Pack your thermal underwear!
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – We’re heading for the slopes shortly, so this will be short and sweet: a great weekend of skiing and snowboarding is out that for those who are ready to brave the cold.
Weather forecast, avalanche conditions, snow depth
Snow whipped off rooftops and swirled around village streets near Lake Geneva, Friday morning
From now until Tuesday: sunny skies with icy temperatures. Everywhere. Wild winds that are already whipping up Lake Geneva are likely to continue through the weekend, “adding to the impression of fierce cold”, says the national weather service, MeteoSwiss.
Temperatures of -10Cwith a high of -8 in Geneva Friday will keep falling, to -12 with a high of -6 by Sunday, and only -7 Tuesday.
Southern Alps areas and the Jura will be some of the cold spots, with La Chaux-de-fonds and Zermatt having overnight lows of -21C Saturday.
Strong winds, up to 55 and 65 kph over the weekend will build in strength, reaching 75kph in many areas and 95kph in Eastern Switzerland at the start of next week.
Snow depth
Small amounts of new snow have fallen in most mountain areas in the past three days. The depth at 2,000 metres throughout the Alps remains more than 200cm and will remain that way given the cold spell. The depth in the Jura is 20-50cm even at 1,200metres.
Avalanche risks are relatively low, 2/5 in most areas except northern Ticino, where it is 3/5.
Jura report
by Shirley Curran
Although the snow conditions are superb, it is extremely cold up on our local hills and the temperatures are due to drop every day until Sunday when we might expect a very slight rise, from the predicted -20C to minus 17! The bise wind is due to strengthen.
If you enjoy feathery light snow and extremely cold weather, this is the time to head for the Jura – but wrap up well and plan lots of stops for hot wine or hot chocolate. The cold is fearsome! As always, I recommend that you check the webcams and the website at Monts-Jura.com before you load up the car.
Alps report: sun and cold weather should provide some perfect skiing, but check resorts for wind closings before you head out, given that the wind is likely to pick up as the weekend goes on. Check our previous winter weekend snow and winter sports reports for links to a number of resorts.
Clearing the roof, 30 December 2011, near Crans-Montana, Valais
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Too much of a good thing, with more and more snow falling, means that many lifts in the Swiss Alps are not open Friday: more than a foot fell overnight, more is expected Friday night and Meteoswiss is predicting strong northwest winds throughout the Alps Saturday.
Alps and avalanche reports
Check directly with resorts as the situation is rapidly changing for piste closings and openings, due to weather:
Anzere, Crans-Montana, Leysin-Aigle, Verbier, Villars-Gryon, Saas-Fee, Zermatt
The Swiss Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research, WSL, bulletin concludes with: “On Saturday, continuous and intermittently intense snowfall is anticipated in all regions of the Swiss Alps except the furthermost south. The northwesterly wind will be blowing at strong velocity. The snowfall level is expected to ascend towards 1800 m over the course of the day. On Sunday, the precipitation will taper off in northern regions. In southern regions it will be sunny. The avalanche danger will escalate significantly on Saturday, presumably giving rise to increasingly frequent naturally triggered avalanches.”
Jura report
by Shirley Curran
With more snow falling, we look set for a good season. The cold weather and snow are expected to continue until Saturday when milder conditions are expected with some sunshine. The start of January promises to be warmer than recent days and our resorts will have a fine covering of snow, with the fresh that is falling now. Crowds will have diminished. Now is the time to enjoy ski-ing less than half an hour from the Swiss frontier!
Ed. note: at noon Friday the ski runs were open - check for updates
Great weather for snowshoes, ski touring, ice skating and sledding!
Snowshoes in canton Valais: perfect way to get around 30 December
A foot or more of fresh snow in the Alps, so if you’re thinking about skiing, check the roads and lift reports before heading for the hills 30 December.
At 1,800 metres altitude in the Alps, there is no shortage of snow 22 December!
Dear fans of GenevaLunch,
Snow and more and more snow has had an impact on our ability to bring you the news this week, but weather and mountain pass roads permitting, we should be back on duty by late Thursday night.
Apologies for the unintended slowdown but when buildings carry more snow on their rooftops than they have building space underneath, the Internet doesn’t always work well!
See you tomorrow, when we’ll bring you up to date. And if all goes well we might even bring you our weekend winter sports and snow report tonight – one guarantee, there will be snow for Christmas. For details, stay tuned!
Snow, snow and more snow throughout the Alps!
"Snow is getting deep here and no end in sight", from a GenevaLunch friend in Zermatt, 18:00 Friday (good luck!)
Updated 21:50 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Weather is top of the weekend news, with snow falling and falling in the mountains, at long last, even down to the plain. Zermatt, Verbier and all other major resorts now have snow, an abundance of it, in the villages at the bottom of the slopes, and more is on the way.
A white Christmas is guaranteed at this point, whether or not you’re on the pistes!
If you don’t yet have winter tires on your car, don’t delay: the snow will be mixed with rain and ice in many areas, with wild high winds Friday and Saturday in some areas.
Chains: you rarely need them in Switzerland because main mountain roads are cleared promptly, but be sure to have a set in the car for the winter.
