations can be easily triggered in some places and should be circumvented. Experience in assessing avalanche hazards is essential. In all regions of this danger level, particularly on steep, south facing slopes, the avalanche hazards are subject to a daytime cycle. The likelihood of avalanches being triggered is somewhat lesser in early morning, but subsequently escalates in line with the daytime warming cycle.”
More snow expected Sunday in some areas means the avalanche situation will “remain tense” according to WSL. Avalanche-prone areas are above 2,000 metres in western parts of the Alps, but they are found “on steep slopes in all aspects above approximately 1,600m; in the western part of the northern flank of the Alps the danger zones are above approximately 1800 m.
Alpine resort highlights
Crans-Montana Next weekend is the FIS Men’s World Cup downhill races, with super G and giant slalom, so plan ahead to watch them tear down the National run.
Gstaad Curling tournament: the Curling Schweizer Meisterschaften from 17-25 February, your golden opportunity to see top Swiss teams. Also consider next weekend’s snow games, with a lot of family activities.
Verbier Take along a costume – it’s carnival time! You’ll find this true throughout the Alps, starting Friday 17 February, but Verbier is taking it seriously with a procession followed by a ball Saturday night.
Jura resorts
by Shirley Curran
Conditions are superb in the resorts in the Jura mountains with this week’s falls of snow added to what was already an exceptional cover and the cold weather holding up. However, it is no longer bitterly cold up there, just very pleasant with all the lifts running and queuing very rare. Of course, you have a choice of Jouvencelles/La Dôle (the Franco-Suisse resort), Les Rousses, St Cergue and all the Monts-Jura resorts. Even charming little Menthières is boasting exceptional snow conditions.
And don’t forget about ice-skating!
For those who want something beside skiing, or who are staying on the plain, here’s a little help if you want to talk intelligently about ice-skating, from EPFL in Lausanne: Ice skates glide across the ice because … check out the quiz and its informative answer page.
La Loge (photo, Shirley Curran)
BERN, SWITZERLAND – Sion Football Club lost another round in its legal dispute with the Swiss Football Assocation, which docked it 36 points for breaking regulations. A Bern regional (Mitteland) court has ruled in favour of the association, which leaves the club at the bottom of the nine-team Swiss top division.
Sion FC, reports Sports Illustrated, “flouted rules by trying to register six players signed during a transfer embargo imposed by FIFA because the club’s 2008 signing of goalkeeper Essam el Hadary breached regulations.”
But the judge, in his decision, notes that the SFA broke its own rules and overstepped the limits of its own statutes by stripping the club of 36 points, reports Le Nouvelliste in canton Valais. The SFA acknowledged the ruling but says it will not comment further, which FC Sion points out on its own web site. The judge nevertheless refused to provisionally restore the points.
The club says it will now appeal to the Bern cantonal court, noting the urgency of restoring the points in order to have a “normal” championship.
Basel’s Xamax club just declared bankruptcy, reducing the division’s ranks.
LIBREVILLE, GABON – The Zambian Copper Bullets triumphed over the pre-match favourites Ivory Coast in the final of the African Cup of Nations in Gabon, Sunday 12 February. The Chipolopolo win was at the scene of Zambia’s greatest sporting tragedy, the 1993 plane crash that killed all 30 on board, including most of the national team. The final ended 0-0 after extra time, with Didier Drogba missing a penalty for Ivory Coast in the second half. The penalty shoot out saw both sides scoring with their first seven penalties, although the Zambian goalkeeper was unlucky when a saved penalty was retaken after the ref’s assistant ruled he had stepped off his line too early when making a save. After that Ivory Coast missed one only to see Zambia return the failure by shooting over the bar. Another miss followed before Zambia finally won 8-7.
In other competitionss the two Manchester teams carried on their winning ways in the Premier League. United won a bad-tempered encounter with Liverpool notable mainly for the refusal of Liverpool’s Luiz Suarez to shake hands with Patrice Evra before the game. United won 2-1 with both goals coming from Wayne Rooney. Man City won the Sunday encounter at Aston Villa 0-1 to take a two point lead in the premiership. Chelsea lost to Everton 2-0, Spurs thumped Newcastle 5-0, and Thiery Henry said goodbye again to his beloved Arsenal team with a last minute winner against Sunderland.
