GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – This report is coming to you a bit later than usual as we waited for the ski news to improve and, happily, it has, but it’s not the perfect weekend for beginners. Sunday promises occasional glimpses of sun.
Yes there is snow, fresh snow, throughout much of the Alps, the depth is excellent everywhere and there is good powder. The snow line has been falling since early morning, to 400 metres in some areas.
The less happy news, for those who like blue skies, is that there aren’t any: gray is the norm. And for less confident skiers, whiteout conditions come and go, especially at relatively low altitudes.
In the news: Vaud is studying the option of a super-region that would connect Gstaad-Diableret-Villars-Gryon. The canton has ordered the “Vision Alpes vaudoises 2020″ study that estimates it would cost CHF160 million to build new lifts to link up the resorts and to recreate others, notably in the Glacier 3000 area. Other runs could be closed.
Note that the Vaud Alps resorts share an information web site, which has useful information in English, but if the links don’t take you anywhere try switching to French.
Keep French and Swiss school holiday dates in mind if you’re planning a ski trip in the near future, as the slopes become much busier at these times. Geneva school break starts 11 February, Vaud and Neuchatel break starts 25 February and French schools break at these times depending on their zones.
This weekend Swiss mountain roads are very icy and chains will be needed in more places than usual, with daytime temperatures just above zero then falling at dusk.
Weather forecast
Temperatures will start to fall, with daytime highs of 2 Sunday in most of Western Switzerland. A mixed snow and sun picture: intermittent snow is expected, with occasional sunshine.
Looking ahead, MeteoSwiss says we could be in for one of the coldest snaps in February in years, with highs next weekend already falling, to -6 and -7.
Special activities, offers in resorts this week
Anzeres has a deal worth considering: reserve before 31 January and you can get 20 percent off on several things including a number of hotels and apartments, ski passes, and equipment rentals.
Gstaad kicks off a winter season of 16 concerts at the beautiful old Rougement church, Sunday 29 January.
Leysin/Les Mosses hosts the start of the beautiful Transalp dog races 30 January. This run that covers 160 km of mountain terrain ends 5 February and is one of the highlights of the Alpine purebred Huskies dog race season.
You can now buy package tickets that combine various fun things like fondue dinners with the Villars Night Show that starts 11 February and is on Saturdays and Wednesdays through March.
Jura report
by Shirley Curran
We have another week before the French holidays begin in earnest and we have been favoured this year by great falls of snow. More is expected at the end of the week. As always, it is a good idea to log in to Monts-jura.com and check the webcams to see our impressive conditions for yourself. Snow depth: 120-155cm, depending on the station.
Ed. note: the site corrected Friday evening’s forecast noting that Saturday morning opened with clear skies, although the web cams show clouding over by noon, so definitely check the site for the latest updates.
Alpine resorts
Holding up against the snow - just
Anzere The snowcross (snowmobile) races as well as the 4x mountain bike on snow races scheduled for Saturday 28 January have been postponed; stay tuned for an update.
Crans-Montana Mostly open, with little wind in the region. Snow conditions superb.
Gstaad 80% of runs are open, but whiteout conditions throughout much of the area
Leysin Slopes open, except superpipe snow park, and hints of sunshine. A highlight this winter, with the great snow, is the village toboggan park that features 8 corridors of 150-200 metres and snow tubing, open from 10-20:00
Verbier Virtually everything open, avalanche risk down to level 2, snow depth at Les Gentianes at 310cm and for the good skiers who love this place, the gray skies won’t matter, although with temperatures at -3 to -10, it’s chillier than it’s been.
Villars Mostly open, 10cm of fresh snow added to the 235cm depth.
Mountain roads alert – very icy
Pressure builds on the metre-high fence as more snow arrives in the Alps (here, at 1,100 metres)
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Snow again, and plenty of it throughout Swiss and French mountain regions. The roads were very icy Friday night and, very exceptionally, we needed chains at 800 metres, for the slippery surface rather than deep snow. Snow has been falling steadily since Friday afternoon and the wind has picked up from central to eastern canton Valais resort areas. Be sure to carry chains if you’re driving to the mountains.
Weather forecast
Snow expected through Tuesday in the Jura and the Alps, although Jura areas can expect it to turn to rain in the afternoons this weekend.
The snow line will move up and down between 600 and 1,400 metres and by Monday in canton Valais it will start to be drier, with intermittent sunshine and temperatures rising to 8C at lower altitudes.
Expect sunny slopes again Wednesday, says MeteoSwiss.
Ski report, Alps
Several lifts are closed Saturday morning due to a mix of snow and high winds, with local situations varying considerably. At 10:00 Saturday:
Crans-Montana Entire area closed due to high winds; next update at noon Saturday.
Gstaad Snowing and winds of 45kph and 32 of 57 lifts open. La Vidamanette and Glacier 3000 area closed.
Morgins La Crete and La Tuche closed, but the rest of the lifts are open, 20cm of fresh snow; snowing.