Weather forecast and snow
Golf course in the centre of Crans-Montana, at 1,700m altitude, with snow falling at 09:20 Friday morning (source: CM webcam)
Note for Geneva residents: the city frequently had more than 50cm of snow a year until the mid-1980s, but the amount of snow has dropped since then (flip side is that the amount of sunshine has risen). That doesn’t mean Geneva will be snow-free this winter, but the weekend forecast is for temperatures of 3-9C with rain and strong winds by Saturday, gusting at 90-115kph on the plain.
Jura, but especially northern Jura areas can expect continuing gusts above 110kph.
Driving conditions in the Valais mountain resorts are treacherous late Friday, with snow plows struggling to keep up with the heavy snowfall, so if you’re heading up for a first skiing session, take care. Warm foehn winds blew in lower Alpine areas Friday morning, but by afternoon colder winds with gusts of up to 150kph hit some parts of the Alps, while others had steady but quiet snow falling.
Canton Graubuenden, with its famed resorts of Davos, Klosters, St Moritz and more, has “abundant” snow falling, with lower temperatures than other resort areas, -7C to highs of -1C.
Alpine resorts
Note that they are virtually all closed Friday because of high winds and heavy snowfalls; check the resorts for open runs before heading there for a day on the slopes.
Diablerets and Villars: free skiing (limited number of lifts) for everyone before Sunday 17 December! Snow falling, Glacier 3000 reports snow depths of 50-85cm.
Verbier reports a very high level of avalanches, plenty of snow in the town by late morning and snow continuing to fall. Note that the Friday reports on the web site were a bit behind, noting for example a snow depth of 110cm at Les Ruinettes (2,200 metres) and none in the village (report from 08:00).
Crans-Montana, steady snow falling this week, snow depth has reached 117-150cm in the past two days!
Jura ski resorts
by Shirley Curran
(late Thursday) Last weekend, there was enough snow for our season to begin at the Col de la Faucille, though conditions were rather wet and gloomy. It has snowed and rained intermittently since then and the resorts are now boasting 25cm of snow with more falling steadily and a significant cold snap expected. The official opening date of 17 December 17 seems to be on target. The webcams give you an honest view of the situation.
An attractive offer is being made by the Lake Geneva Tourist Office for anyone visiting the area. Here is an extract!
“For one overnight stay or longer in a partner hotel, you can familiarize yourself free of charge with snowshoeing or cross-country skiing, while exploring the vast spaces of the Jura mountain range. Relax as you discover our 405 km of cross-country trails and our 105 km of snowshoeing trails for all difficulty grades. Well maintained and safe trails await you and will allow you to discover new experiences.”
Neighbouring France resorts
Snow has continued to fall this week and there is no shortage of the white stuff at Meribel, Val d’Isere, Courcheval and other main resorts.
Val d'Isere in France was the winner for snowfalls this week!
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Winter has definitely arrived, and if you are up for skiing, the slopes are ready for you!
We are kicking off GenevaLunch’s winter season weekly snow and sports reports, a Friday morning roundup from Swiss and some French resorts with weather forecasts, snow conditions, avalanche reports , travel news, competition results and more.
Shirley Curran once again reports every weekend from the Jura and Ellen Wallace from the Alps, with others occasionally contributing videos or special reports from the slopes.
Weather forecast
Wednesday and Thursday the Alps had very strong winds, adding some instability to snow on the slopes: MeteoSwiss measured 149.8 km/h at Chasseral, 148 km/h at the Titlis and 130 km/h at Diablerets. Chasseral was particularly affected with the average speed of the wind over 10 minutes more than 100 km/h for more than three hours.
For the weekend: temperatures hovering between 2 and 8-9C throughout the region this weekend, with some rain in the Jura and generally dry in the Alps, but temperatures below zero at altitude will allow the fresh snow to remain. More snow is expected Tuesday, but then the snow line should rise to 2000 m before falling next Friday to 1,000m, as schools break up for the holidays.
Snow conditions
This slope in the centre of Val d'Isere was technically closed Thursday, but skiers decided otherwise
Variable is the best word, with the snow that fell at the start of the week falling heavily in some resorts, less so in others.
Valais police are warning caution, with the snow base unstable. A six-year-old child caught by an avalanche Wednesday died during the night after being hospitalized.
Snow levels in Alpine stations Thursday: see the SLF snow depth map for Friday, showing all of Switzerland. Crans-Montana opens this weekend, with powder, but the base is still only 20-50cm. Verbier, Les Ruinettes has 44cm. Central Valais had more snow early in the week than lower Valais, closer to Lake Geneva, and Zermatt has snow down to the village, with virtually all lifts operating. Vaud Alps also received heavier snowfalls, so Gstaad has 20-65cm.
Switzerland’s most reliable and richest source of information on snow conditions is the daily Avalanche Bulletin published in English and other languages by SLF, the Swiss Snow and Avalanche Research Institute.
Jura report
by Shirley Curran
Things are looking very promising for our Jura resorts – better than last year when we had a magnificent dump of snow at the start of December that was all washed away during the second week. There is already snow on our summits and the official opening of Crozet-Lélex, and La Faucille-Mijoux and, of course Menthières and Le
Vattey is 17 December. The higher resorts will, exceptionally, be running this weekend if they deem that there is sufficient snow. You can see the state of snow coverage for yourself if you visit the official website and click on ‘Webcams’.
The plan at the momentis to run the Telecombi at the Col de la Faucille and two other lifts during the weekend. Of course, that depends on the weather.