Links to other sites: Guardian, All Africa, Premier League
SOTCHI, RUSSIA – The ski circus tested the slopes of Sotchi, the site for the next winter Olympics. Beat Feuz continued his winning ways with a victory in the downhill Saturday 11 February, and a second place in the Super Combined on Sunday. The Bernese skier has now made the podium in 10 races this season. The Croat Ivica Kostelic won the Sunday race, as well as the season’s title for the discipline.
Link to other sites: Le Matin, FIS results
FRIBOURG, SWITZERLAND – The Swiss team of Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka were swept out of the Davis Cup when the US team won both the singles matches on Friday and then won the doubles on Saturday 11 February. In the first match Wawrinka went down in five sets against Mardy Fish, who won 6-2, 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 9-7. Roger Federer was then overpowered by the giant (2.06 metre, or 6ft 9in) American John Isner, who dominated with his serve, and won in four sets 4-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-2. The Americans then rubbed salt into the Swiss wounds when Mardy Fish and Mike Bryan won the doubles against the Swiss Olympic doubles champions 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.
Xherdan Shaqiri, moving to Munich from Basel in 2012 (photo, Wikipedia)
BASEL, SWITZERLAND – Months of speculation in the football world ended Thursday 9 February with the announcement by football club Bayern Munich that it has signed Swiss player Xherdan Shaqiri to a four-year contract.
The transfer from FC Basel 1893 takes place 1 July 2012.
Shaqiri, an international player who plays for Basel in the Swiss Super League as well as on the national team, is just 5-foot six tall.
The midfielder was described as “one of the most sought-after talents in European football” by Bayern director of sport Christian Nerlinger.
The 20-year-old grew up in Basel and in January 2009, despite being wooed by other clubs, he signed his first professional contract with FC Basel.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – A 17-year-old Valais youth was caught by an avalanche Sunday 5 February while skiiing off-piste with his 47-year-old father near Anzères in canton Valais.
The two, who were ski touring, had just left a groomed slope for Pointe d’Hérémence. At 2,750 metres, between La Motte and Chamossaire, the avalanche was triggered as the first skier, the son, headed down. He stayed on top of the avalanche, which was 250 metres long and 40 metres wide. His father immediately called for help and the youth, who suffered minor injuries to his knees, was flown to the hospital in Sion.
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND’S – Lewis Hamilton‘s five-year relationship with Switzerland appears to be drawing to a close, with the Formula 1 racer said to be moving from Zurich to Monaco, according to the Daily Mail. Hamilton moved to Geneva in 2007, then to Zurich in 2010. He will join a small herd of F1 drivers in Monaco, which hosts one of the circuit’s biggest races.
"El Pisolero" Alberto Contador during the 2011 Tour de France (photo, SaxoBank)
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – Spain’s Alberto Contador has been suspended from cycling for two years after the CAS sports tribunal in Lausanne, TAS, found him guilty on one count of doping. The winner of the 2010 Tour de France loses his crown as a result; it should now go to Andy Schleck of Luxembourg who came in second.
Contador was accused of using clenbuterol. The rider argued that he ate steak from a Basque producer, which accounted for its presence in his system.
Clenbuterol is sometimes used by farmers, although its use is banned in Europe. The hearing was in November but the CAS issued a statement earlier saying the final decision would be delayed because media rumours about the fairness of the hearing had prompted the organization to ensure the parties all agreed to the members of the panel.
The three-member panel’s president, Efraim Barak of Israel, had refused at one point to accept testimony of an expert witness brought in by Contador’s lawyers.
The two other members of the panel are Swiss: Quentin Byrne-Sutton, a Geneva lawyer, and Ulrich Haas, a Zurich professor.
Contador is the second Tour de France winner to lose his title for doping; Floyd Landis, American, lost it in 2006 title after testing positive for testosterone.
MURRAYFIELD, SCOTLAND – England achieved a rare win in Scotland, 4 February, but it did little convince the fans that there will be much attractive rugby coming from the team. The one try was from a clearance kick being charged down by Charlie Hodgson, while Scotland wasted many scoring chances with careless handling. The game ended 6-13. France looked far better as they swept past Italy 30-12. The most exciting game was Ireland against Wales, where the visitors fought back to take the game 21-23 in the final minute.
Links to other sites: RBS 6 Nations, Guardian, Wales Online