Verbier About 50 percent open, with Mont Forte and Gentiane closed. Winds at 15-35kph, snowing. Snow depth now at 330cm at Col des Gentianes.
Villars-Gryon Mostly open but Glacier 3000 area closed and link to Diableret opening at 11:00, 30cm of fresh snow.
Zermatt Three Furi lifts open but the rest closed. Snowing, but should end by afternoon, with snow Sunday morning and sun/partly cloudy weather in the afternoon.
Avalanche bulletin
Considerable risk, level 3, in most areas and notably for back country skiers and ski touring, although a large swath north of a line running from the Upper Goms Valley in canton Valais to Andermatt and over to Chur in canton Graubuenden has a high risk, level 4.
“The bonding of the new fallen snow and snowdrift to the surface of the old snowpack is generally unfavourable. The old snowpack is favourably structured far and wide. Particularly on the Main Alpine Ridge and in the Upper Engadine on north facing slopes above approximately 2500 m, the snowpack layers near the ground are weakly bonded. Numerous avalanche corridors are filled to the brim with snow or have been effectively obliterated by earlier avalanche releases,” reports the national avalanche research centre’s daily bulletin.
Jura ski resorts
by Shirley Curran
Conditions in the Jura resorts have been exceptional. The very cold weather has permitted the making of vast mounds of artificial snow at Crozet and Lélex to fill bare spots later in the season. Sadly, the long spell of clear cold weather broke on Thursday. Three or four days of snow and rain are now predicted. As usual you are encouraged to go to the website of MontsJura.com to see for yourself what the conditions are like on the slopes.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – A quick Saturday morning update on the status of Swiss and neighbouring France resorts this weekend, following the heavy snowfalls of the past two days:
Alps
Zermatt, early Saturday morning (photo: William Olenick)
Major resorts now have at least some runs open, but many remain closed as crews try to prepare the pistes following more than 100cm of fresh snow in just one day, Thursday, with more snow Friday and heavy drifting.
The quality of the snow is excellent: powder skiing available everywhere.
Anzere 14 of 52 km open, but the rest being prepared
Crans-Montana Plaine Morte and Aminona are closed Saturday; rest is open or being prepared. Snow depth on the Plaine Morte glacier has reached 380cm and in the village it is 150cm.
Gstaad Snow depth is 85-380cm, one of the best years in recent memory for the resort. Saturday: 44 of 57 runs are open.
Verbier Some open, some closed, snowing. Ski depth at Gentiane is now 307cm.
Villars + Gryon Mix of sun and clouds, lifts open, but some snow activities not available
Zermatt Several lifts and runs remain closed, and while the day started with clear blue skies and -10C, Sunday’s clouds, with warmer temperatures, are already on the way. Forecast: three days of sunshine starting Monday.
The avalanche risk is unusually high throughout the Alps, down to 3 (high) but remaining at 4/5 throughout the eastern Alps. Daily avalanche bulletin and map from WSL/SLF.
Jura
by Shirley Curran
Severe winter conditions have affected skiing for most of this week. This means that we have no lack of snow in the Jura resorts but high winds have frequently interrupted the running of the lifts. Next week will probably be very cold so you should wrap up well and enjoy fresh powder. Consult the webcams at MontsJura.com and
their information about what is in operation before you set off!
Ed. note: starting Monday 9 January we are back from the holiday break and posting news as usual on GenevaLunch, including our regular more expanded weekend snow and winter sports report.
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
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – A Swiss and French white Christmas is guaranteed if you’re heading for the mountains.
Weather forecast
Valais Alps, 24 December 2011 snowfall
The weather in Switzerland Saturday 24 December is a mix of rain on the plain and temperatures of 2-5C, with fog, snow and some sunshine in the Alps, highs of 4C and lows of -2C. Christmas day: sunshine with high clouds. Next week, highs of 4C in the mountains, mixed cloudiness and sunshine with snow at higher altitudes by Thursday.
Jura
by Shirley Curran
We are hoping for slightly milder weather and have the best snow cover we have had for years at this state of the season, with most of our installations running in the Jura Mountains: 75cm on the lower slopes, 100cm Saturday at the top. Check the daily bulletin for details of all ski areas (infos neige). Have a wonderful ski week.
Alps
Snow on the peaks now has depths of at least 130cm everywhere, reaching 200-plus in Zermatt. In some cases the resort villages have more snow than the tops of the mountains: in Crans-Montana the village, at 1,800 m, has 180cm, while the glacier above has 130cm!
Several resorts have had to keep some of their runs closed, however, due to a mix of high winds and avalanche risks.
Crans-Montana 3 of 27 runs open Saturday, due to high winds. Some 40,000 guests expected this week, according to tourism office CEO Philippe Rubod.