France Voisine, Val d’Isère
If you want to remind yourself what glorious winter snow is like, head for the French resort, just under three hours from Geneva Airport by car or shuttle bus. The peaks had 1.7 metres in just three days at the start of the week and the village itself, at 1,850 metres, is heavily covered and charmingly wintry. Temperatures are hovering around zero on the slopes, so the snow is in good condition.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Jetman does it again: astonishes, with his latest feat, flying 28 November with two Breitling Jet Team jets from Dijon, France, in formation over the Alps. We’re nearly speechless, so just watch the video (other feats by Vaud’s famous pilot Yves Rossy, formerly known as Fusion Man):
by Thomas Clark
2011 marks the centenary of the death of British explorer Edward Whymper
Matterhorn (photo, E Wallace)
The famed mountaineer climbed many of the world’s most treacherous summits. He was the first to ascend several of the highest peaks in the Alps, the Canadian Rockies and the Andes.
But it was his Matterhorn triumph and the subsequent tragedy that befell his party for which he is best known.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Edward Whymper was born the son of an artist in London, April 1840. He trained to become a wood engraver to follow in the steps of his older brother the noted illustrator and explorer, Frederic Whymper.
Edward received a commission at age 20 to make a series of sketches of Alpine scenery, and he undertook an extensive journey in the Central and Western Alps.
“I had only a literary acquaintance with mountaineering, and had not even seen, much less set foot upon, a mountain,” he wrote.
Edward Whymper
The objective of his commission was to illustrate the mountaineering efforts for a Professor Bonney who was attempting to scale Mont Pelvoux. The mountain at that time was believed to be the highest peak in the Daughin Alps. Unfortunately the trip ended in failure for the Bonney contingent.
Inspired by failure
But the failure inspired Edward to make his own attempt at Pelvoux, despite his lack of climbing experience.
“As if by mere chance I fell in with a very agreeable Frenchman who accompanied this party, and was pressed by him to return the assault. In 1861 we did so with my friend Macdonald and we conquered.”
The conquest of Pelvoux now convinced him to become an explorer first and an illustrator second. Flushed with his recent achievement he developed plans to add more Alpine peaks to his mountaineering resume.
Between 1860 and 1864 he lead dozens of expeditions within the Alps, which vastly contributed to the understanding of the local topography. He completed the first assents of Barre des Ecrins, Aiguille d’Argentiere and Mont Dolent in 1864, and in 1865 Aiguille Verte, Grand Cornier and Pointe Whymper, the latter named in his honour.
Matterhorn looms large
He became obsessed with the Matterhorn during this period, at that time a peak considered to be unclimbable.
Swiss Alps downpour: the birds were happy
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – Happy worm-hunting birds were the rare creatures outside Monday morning in Switzerland as rain, rain and more rain fell.
Traffic on a number of highways early Monday was slowed down by the soggy start to the week.
Switzerland was drenched, with the exception of parts of Ticino; the central and eastern parts of the country were given an orange alert Monday morning by the national weather service, MeteoSwiss, for heavy rainfall.
Some areas received up to 60mm of rain between Sunday night and Monday noon, with most areas getting 25-35mm.
The new downpour, the result of a cold front from the north, followed 80-110mm in some regions from Thursday to Sunday, ending a long dry spell in many areas, particularly in the Alps.
Another 10 to 20mm is likely to fall Monday afternoon on northern Alpine slopes, especially along the eastern stretch and northern Graubuenden.
The snowline, which was down to 1,200 metres Saturday, rose to 2,600 metres Monday as temperatures warmed up.
All parts of the country should see rain end by Monday evening.
SION, SWITZERLAND – The bodies of two climbers, a woman from Fribourg and a Belgian man who lives in Switzerland, were found early Tuesday on the Weisshorn.
The pair went missing 16 September after leaving the Mountet hut at 04:30 to climb the peak. Rescue teams have been searching for them since their disappearance was announced Sunday 18 September.
Their bodies were spotted during a helicopter search, on the north face of the peak. The search had been temporarily stopped due to bad weather, including fog. They had fallen 100-150 metres, below the Moming peak, and the bodies were partly covered with snow.
Original piles in Lac de Chalain, rive occidentale, with the reconstruction of a Neolithic dwelling in the bqckground (photo ©2011, P Pétrequin, Centre de la Recherches Archeologique de la Vallée de l’Ain)
NEUCHATEL, SWITZERLAND -Long before there were national boundaries in the Alps there were prehistoric pile-dwelling (or stilt house) settlements in what is today Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Slovenia and Switzerland, and next week the traces they left will be recognized internationally.
A group of 111 of these sites were named a Unesco World Heritage “site” 27 June and 9 September the official ceremony welcoming the new site takes place in Neuchatel, at the 10-year-old Latinium museum and research centre.
Switzerland, with 56 of the sites, is the lead country for the project to be recognized.
Unesco describes the sites:
“This serial property of 111 small individual sites encompasses the remains of prehistoric pile-dwelling (or stilt house) settlements in and around the Alps built from around 5000 to 500 BC on the edges of lakes, rivers or wetlands. Excavations, only conducted in some of the sites, have yielded evidence that provides insight into life in prehistoric times during the Neolithic and Bronze Age in Alpine Europe and the way communities interacted with their environment. Fifty-six of the sites are located in Switzerland. The settlements are a unique group of exceptionally well-preserved and culturally rich archaeological sites, which constitute one of the most important sources for the study of early agrarian societies in the region.”