Gstaad area (includes Glacier 3000) 43 of 57 runs open, snow 60-300cm
Saas-Fee several lifts closed Saturday due to high winds
Verbier runs mostly open, with lower winds than in central canton Valais; snow depth 50-170cm. Note: if you’re in the area be sure to take in the special Christmas concert put on by the Friends of Verbier Festival: Thursday 29 December 2011 at 18.30 in the Eglise de Verbier with Japanese violinist Sayaka Shoji and French pianist Julien Quentin. Tickets are on sale from +41 848 771 882 or by e-mail caroline.bertee@verbierfestival.com, for CHF60 (CHF30, under 16s). Starting 26 December, tickets available at the Verbier tourist information center.
Villars-Gryon 11 of 15 lifts opened Saturday. Avalanche danger remains high. Sledge pistes open from 24 and 26 December in Frience and Cergnement.
Zermatt higher lifts mostly closed due to high winds Saturday, Sunnegga and Gornergrat have several lifts open.
First snowfall below Crans-Montana, at 1,100 meters altitude, noon Tuesday 6 December
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Ski stations have been worrying about opening with little more than artificial snow, and with warmer than usual temperatures even that was looking dubious.
But Mother Nature came through Tuesday and snow fell continally in some Alpine resort areas all day, building a decent base for ski slopes and charming even the non-skiers.
Crans-Montana opens its Cristal Festival today, a European and Middle Eastern conference for the advertising industry that brings in some 2,000 professionals for five days. Organizers said Monday as the first snowflakes drifted tentatively down that in the 13 years the conference has been held, early in December, they have always had snow.
Over the border in France, Val d’Isère had to cancel World Cup ski races due to too little snow, and then starting Monday the white stuff began to down steadily.
And then throughout much of the Alps it fell and it fell.
Welcome to winter!
Moving downhill, ahead of the snow, canton Valais
Artist's rendering, Aminona luxury resort, now on hold
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – The CHF500 million Aminona Luxury Resort project has been put on ice for now by the Swiss Federal Tribunal after a last-minute appeal from environmental groups was accepted. The canton Valais high court in August refused to accept the groups’ objections to the project.
The high court also ruled Monday against the company behind the project, which was asking for a CHF5 million deposit from the environmental groups to offset costs linked to the delay.
The project would create a large resort in Aminona, next to Crans-Montana, with a five-star hotel, 32 chalets, five towers and luxury services. The complete project would have 2,500 beds.
The tribunal accepted the arguments by three groups, WWF, Patrimoine Suisse and the Fondation suisse pour la protection et l’aménagement du paysage (Swiss Foundation for Landscape Conservation). The court notes in its decision that the site of the new resort is in a stretch of dry prairie which is provisionally on the federal list of dry prairies and pastures of national importance.
The court ruled that starting construction could cause “irreparable damage” to the dry prairies, and they must benefit from “provisional preventive protection”.
ATS (TSR, Fre) reports that the court is unlikely to rule before January on the basic right of the project to go ahead.
The project has faced hurdles from the start. It calls for three construction phases, and one of the arguments of the environmental groups is that this division of the project into smaller parts has allowed the backers to avoid presenting a coherent overall plan to competent authorities.
The first phase, to build 10 towers on the eastern side of the project, prompted a temporary ban on construction to allow time to review the impact of such dense construction. The ban was lifted by the cantonal council in the summer of 2010, then confirmed by the cantonal court in August 2011. Phases 2 and 3, to build 45 chalets and a number of towers, lag behind in the approval process.
The environmental groups also argue that the scale of the project is out of tune with the times and that with 70,000 “cold beds” or unused hotel, apartments and chalets, it makes little sense to build such a large number of new places.
History of the Village Royal Aminona Luxury Resort project, GenevaLunch:
Aminona resort takes on green tint, September 2010
Aminona Russian Alpine resort faces WWF opposition, December 2009
Raspille-Tieche river near Crans-Montana
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Blick magazine has shed some some light on the largest-ever chunk of gold found in Switzerland, reportedly found in the Tieche river near Crans-Montana by a 34-year-old German hiker in September. But the Valais cantonal geologist says maybe it’s a nugget someone lost: there’s no gold in that river.
The gold nugget is 7cm long, 3.5cm wide and weights 128.5 grams.
The rivers in this area have not until now been known for carrying gold. And it’s possible they never will be. Geologist Jean-Daniel Rouiller told Le Nouvelliste, the Valais news service, that it’s quite simply impossible because the right bank of the Rhone is limestone and gold isn’t part of the rock there.
CRANS-MONTANA, SWITZERLAND – Danish golfer Thomas Björn defeated the weather and three of the top ten golfers in the world to win the Omega European Masters by four strokes at Crans-Montana. The 40 year old Danish golfer scored an impressive 62 on the final round to push Martin Kaymer into second place. Rory McIlroy shared third place with two others while Lee Westwood came in sixth.
Damian Ulrich was the top Swiss, despite slipping back from sixth to 18th place.
Links to other sites: TSR, Omega European Masters
Car rolled 150 metres down steep slope, leaving passenger in critical condition
SION, SWITZERLAND – A 22-year-old passenger in a car that was parked in front of a nightclub in Montana-Vermala, part of the Crans-Montana resort area, is in critical condition after the car rolled down a steep slope.