The Latinium is holding a special public day 11 September, a Sunday, to celebrate its 10th anniversary. The museum park, which recreates this prehistoric world, is open seven days a week, with no entry charge.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Two climbers who fell to their deaths 24 August near Zermatt have been identified, say canton Valais police: a 48-year-old woman and 52-year-old man, both Italian. They were climbing the dent d’Hérens and were at 4,050 metres, roped together, when they fell 400 metres.
Italian dies on Matterhorn late Sunday afternoon
Update 11:50 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The past four days have taken a high toll in deaths and injuries in Switzerland: a well-known wine writer was murdered by her former companion who then committed suicide early Friday, three mountain climbers lost their lives in falls and four youths on a joyride are in serious condition after the car they stole rolled several times.
Murder victim and ex known in food and wine circles
Barbara Dittus-Meier, 47, former editor of Vinum, the European wine magazine, and a widely respected wine authority in Switzerland, was shot at her home shortly after midnight Friday in Baden, not far from Zurich, by her ex-companion, Rui A, a Portuguese chef and owner of the Pergola restaurant in Bad Zurzach, 43. He then turned the gun on himself. Neighbours alerted the police after hearing several shots. The three daughters of Dituss-Meier, ages 14 to 20, were asleep at the time of the deaths, but were awakened by the shots and they discovered the bodies. (more on editor Ellen Wallace’s wine blog, Among the Vines).
Argovian police had previously received calls for domestic violence; the couple had been together for several years but had recently split up.
Youths steal car, lose control and flip it
Fourth local youths stole a car in Stalenried in canton Valais in the early hours of Sunday 21 August, around 02:00, and headed on the cantonal road for Gspon when the driver lost control of the car on a bend.
It rolled over several times, 150 metres down a sloping pasture, before coming to a stop. All four were taken to hospital with serious injuries: two were flown to the Hopital de l’Ile in Bern and two others were taken by ambulance to Visp.
They are 18, 16, 14 and 13 years old.
Fire destroys new barn at its inauguration
A new building described by canton Vaud police as an “ultra-modern” barn that was to house 160 animals starting next week in Grens, Vaud, caught fire and was destroyed Saturday afternoon at 15:00 during its inauguration.
Several dozen people and about 15 animals were there to celebrate the completion of the barn when it caught fire, for reasons that are not yet known. The building housed more than 800 large rolls of hay and straw, and it went up in flames quickly. The animals were taken to safety and no one was injured. The 160 animals scheduled to winter there are currently up in the Copettes alpage near Givrins.
Separate accidents kill 3 in Swiss Alps
An Italian died on the east face of the Matterhorn at 17:30 Sunday and two climbers died in separate accidents 19 and 20 August, bringing to four the number of people who died in one week while walking or climbing in canton Valais.
Police say the Italian was one of a group of five climbing the Matterhorn/Cervin Sunday 21 August when he fell 500 metres to his death on the east face of the mountain, shortly before the Solvay hut, at 4,030 metres. The group was not roped together. Police are trying to formally identify the climber.
A 43-year-old German man who was climbing the Lagginhorn mountain on his own 19 August fell 50 metres to his death, at 3,600 metres. His family became worried when he hadn’t returned home by 20:30 and they called police. A helicopter search failed to find him during the night but found his body when the search was taken up again Saturday morning.
Two Austrian climbers headed up the south face of the Dent Blanche Saturday morning. As they started down, on the south peak at 4,000 metres, at 09:30, one of them, a 27-year-old man, fell 400 metres to his death, for reasons that are not clear.
A 15-year-old Mauritian tourist lost his life earlier in the week while hiking near Martigny-La Combe.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – A 15-year-old boy on a walk in the Alps with a family member and friend fell 50 metres to his death Thursday afternoon 18 August at 16:30. The trio paused for a rest and the youth walked off to a nearby waterfall to cool off. When he didn’t return after a few minutes the others went to look for him.
They were hiking in the “Plan de l’Au”, area near Champex d’en Bas. Police were alerted at 20:00 when the other two had still not found the young man. A rescue operation worked until 04:00, then began looking again at 07:00 but it was only at 13:00 that his body was spotted by a helicopter.
The youth, who was Mauritian, had been vacationing in the region.
13 mountain deaths this year, 8 of them in July
Grand Combin accident area, where three fell to their deaths Friday (photo: Valais Police)
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The Swiss Alps are taking a heavy toll on climbers this year, with 13 deaths to date, 8 of them in July alone. But Friday 15 July was a particularly lethal day, with five deaths in three separate accidents, coming just a day after a 61-year-old Scottish tourist lost his life when he slipped and fell 200 metres down a couloir near Verbier.
The first fatal accident Friday occurred at 10:00 in the Grand Combins area. Three climbers, equipped with crampons and ice axes, left Valsorey at 05:00 to climb the slopes leading to the Meitin glacier.
At 10:00 they were a few metres from the pass at the foot of the Combin de Valsorey, altitude 3,700 metres, that leads to the Plateau du couloir when one of the climbers appears to have fallen, taking the two other climbers who were roped to him as he fell.
The three fell several hundred metres. A helicopter carried the three bodies down and police are now trying to identify them.
Grand Combin (photo: Valais Police)
A second accident occurred near Saas Grund at 12:10 when a group of seven Germans was climbing the Lagginhorn. They were not roped together.
About 100 metres short of the summit, 3,850 metres, one of them lost his balance and fell several hundred metres to his death.