The 24-year-old woman who was in the driver’s seat managed to free herself and get help.
Police are investigating why and how the parked car, for unknown reasons, began to roll, then went off the road and was only stopped some 150 metres below the road by a tree.
Avalanche on Crans-Montana piste in Randogne, Col du Pochet, 8 April
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Police in Valais say no skiers were caught by the 200-metre long avalanche that ran down a groomed ski slope in the resort of Crans-Montana Friday mornng 8 April.
The avalanche, 30 metres wide, was apparently triggered by two skiers on the slope at 11:45, near the Col du Pochet.
No victims found after three hour search
A rescue operation to look for people trapped by the avalanche was immediately organized, but it was called off at 14:30 when it was determined that there were no victims.
The rescue team included two helicopters, a doctor, two mountain guides, 2 search dogs and their handlers, 15 patrollers from the ski lifts.
The avalanche occurred at about 2,500 metres and the depth of the avalanches was 80 cm.
Swiss avalanche bulletins warns wet avalanche risk “escalates swiftly”
The Swiss avalanche bulletin for 8 April and for the weekend notes that the risk of wet avalanches escalates swiftly during the day, with temperatures at 2,000 metres now 12C.
Warm sunny weather in increasing risk of wet avalanches in Valais: Crans-Montana, 8 April
Crans-Montana has posted a notice that given the skiing conditions only Violette will be open starting Monday 11 April, and only from 08:00-12:00 to maintain the snow as long as possible.
Click on images to view larger. Photos: Valais Police
Sion, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The skier who was killed 2 February in an avalanche in Crans-Montana has been formally identified by DNA tests, police in Valais announced Friday: a 40-year-old Canadian, resident in Valais.
Surefoot staff in Verbier have confirmed to GenevaLunch that the skier was Scott Mann, manager of the ski boot specialty shop in Verbier. He was a popular, well-known and very experienced off-piste skier who knew the area well and who had often skied around Mont Bonvin, where he lost his life Wednesday.
The avalanche was 50 metres wide and 700m long, on a very steep run.
One of his friends told GenevaLunch “Scott had skied that face countless times and it is known to be his mountain because of this. Because the conditions have been really poor in terms of snow this year, i think everyone was just waiting for a dump of the good stuff, and that is why he would have decided to go up there and take the risk because it was the first chance for a good off piste ski and this was his favourite face to ski in deep pow. . .He was a good skier and he knew what he was doing and the risk he would be taking to go up there.”
Surefoot also has a shop in Crans-Montana, which Mann had managed, and he was well known in the resort as well.
American died Friday on Zermatt slopes
The deadly avalanche, at 3,000 metres, was 50m wide and 700m long
Updae 2 March Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - A man who was skiing in a remote and very steep off-piste area that is part of the Crans-Montana ski region lost his life Tuesday afternoon 1 March in an avalanche.
Police in canton Valais Tuesday evening confirmed his death, but would not provide details while contacting next of kin, but GenevaLunch has been contacted by friends of his, and he is reportedly an English-speaking Swiss resident.
The man was with a woman and the pair had gone to an area called Faverges, near the Petit Bonvin and the smaller resort of Aminona, when he was caught by the avalanche, which was 50 metres wide and 700 metres long, at 3,000 metres.
She was safe and was able to alert authorities: the man was pulled alive from the avalanche but died soon after being admitted to hospital in Sion.
Friday death on resort’s groomed slopes remains unexplained
A man died Friday 25 February in Crans-Montana, on groomed slopes, after taking a fall. He was not wearing a helmet, but it is unclear, Valais police told GenevaLunch Tuesday evening, if the fall was the result of a health problem or an accident. Police are seeking witnesses to the incident: +41 27 027 326 5656.
Zermatt death likely due to poor visibility
A 69-year-old American man died Friday 25 February while skiing with his wife in Zermatt. The two were in the Rothorn area and decided to head over to the Blauherd ski area because of poor weather conditions. En route, the woman lost sight of her husband, so she stopped to wait for him. When he didn’t join her she returned to Zermatt and immediately alerted lift operators, who contacted a patrol in the area. Their search for the man was unsuccessful and an emergency search team was called in.
The man’s body was found at 20:40, shortly after the Kumme/Blauherd split on the trail. He had left the trail, most likely due to poor visibility due to fog and snow, and he fell into the rocks.
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Weather: glorious. Snow: not bad, inching up to good. Competition: some good shows on for spectators.
Topping the list this weekend, though, is surprisingly good snow reports from the Jura.
It’s also the second and final weekend of the hot air balloon show in Chateau d’Oex (see our report last week) and the weather looks more promising than last weekend, when strong winds kept them on the ground much of the time.
Hot-air balloons over Montbovon 24 January (photo ©2011 Keepps on flickr, http://www.flickr.com/photos/isg-online)
We have added a photo album of the world of beautiful hot air balloons from the festival in Chateau d’Oex but also balloons drifting above Montbovon, where the weather was more cooperative last week, to set your sites a little higher.
Weather forecast for Lake Geneva region, Alps and Jura
The Swiss national weather service, MeteoSwiss, has dealt us a great hand of weather cards, with sunshine and occasional clouds in the mountains, just below freezing at night and warming up to 5-7C in most of western Switzerland.
Slightly more cloud cover and weak cold bise winds around Lake Geneva, with clouds sitting below 1,000 metres.
Swiss and neighbouring France resorts report
Jura skiing, from Shirley Curran
Jura slopes (photo: Shirley Curran)
Where is everybody? The resort web site is not exaggerating when it announces that conditions on the slopes at Crozet/Lélex are very good. We have been skiing up there every morning this week. The neige de culture combined with bitterly cold weather and first-rate slope grooming means that there is a good cover on the main slopes that are open: the chairs and telecabines and one poma lift as well as all the lifts on the Crozet nursery slopes. Above the clouds the weather is superb and the slopes have been almost empty. Who could wish for more. Well, yes, we would all like more snow, but there is enough!
Check the openings, weather and snow conditions daily at Monts Jura, where the snow was described as “excellent” Friday evening.
Swiss and French Alps, skiing
The snow cover varies hugely, from none to very thin, even at 1,700-1,800 metres in Verbier and Crans-Montana, to good in Gstaad, at 1,100 metres, but the quality of the snow in most resorts is very good, thanks to continuing cold weather. You just have to go a bit higher for the snow.
Chamonix, in neighbouring France, is hosting World Cup ski races this weekend (see Competitions, below), so expect crowds and thrills on the difficult Verte des Houches. This is the likely area for the 2018 Winter Olympics ski races if Annecy wins the bid. The resort, which is actually four, is big enough to fit everyone and every winter sport, so if you’re more interested in sending yourself down slopes than watching the experts, you have plenty of options. A year ago, in January 2010, the four main villages in the valley became a federation of communes. One result is that the ski offer is clearer, from runs and jumps for hotshots to gentler skiing if you’re a family with beginners or wobbly-on-skis guests.
Chateau d'Oex 2011 Hot-ar Balloon Festival (photo, ©2011 Mr Kio on flickr)
Chateau d’Oex should have perfect conditions this weekend for the International Hot Air Balloon festival. If you’re driving from Geneva or Lausanne you can do a nice loop via Aigle in the car, going one way over the Col des Mosses, and the other via Diableret, since both are open.
Crans-Montana is hosting the Juniors World Championshiop in skiing 29 January to 6 February, a great chance to watch the world’s next generation of ski stars. The first race is the giant slalom, Sunday, ending with the super-G next Friday and Saturday. Complete programme
Verbier has a freeride fair 29-30 January, Saturday and Sunday, and one of the features is the chance to try out new equipment.
Competitions: skiing, mountaineering, free ride, figure skating and horses
Alpine ski races: men are at Chamonix and the women are racing at Sestrières, with both on TSR in Switzerland. Didier Cuche led the men during the training runs, which were marred by the second serious accident in a week that involved an Austrian skier.
The world men’s freeride races, six thrilling events during the season, move from Chamonix to Corvatsch in Engadine-St Moritz for this weekend, before leaving Europe. The final event of the season brings them back to Verbier. The French are leading the racers in snowboard and ski after Chamonix. An interesting twist is the first-ever telemark skier joining the races.
European figure skaters finish a week of competition in Bern
Tickets are still available for Saturday and Sunday’s exhibition show in Bern, for the European figure skating championships that have been running all week, 23-30 January. Ladies’ and Men’s freestyle events are on Saturday. A British professional photographer based in Helsinki, who works with the Finnish team, has been posting a series of beautiful images on flick: Tyke Tiler.
Zurich hosts major horse show
The Rolex FEI World Cup horse jumping is on this weekend in Zurich, with the series picking up after a four-week pause. World No. 1, Kevin Staut is one of the features. Tickets are available (suggestion: combine it with a visit to the amazing Picasso exhibit, which ends Sunday) or you can watch live on FEI television.
Information posted on earlier weekend snow and winter sports: check past posts for useful general information.
Click on images to view larger
Jura slopes (photo: Shirley Curran)
International sports, golf
Miguel Angel Jimenez, winner Crans-Montana European Masters golf tournament
Crans-Montana, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain won the European Masters gold tournament held high in the Swiss Alps 2-5 September, finishing strongly with two birdies over his closing four holes for a three-under-par 68. Italian Edoardo Molinari was second. The final round of play Sunday, under blue skies and cool balmy weather, gave the 46-year-old Jiminez his 18th career title, 11 of which have been won since he turned 40, reports AFP. The next generation of stars held its own, with 17-year-old Italian Matteo Manassero coming third and 19-year-old South Korean Noh Seung-yul in fourth place.
A record crowd of 52,000 attended the event, according to the organizers.