In a third accident near Arolla, two climbers were rappeling down from the Petit Mt Collon.
The first made the descent without any trouble, but when his companion started down, the rope attached to the rock face gave way and the climber fell 20 metres and died at the scene of the accident.
Formal identification is underway for the Saas Grund and Arolla fatalities.
Friday was a beautiful, sunny day in the mountains, with highs of 25C on the plain.
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – EPFL chose the right week to talk about a new field project, part of a larger study of how environment influences flood rates in mountain valleys.
Ticino and parts of Valais, including Zermatt, are worriedly watching rising waters from heavy summer storms.
The two-year-old project to better understand the hydrology of the Alps in order to reduce risks is run by EPFL’s Environmental Fluid Mechanics Laboratory (Eflum). It has set up 25 ground weather stations in a 20 km2 area that covers a large part of the Val Ferret watershed. The goal is to improve methods for predicting natural disasters to better warn populations in risk zones. “Mathematical models exist, but they still don’t take into account all the data that are needed to establish reliable predictions, such as the influence of air temperature, the formation of thermal winds or the impact of precipitation,” says Marc Parlange, the EPFL professor who heads the lab.
The field project this summer has involved setting up several new tools: two weather stations on 10m towers, a weather balloon that will be regularly deployed, and three Lidars, laser-based instruments which will be used to take continuous wind data over a height of nearly 2 km.
Water and wind input are two key aspects being studied this summer. Val Ferrat was chosen because it was the rare valley to meet a specific set of requirements, says Raphaël Mutzner, the PhD student responsible for hydrologic modeling.
There were not many options, he points out.
Snow conditions, Spring skiing deals, this season’s improvements, Aminona resort, upcoming events
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Winter is officially behind us, clocks spring forward this weekend, and the snow is gone from the lower slopes, so this will be GenevaLunch’s final weekend snow and winter sports report for 2010-2011 season.
There is still time to ski and even sled, so snow fans have little to worry about, but you’ll need to check first to see where the snow is. Be sure to take along the sun cream!
Weather forecast
Snowpark at Corvatsch, St Moritz, 25 February 2011
Highs on the plain and at low altitudes, including Geneva, of 18-20C Saturday, with sunshine, but clouds building in the afternoon. Expect mountain highs of 16C Sunday and snow Sunday afternoon down to 1,700-1,900 metres.
Resorts closing, but special offers in some that stay open
This is the final weekend of skiing for most resorts at lower altitudes. This includes the Jura, where there is still, happily, enough snow for a few final downhill runs. Shirley Curran reports:
“Our Jura ski season closes Sunday, 27 March, but it is still possible to ski at Crozet and Lelex. Indeed, in the middle of the week, the run right down to Lelex was still in operation, though the cover down there is thin. Eight lifts will be running on Saturday and Sunday but it is a good idea to get up there early as the snow becomes very soft in the afternoon. You will need suncream too. The season is already over at the Col de la Faucille.”
MySwitzerland, the national tourism office, has a list of resorts that remain open in April, with special spring skiing deals as well as a list of the glacier resorts, some of which offer summer skiing later on.
GenevaLunch’s series, Swiss dream ski week, will be completed Sunday 27 March with the final article, on Zermatt, the slopes and the town. The report on Davos published 25 March points out that great skiing and snowboarding is available there until the end of April.
Avalanche alerts, for those going off-piste or doing back country skiing: moderate / level 2 on the northern flank of the Alps, but high / level 3 on the southern side, from lower Valais to the Goms. Details in the national daily avalanche bulletin, in English.
Looking back, changes during the 2010-2011 ski season
Snow machines are everywhere
Click on images to view larger
Jura skiing, on Geneva's doorstep, in the fresh March air above the Geneva Motor Show
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) -Spring weather is upon us, with temperatures well above zero C during the day throughout the region and no fresh snow in sight over the weekend.
Head for Oslo, Norway, if you want colder weather, where the Nordic Ski World Championships finish this weekend.
Closer to home, if you’re not interested in going to the mountains, Geneva will be awash in car fans, for the Geneva Motor Show, one of the world’s largest car shows. Biel/Bienne starts its five-day carnival festivities a bit later in the week, Wednesday 9 March, with some seriously noisy and fun brass band competitions.
Warning about Sunday traffic: the Vaud school holiday ends and the car show is on: the combination will create dense traffic starting at 15:00 on the autoroutes heading back to Geneva.
Weather forecast
Nighttime temperatures just below 0C and during the day highs of 7-8C, with 5-6C in the mountains at 1,500-1,800 metres altitude. Fog on the plain in the mornings, to 800-1,000m, dissipating or thinning during the afternoons, a bonus for Jura resorts where you can ski in the sun and look down on poor Genevans in the fog. Temperatures are expected to stay in this range until Thursday.
Details, MeteoSwiss (Fr). Check GenevaLunch weather pages, from the national weather service, for current Geneva and Zurich temperatures and weather forecast in English.
Avalanche warnings
The danger level is 3,”considerable” along the northern flank of the Alps, the northern lower Valais which includes several popular resorts and the main Alpine ridge from the Matterhorn to Furka. Fresh snow has been 10-25cm. The Swiss national avalanche bulletin Saturday morning 5 March notes:
“In northern regions more than anywhere else, there are faceted, loosely packed layers of old snow embedded inside the snowpack which are prone to triggering in many areas. Released avalanches and weak snow profiles make clear that these weak layers must be taken into consideration at altitudes as of the treeline. In addition, in all regions of the Swiss Alps, there are freshly formed snowdrift accumulations, particularly in areas adjacent to ridge lines and pass areas.”
A sad note: a well-known and very experienced Canadian skier from Verbier, Scott Mann, who ran the Surefoot shop in Verbier, lost his life in an avalanche near Mont Bonvin in Crans-Montana early in the week.
News from the resorts
Snow cover remains good in the Jura resorts and blue skies are returning for the weekend
The anticyclone that was stationary over our Jura mountains has at last moved on and the sunshine is back. The snow cover is still good at both Crozet/Lélex and La Faucille/Mijoux with about 60 percent of the lifts operating at Cozet, and good runs still available right down to Mijoux and Lélex. Up above Geneva’s layer of murk there is good skiing to be had and the French holiday crowds are diminishing.
Alps
The small bit of snow that fell last week isn’t enough to excite off-piste skiers, but it gave the resorts enough to look brighter and whiter and to keep skiers happy.
Snow is hard underneath a thin layer of fresh snow in most resorts, but it varies, so do check MySwitzerland’s up-to-date guide to snow conditions.
Zermatt and the 4 Vallees areas are the only ones with a depth of over 100cm, although Verbier has 93cm and Crans-Montana 79cm, and there is powder in several places.
Snowpark at Corvatsch, St Moritz, 25 February 2011
GenevaLunch on Sunday starts its special five-day report on Dream Ski Week: five of the best resorts in a week, for good skiers. One of these is St Moritz, and if you’re tempted by our report, keep in mind that next weekend you can catch one of the most impressive ski sights of the year, the 42 km Engadine Ski Marathon, with some 20,000 participants. Reserve your hotel room ahead, given the visiting crowd of cross-country racers.
The run, with spectacular scenery and great snow, is from Maloja to S-chanf, with the half-marathon from Maloja to Pontresina. Tempted to join the race? You can register until the day before the event, 12 March.
Google’s Street Views to add Swiss ski slopes
Verbier on a blue skies day in January 2011
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – We will soon be bringing you a wonderful special feature, a report from two good skiers, one young and one a few years older, who’ve decided to see how many top Swiss ski resorts they can pack into a week.
They are looking at what’s involved in making a perfect week, away from family, minds focused on the slopes, from getting from point to point and whether the fabled slopes are as grand as their reputations.
They’re busy touring and gathering tips for that dream week of yours, but they are also sending brief daily reports on conditions to whet your appetite.
Here’s the first one, from Verbier, 21 February:
“Lots of cloud, snow was pretty good on the pistes with a few centimetres of fresh snow. They still need a big dump so people can go off-piste and do more at the snow park, which wasn’t busy. Left the slopes early for good apres-ski due to poor visibility. Challenging skiing, more sporty than other places.”
Meanwhile, a few peaks away, Zermatt snowmobiles carry Google cameras
Thomas Imboden of Zermatt Bergbahnen in front of the Matterhorn Monday 21 February with the Google Street View snowmobile
Google has starting filming in Zermatt as part of its plans to map Swiss ski slopes. The company began filming Monday 21 February, using a snowmobile on the Sunnegga, at 2,288 metres, and will continue to the Paradis glacier at 3,883.
The images will then be put through a quality control check and assembled, so it will be some months before they are available to the public.
Google plans to film as many other ski areas as possible, a plan that Thomas Winkler, a member of the board of the Swiss national tourism office calls “a gift for Swiss tourism”.
The filming in Zermatt has begun a week before a court case comes up that will consider the legality of Street Views under Swiss privacy laws.
Courts aside, the Swiss population is enjoying Street Views, Google says, in a statement about the new ski slope shooting: its Google Maps have seen a 20 percent increase in use since the August 2009 start of Google Street Views.
In recent months a tricycle has filmed hard-to-view areas such as the Chateau de Chillon in canton Vaud and the Aletsch glacier in canton Valais.
The slopes don’t pose the same problem as Swiss streets because they are being closed while Google’s cameras, on snowmobiles, film the pistes.
Plane crash in Valais (photo, Valais Cantonal Police)
Update 12 February (new photo) Sion, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Police in canton Valais say a light plane carrying five persons crashed at around 12:45 Friday 11 February in the region of the Weisshorn in the Val d’Anniviers. All five were killed.
They were identified Saturday as a French pilot, resident in Switzerland and a French family of four. The man was 41, the woman 42, the two children a girl of 15 and boy age 11.
The pilot took off from Geneva, then stopped in Lausanne to pick up the family, who planned to do a tour of the Alps and then land in Sion.
The plane crashed for unknown reasons, but it appears the plane may have been unable to clear the peak. The weather in the area was clear.
A military Puma helicopter found the wreckage of the plain straddled across a razor sharp peak between the Val d’Anniviers and the Val de Tourtemagne. Efforts were underway to recover the bodies and the wreckage as dusk fell over the peaks Friday evening.
Plane crash at around 3,000 metres in Swiss Alps: all 5 aboard the small plane died 11 February 2011
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La Faucille, Jura (photo, ©2010: Shirley Curran)
Geneva / Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Snow began to make a serious appearance in the Swiss Alps and the Jura mountains over the weekend, leaving the first layers that are needed for a good skiing base. Jura skiers were already out Saturday and Sunday 20-21 November, at La Faucille. Cross-country skiers from the Lausanne area began training, while in Saas-Fee early season skiers have been having fun for a couple weeks.