Link to European Masters Crans-Montana
Alpmobil electric car at the Grimsel pass, overlooking the Rhone glacier, Furka pass and steam rail line
Sierre and Crans-Montana, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The Swiss Alps always look good in early autumn but the weekend of 3 September canton Valais has a powerful set of attractions on offer.
Vinea, the Swiss wine fair that is the country’s biggest outdoor wine festival, opens its doors Friday evening in Sierre and is expected to pull in some 10,000 people during the two days when 1,200 different wines are on offer from 150 wineries.
And if you’re heading for either event, you’ll be in a good position to take a ride on the extension of the renovated and beautiful Furka steam train that runs between Realp and Oberwald, past the Rhone glacier and over the high mountain pass. The new stretch from Oberwald to Realp opened two weeks ago.
An alternative (or combine the two) is to rent a special tourism offer electric car in Meiringen, canton Bern, a town made famous by the death of Sherlock Holmes at its Reichenbach Falls, and drive over the magnificent Grimsel pass. From there you can glimpse the Rhone glacier and watch the steam train heading up the nearby Furka pass, or hop on the train.
Furka steam train on its maiden voyage, new Realp-Oberwald line, August 2010
You can also do the trip starting in the Goms Valley (Oberwald or other towns) and head to Meiringen. The nearly silent cars cost CHF60 for the day and, of course, there’s no fuel to pay for.
European Masters golf tournament 2-6 September
Vinea, in the heart of the Alps, is Switzerland's largest outdoor wine fair
Just above the city in the resort of Crans-Montana, the Omega European Masters golf tournament, which opens 2 September, will be well underway; it continues until Sunday.
Weather in the resort is expected to be mostly sunny, with temperatures between 7 and 17C, so take along a jacket. Children under 16 are free and tickets for adults are CHF60-70, with weekend special offers. The number of tickets is not limited, so there is no problem buying at the entrance to the golf course. This is Switzerland’s spot on the European tournament.
Vinea opens a day earlier, features more Swiss wines and special guest Hermitage
The main street of Sierre is taken over by Vinea as of Friday evening, with a line of white tents housing 150 Swiss winemakers. The purpose of the fair is to bring together the public and producers in a relaxed setting to encourage consumers to learn more about Swiss wine. This is wine at its educational best: drunken visitors are rare, producers are keen to answer questions, even at the most basic level, and there is no sellilng so it’s pressure-free. If you want to buy wine, you’ll have to order it and have it shipped or pick it up later. Since many of the country’s wineries are small family operations whose cellars are open to visitors by appointment this offers a rare chance to sample their wines without having to call ahead, and to compare different wineries’ products.
Vinea has several new features this year, starting with a chance for the public to sample the winning wines of the major international wine competition, the Mondial du Pinot Noir, Friday evening. The awards ceremony for the Mondial is always held at the start of Vinea, but the wines are available to the public for the first time this year.
Fiat 500 classic cars in Crans-Montana
US classic cars, Les Collons
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Fans of special cars had a good warm-up for the autumn car shows season last weekend, with an American vintage cars show in Les Collons, and a bevy of Fiat 500s toodling around Crans-Montana. The Fiat 500s had a series of events going, such as mini-races in ski lift parking lots, and the mountainside was covered with streams of small, brightly coloured cars.
GenevaLunch photographer Ceelurd took in the American V-8s, then headed for Crans-Montana for what he describes as the “cutie pie” cars. To see his collection of photos from the car shows, visit the “Vintage and classic cars 2010″ photo album.
One of the big car shows coming up is the Swiss British Classic Cars in Morges 2 October; keep an eye on our events pages for details. You’ll find details there of an Aston-Martin and Mercedes art (not the cars themselves) exhibit at the Kempinski in Geneva this weekend.
First snow, winter 2010-11 (30 August!), near Crans-Montana, Switzerland
Monts Jura, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Monday morning brought chilly temperatures, 9C at 1,000 metres in the Alps, where autumn apples are ripening earlier than usual, and fresh snow at 2,200 metres! If you’re hiking, climbing or mountain-biking, take warm clothes.
It’s not too early in the season to think about ski tickets, reports Shirley Curran, our Jura correspondent, with her first pre-season ski news for 2010-2011:
Jura season tickets
This is the last weekend that the telecabines from Lelex and Crozet will operate for the summer season but winter is on its way and, exceptionally this year, from September 6, it will be possible to buy Monts Jura season tickets on-line at the considerably cheaper pre-season ‘super-promotion’ rate. The resort will be operating one of the races from the Women’s International calendar in February.
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Rechy, Valais, near Sion, Switzerland, first snow, 30 August 2010
Weather forecast, Jura and Alps reports, Easter weekend traffic information
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Snowline in Valais, near Leukebad
Fresh snow above Aminona, Valais 31 March 2010
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The long Easter weekend is starting and school holidays in Switzerland are well underway: expect traffic jams on the road but a good mix of vacation options once you’re off the road.
Weather forecast
Highs ranging from 9-11C in the Lake Geneva region this weekend, with some rain Saturday, sunshine alternating with overcast skies Sunday. The weather should become more springlike by Tuesday, with temperatures reaching 16C and sunshine. (MeteoSwiss)
Road traffic forecast
Head for the hills: Extreme World Championship in Verbier, balmy weather in the Alps, decent snow in Jura and an affordable new hut in Zermatt
This weekend we won't see fresh snow, but more green
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Temperatures are warming up nicely on the plain, but it remains cold enough in the mountains for skiers to find good snow. It’s not yet clear what conditions will be like for the Easter school holidays that start in a week, but for this weekend, the skiing is good if you stay above 2,000 metres.
If you’re still on the mountainside at 17:32 Saturday 20 March you can celebrate the first day of Spring there.
Snowpacks are weakening thanks to daytime sun radiation, says the Swiss national avalanche centre in its Friday 19 March bulletin, but avalanche danger is low to moderate.
Weather forecast, snow depth
The snow is disappearing in many areas, which the MeteoSwiss snow depth maps show.
Car-gazing, sailing on Lake Geneva or skiing this weekend: you choose
We’ll start with some photos, to help the choice
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Iced-up boat in Versoix near Geneva, 10 March 2010 (photo Peter Brodbeck)
Geneva Motor Show 2010 (image: Mr Kio)
Jura near Geneva, 10 March 2010 (photo: Shirley Curran)
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The sun is shining, slopes are gleaming, the ice around the edge of Lake Geneva is melting and the wind has finally died down after a week’s drubbing. Skiing beckons, all the more so with Swiss skier Carlo Janka putting in a spectacular performance in Germany Friday morning, winning the World Cup’s Crystal Globe for the most points all season.
Weather forecast
Pull out your skis, but keep the warm clothes, including that rarity in the Swiss Alps, thermal underwear, handy. Friday and Saturday mostly sunny with highs of 5C on the plain and 7C in canton Valais, -8C at 2,000 metres. Sunday sunny to partly cloudy, temperatures the same.
Good news once you’re off the slopes: it should warm up to 10C Tuesday and 15C Wednesday. Welcome March spring weather!
Alpine resorts
It’s the winding down season, but the slopes are in good shape with recent snow and cold weather keeping it powdery.
Events in Alpine resorts this weekend: Read more…
Crans-Montana, Valais, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Twenty-four-year-old Dominique Gisin took full advantage of the changing wind conditions to win the Super-G on the National run above Crans-Montana. It was the third World Cup victory for the skier from Engelberg in canton Obwald: the others were in downhill. Lindsey Vonn was next, 0.15 seconds behind, while fellow American Julia Mancuso, who won two silver medals at the Vancouver Olympics, was third.
Crans-Montana, Valais, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Lindsey Vonn, fresh from winning the Olympic downhill gold medal at Whistler, notched up her sixth downhill victory out of seven starts, Saturday 6 March. This assured her the crystal globe for the season’s champion in the specialty. She is almost certain to also take the overall title. The National course at Crans-Montana, scene of Swiss skiing’s finest hour at the 1987 World Championships, was difficult because of restricted visibility and strong winds at the top.
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!
Title: Ski world cup Crans-Montana
Location: Crans-Montana
Link out: Click here
Description: Women’s world cup in trendy Crans-Montana.
Start Date: 2010-03-05
End Date: 2010-03-07
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
Vaud ski vacation week starts, heavy snow expected, Jura primed for the crowds
Hot news from cool resorts: Crans-Montana, Verbier, Villar
Crozets, France 20 January 2010 (photo: Shirley Curran)
Update 17:25 Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The snow is pouring down, even at the lakefront, and the mountains are promised buckets of it for the weekend, so pull out warm clothes that will keep you dry, whether you are going to the corner store or heading for the hills.
This is the start of the Vaud school vacation week, and nine other cantons plus some German regions start their holidays, so expect crowds on the road Friday night and Saturday morning.
The first carnivals are beginning in some German-speaking areas: this is celebrated over a period of weeks, with dates staggered from one area to another in Switzerland. Also note that Ticino received heavy snow on Friday and although the weather is expected to quickly warm up, some roads will be difficult.
Peak traffic hours are expected to be from 16:00-20:00 Friday and 08:00-15:00 Saturday, heading in the direction of Bern and Valais, according to the Swiss federal Highway Office. Good sources of information about the current traffic situation are Touring Club Suisse (TCS) and the federal road alerts for truck drivers. TSR, French language TV, also has a good map with accident and heavy traffic alerts. TCS also had a predicted traffic map showing heavy traffic areas for the weekend.
If you’re planning future road trips, you might want to check the new TCS web page that lists all the public holidays in Swiss cantons.
TCS offers an excellent course in winter driving, especially focusing on how to behave in snowy and icy conditions. Details
Weather forecast
Top of Saleve peaking out above Geneva's fog, 23 January 2010 (Photo: Obwoodman on flickr)
Highs of 4C Friday and Saturday falling to 3C Sunday, with snow falling to 500-1,000 metres Friday, 600-800m Saturday, with heavy clouds over much of the plains.