GenevaLunch Friday 3 December begins its popular Friday winter weather and snow sports reports. Here’s a warm-up:
Geneva has a skiing first!
The Monts Jura will be hosting a women’s event, the FIS Coupe d’Europe de Ski Alpin Dames. This major event in the skiing calendar is coming to Geneva for the first time. The success of the Monts Jura resort in hosting the French championship competitions in 2009 and 2010 encouraged the European cup organizers to plan one stage of their competition there. The Swiss Ski Federation will be organizing Friday’s Super-Géant race and the French Ski Federation the Super-Combiné on Saturday in Crozet-Lélex, less than half an hour from the centre of Geneva.
Exceptionally, on Friday 11 February, skiers will be able to buy their day pass for 1€ at the Crozet lift. Pedestrians will be able to watch 140 world class skiers, travelling via Lélex on the Friday and the Saturday, also for 1€. Details on the Monts Jura web site.
Winter tires and chains reminder
Vercorin, canton Valais, Switzerland 21 November 2010, snowy peaks above village
Winter tires are not obligatory in Switzerland, but if you are in an accident and your summer tires or winter tires with worn treads are considered a factor, your insurance company and the judge might see fit to give you the bill.
France does not require them either, although some mountain districts do. Austria and Italy are the same. Winter tires are obligatory in Germany.
Make an appointment now, if you don’t yet have winter tires or want someone to change them for you, as garages get very busy with this work by the end of November.
String of deaths in high mountains in past week
Chamonix, France (GenevaLunch.com) – Two British climbers fell 300 metres to their deaths Monday while climbing the Dent du Géant, a peak that is just short of 4,000 metres, not far from Chamonix, over the border from Switzerland. An investigation into the deaths of the 38-year-old man and 20-year-old woman is trying to determine the cause of death, although, according to the Guardian, falling boulders and avalanches appear to have been ruled out.
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Two hikers in their thirties were attacked Sunday afternoon by a herd of cows in the Jura, near Reculet in the Crêtes du Jura, at about 1,700 metres.
They were airlifted out by Rega, whose helicopters scared off the animals, several dozen of which encircled the two people.
Some of the animals had their heads lowered, just centimetres from the faces of the two hikers.
The woman was hospitalized at the HUG university hospitals in Geneva with serious facial injuries, but her life is not in danger, according to Rega, whose doctors were lowered to the field once the cows were frightened off. The man was not hospitalized.
Details of the attack and how the couple found themselves in this situation were not immediately clear, says Rega.
Hiking near cows at Crozets, in the Jura (photo: Shirley Curran)
Facing a cow in its pasture: avoid threatening it by staying calm - back away, avert your eyes (photo: Shirley Curran)
It’s very unusual for cows to attack hikers, reports the air rescue company, which performed more than 14,000 rescues in 2009, a large number of them mountain rescues.
The number of such incidents has grown, however, since changes were made in recent years to the way cows are raised, and stricter measures were adopted to protect the animals’ natural environment.
This is the season when cows and young calves are out in the pastures, as well as bulls.
Some of their grazing land crosses hiking trails.
Rega’s June issue of its monthly magazine offers several useful articles for anyone planning mountain walks, including tips for hikers who come across animals:
- stay calm
- do not leave the hiking trails
- never touch a young calf
- keep a respectful distance from the animals: 20-50 metres minimum
- watch out for menacing signs: head lowered, hoof scratching the dirt
- do not look the animals in the eye
- don’t wave a stick at them and keep your dog on a leash
- do not turn your back to them.
If despite this you are attacked:
- take your dog off its leash
- hit the cow hard on the muzzle with a stick
- remain calm and call Rega: 1414
The Swiss national team
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The Swiss football team is down one man due to injury. The Swiss football federation announced Christoph Spycher’s knee injury is preventing him from playing at the World Cup.
Spycher had planned to retire after the world championship but his injury is forcing him into early retirement.
The defender will be replaced by Ludovic Magnin who is recuperating from a broken hand. According to the Swiss coach, Magnin will wear a cast during training camp which begins on 25 May.
Switzerland will play Costa Rica on 1 June in Sion, and Italy in Geneva on 5 June as part of its pre-World Cup training.
Snowbikes, World Cup races, good snow in the Jura
Crans-Montana, Switzerland
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The season is winding down, but there is still plenty of good snow around. And with the Geneva Motor Show pulling in thousands of visitors, the slopes might be less crowded. The big news this weekend is World Cup Skiing, with the women competing in Crans-Montana.
Weather forecast and snow conditions
Bundle up and don’t fall into the trap of thinking that longer days means warmer weather: not in March in the Alps!
Snow falling at noon Friday 26 February, at 1,000 metres, below Crans-Montana, Valais
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The locals and visitors from other parts of Switzerland will have their mountains to themselves again this weekend, with most of Europe’s school winter holidays over. Expect to climb high for decent snow, with warmer temperatures for the past few days thinning lower slopes. The outlook is brightening for the weekend but the picture remains mixed.
Traffic and weather forecasts, history of skiing show, horses on ice, motorcycle fair and other good train deals, horses on snow, giant greeting card
Plenty of snow in the Jura! February 2010 (photo: Shirley Curran)
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – This weekend it is Geneva residents who head for the ski slopes en masse, with school holidays the week of 22 February. Expect crowds in all Swiss and nearby French resorts.
History of skiing and extraordinary collection of old skis – don’t miss it!
Conthey history of ski exhibit, Coop centre
Ski collection of Laurent Donze, more than 2,000 skis showing centuries of history
The newly redone large Coop in Conthey, two minutes off the autoroute in the heart of a large shopping complex, is home to an extraordinary collection of skis until 28 February. This is a must-see exhibit which recounts the history of skiing from ancient times, put together by Laurent Donzé, who has been president of the Swiss Cross Country Ski Federation. He told GenevaLunch he began collecting skis more than 30 years ago and he now has over 2,000 skis in his collection.
If you think downhill skiing began with the arrival in Switzerland of the British, you might find history shows it is a bit more complicated than that. The exhibit is well documented and illustrated, but the skis themselves offer a reminder of how the need for skis and their designs have changed.
Weather forecast
Rain mixed with snow Friday afternoon on the plain. Snow down to 700 metres in Alpine and Jura areas. Saturday: gradually clearing on the plain, with highs of 4-5C,. Snow Saturday in the Alps, with highs of 9C in the Alps due to warming foehn winds. Winds moderate on western edge of the Alps.
Traffic forecast
Geneva begins its vacation, but so do 10 other cantons Friday 19 February, so TCS warns that traffic will build during the afternoon. The area around Lausanne and heading towards Valais, around the Glion tunnel, are expected to be the worst-hit areas. List of expected heavy traffic areas and time, TCS. For current traffic advisories: TCS in French and the federal truck site in English. Reminder for drivers leaving Geneva: expect delays around Nyon and Gland due to roadworks that continue until 25 February.
Alpine resorts
by Peter Brodbeck and Ellen Wallace
Chateau d'Oex 2010 (photo: ©2010 Peter Brodbeck)
Richard Ashford, Emma Hurst, Chateau d'Oex 2010 (photo: ©2010 Peter Brodbeck)
Collection of photos from the Chateau d’Oex balloon festival, GenevaLunch album by Peter Brodbeck and Josh Fassbind
Chateau d’Oex, Vaud, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – A sky filled with colourful giant hot-air balloons against a backdrop of wintry Swiss Alpine peaks is “simply magical”, says balloonist Richard Ashford. It can be improved on only by being in one of the balloons, at the height, so to speak, of the party.
Ashford, when asked about his favourite ballooning moments, says, “If I had to narrow the choice, I’d say flying over mountain tops on a sunny day with a 360-degree view is hard to beat. The silence is amazing, aside from the occasional burn to keep the balloon at a certain height, and everything below looks like a toy town.”
The Chateau d’Oex Balloon Festival
Richard Ashford and Emma Hurst are British, the pilot/owner and co-pilot of one of the balloons that participated in the 2010 Chateau d’Oex balloon event, which ended Sunday 31 January. They say there is nothing quite like it. “Chateau-d’Oex is a special event. The whole town is behind ballooning. It has the balloon museum with the Breitling Orbiter, shops hang model balloons in their stores and everyone and everything is about ballooning.” And, for the scores of balloonists, enthusiasts and the public, “there is also a whole night scene happening with parties and events and street music. It is very well organized and attracts the best from around the world.”
Chateau d'Oex 2010 (photo: ©2010 Josh Fassbind)
Balloonists who travel the world attending events like this tend to find old friends. “Yes, ballooning is relatively small, but it is part of the fun of the sport. We generally know each other and it is through this network that we often get invited to different events.” It is a very social sport, he adds. “We are a close-knit circle of enthusiasts worldwide, which creates a level of camaraderie. We’re like a big family, and this in itself makes it all worthwhile.”
Ashford says he has been ballooning for about 20 years. “It all started by chance when I unexpectedly came across a balloon landing in a field. I went to the balloon, helped the owner, and was immediately hooked.
The state of the AI en route to the mountains, glorious Jura snow
Weekend walk and circus special in Nyon, Swiss skiers and boarders
Jura (Crozet) Wednesday 20 January (image: S Curran)
Crozet with blue skies - Geneva in the fog below
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - It’s January, so expect a mix of Spring moments and sudden snow showers on the lakefront but pure winter goodness in the mountains this weekend.
Wednesday it snowed in Nyon and along the lakefront, throughout the week the Jura has thrived, as large amounts of the white stuff came down, and the Alps have had sunshine again after gloomy spells.
The road out of town
If you’re heading out of the Geneva area to the Swiss Alps be aware that this is the first weekend when the new A1 autoroute signaling system is open, adding a third lane in each direction between Morges and Lausanne. The system is very easy to follow and there have been no accidents since it was put in place Monday, but you do need to drive attentively, with other drivers sometimes surprised to find the system there. It operates only in the afternoons, until Monday 25 January when it goes into use full-time.
Weather forecast
Latest on Jura and Swiss ski conditions, weather forecast, avalanche courses, winter vineyards walk
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Let it snow, let it snow! City dwellers might have had enough of the white stuff in the past week, with the airport closed and cantons scrambling to find enough salt for their slippery streets. But on the slopes, it’s been good news, especially in the Jura resorts close to Geneva. Swiss resorts report that the holidays were good, with enough snow to keep most visitors happy. The Christmas-New Year’s period was one of the five best in the past 15 years.