Moon rising above Leukerbad, Switzerland: after the rain, before the new snow, 30 December 2009 (click on image to view larger)
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Precipitation is not in short supply in Switzerland at the moment, but the picture from the mountain-tops has been mixed: heavy rain in most areas all day Wednesday 30 December, and into the night, washed away much of the snow below 2,000 metres in the Alps. The Jura was short on snow to begin with and the rain did not improve things.
But temperatures have been dropping and as of 10:00 Thursday morning snow is back in the Alps, down to 800 metres: it is snowing heavily in the Sion-Brig resorts area (Anzeres, Crans-Montana, Saas-Fee, Zermatt).
Jura report, from Shirley Curran
The Jura resorts are all poised ready for the big snow which is taking its time to appear this year. Harsh weather conditions mean that you are probably better off by a log fire with a good book this weekend.
Alpine resorts report
When the snow and snowplows look like this at 1,000 metres, you know the skiing is getting better up above!
Snowing hard at 1,000m near Crans-Montana, Switzerland, 10:00 Thursday 31 December
All regions: use care if you’re considering going off-piste: High temperatures plus fresh snow = increased avalanche danger, with the SLT (federal avalanche institute) bulletin indicating “considerable avalanche danger widespread” (level 3), throughout canton Valais and the northern flanks of the Alps, which includes the higher resorts in canton Bern.
Crans-Montana Friday night skiing, from 19:00-22:00, should be good New Year’s day, but check after Thursday evening. Cost: CHF15.
Garden, fresh snow, Saturday 12 December, Valais (1,100 m)
Aminona, near Crans-Montana, canton Valais, Switzerland, 4 December 2009
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Last weekend there was snow: it wasn’t always pretty and it was wet, but it was the white stuff. It’s mostly gone now, except above 2,000 metres, but crowds nevertheless packed the autoroute from Geneva and canton Vaud to the resorts in Valais Friday evening. Saturday morning: it’s snowing again at 1,100 metres, so the buildup on the slopes is starting!
Here is your first taste of GenevaLunch’s popular winter weekend reports, a regular feature, now in its third season.
Alps, season gradually opening
Resorts news:
- Crans-Montana’s ski web site, mycma.ch, has a new look and offers more functions, but it’s slow. This weekend the resort offers low season rates, CHF57 for the day. You pay high season rates, CHF63 for the day, starting 19 December so get out there this weekend! (Ed. note: the Telegraph, UK, just ran a big feature on the resort but missed the boat when they got it wrong when they said it doesn’t strike them as a family resort)
- Gstaad, join the papparazzi, all sitting around outside Roman Polanski’s chalet, where he has been confined by a Swiss judge. Gstaad, for all its glamour, is not one of the high resorts, so not much is open in or near the town, but you can always head for the Glacier 3,000 area nearby.
- Verbier has been open since 20 November and will have five lifts open 12-13 December. CHF23-45 for day passes right now. New feature this winter – video snow reports. Snow depth Thursday, last snowfall: 70cm at 2,200m and 95cm at 2,950m
- Zermatt has 60 km of decent skiing at the moment.
Jura: you might prefer hiking to skiing this weekend, but some good news for later
December 2008, Jura
(Ed. note: Shirley Curran is back with her weekly reports on the Jura slopes, where she has taught skiing for years)
Our Jura resorts are due to open on December 19th and, in view of the excellent seasons we have had recently, to remain open until April 5th. Unfortunately, the weather is glorious in the Jura mountains at the moment with cobalt blue skies and some green slopes. We are not too worried. A cold spell is expected next week and snow will fall. This will be the first time for many seasons that we have not had a substantial fall in November!
Good news is that our downhill resorts (La Faucille, Mijoux, Crozet and Lélex) are all now using only the magnetic ‘forfaits’ that you can recharge on-line or at the ticket offices. The bornes read them automatically, so there will be no more fumbling with the ticket strung round your neck. The card is valid for three years and now costs only 1€.
9 December 2009, Jura - bit slushy yet!
Further good news is that Jean Charles and Pauline are back for another season running the refuge at Crozet. My top tip is a mid-morning hot wine next to their roaring fire or their home-cooked speciality of the day.
Weather forecast for the Swiss mountain regions
Snow in the Jura and the Alps, although some dry stretches in the Valais Alps. High of 3C, but -8C at 2,000m. Sunday 13 December colder, cloudy, highs of 0-2C. Snow intermittent throughout the mountain regions. MeteoSwiss
Swiss skiers off to a great start
Be sure to check our Monday morning weekend sports reports to follow Switzerland’s skiers, who are off to a great start this year.
Title: Cow fighting festival (combat des reines)
Location: Near Crans-Montana, Valais
Link out: Click here
Description: Find out how the Swiss cows come out fighting. An incredible tradition where the heftiest is not always queen.
Read our feature article.
Start Date: 18 Apr 2009
End Date: 19 Apr 2009
