GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Fame has suddenly hit the Graubuenden hamlet of Obermutten and so far, it’s just what the townfolk wanted. Mayor M Wyss and G Flatscher, who owns the single restaurant, decided last year that the village, with all its typical Swiss mountain charm, should create a Facebook page that would increase visitors.
He made one firm promise, to post every visitor’s photo on the village notice board if they “liked” the page. Soon the notice board was covered, and as the buzz picked up speed, the village’s barn walls also began to be covered with the pictures.
The page now has more than 17,000 likes and the English version of a video showing the village has had nearly 44,000 views (the German version: 3,500). And tourism has picked up, reports tnooz, a travel industry web site. “The Obermutten page now has more fans than some of the most popular tourist traps in Europe and the regional Grabunden tourist board site has since its web traffic soar by 250%. But more importantly, at the height of the ‘campaign’ four out of five fans regularly interacted with page and each other – a figure its creators reckon is higher than pages belonging to Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and Coca-Cola.”
Here’s the first video of 11 the village has posted on its page, and a more recent one, in English. You also get a peek at some ibex.
https://www.facebook.com/obermutten
Google on famed Rhaetian Railways line in Switzerland: world's first Street View train shots
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – What better country than Switzerland to start showing train lines on Google Maps Street View, and what better line than the Unesco World Heritage site Albula/Bernina line on the Rhaetian Railways!
The new views were unveiled Thursday at the Transport Museum in Lucerne.
The rail company and Google worked together in October to show the magnificent scenery and craftsmanship of this very special train line, with Street View images from the 122 km between Thusis in canton Graubuenden Tirano in Italy.
The project is part of a larger cooperative effort between Unesco and Google to make digital visits of World Heritage sites available to people around the world, says Mattias Nutt, director of UNESCO Destination Switzerland.
Mounting the Google Trike onto the Rhaetian Railways train roof
The images were shot by Street View cameras mounted on a “Trike”, a three-wheeled bicycle placed on one of the Rhaetian Railways cars that was specially prepared for the job.
It was put at the head of a special train, allowing the cameras to take a series of panoramic photos of the line and its vistas.
Four of Google’s new Rhaetian Railways Street Views
View of the Jura range from La Faucille (photo, Shirley Curran)
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Visitors to the Geneva area for the car show get a real bonus this year, with excellent skiing lined up for this weekend in the Jura, with ski lifts 3 minutes from the centre of the city.
The snow is superb, reports our Jura correspondent, with fresh powder.
Tip for iPhone, iPad owners: the new My Switzerland national tourism office app, released 28 February, as well as the GVA Geneva airport app, released 6 March, were both selected by the iPhone store as featured “noteworthy” apps this week.
Weather forecast, snow conditions
Highs of 8C in Geneva, 10C in Sion, and 7-8C in Verbier and Crans-Montana. Mostly sunny, with overnight lows falling below freezing, keeping the still-deep snow in good condition. Expect strong winds today on the west side of Lake Geneva, gusting heavily in the mountains, but winds should die down by Saturday. Temperatures will rise Monday and Tuesday with highs of 14C, so get your skiing in this weekend.
Some fresh snow fell in many areas, in relatively small amounts, 5-20cm. Snow is hard at 1,500m in the Alps, but powder at 2,200-2,400m. Temperature Friday morning at 2,400m near Crans-Montana: -8C.
Avalanche bulletin
From the Swiss Institute for Avalanche Rsearch, WSL (full bulletin, all areas):
“On the northern flank of the Alps not including the northern Alpine Ridge from Chablais to the Wildstrubel, as well as in the regions of northern Tavetsch and Flims, the danger zones are found above approximately 2200 m. On the northern Alpine Ridge from Chablais to the Wildstrubel, the hazardous zones are found above approximately 2600 m. The size and spread of the freshly formed snowdrift accumulations tend to increase with ascending altitude and during the course of the day. They can be triggered as avalanches even by a single backcountry skier or freerider. Experience in evaluating avalanche danger is imperative.”
What’s on in Alpine resorts
This is one of the busiest weekends of the year, on and around the slopes. Great weather and excellent snow make this a very special year for several of these key events:
Crans-Montana: note that the Snowgames, earlier scheduled for 10-11 March, have been moved to 7-8 April. This weekend the Kiwanis are organizing a charity drive moonlight snowshoe trek and party for 300 at Violettes.
Davos, the Parsenn Derby, 9-11 March, open to all, is one of the world’s oldest ski races, first run in 1924. It’s a wonderfully lively three-day event in one of the country’s most beautiful ski regions, canton Graubuenden. The resort also holds its Snow Jam Party 10 March.
Engadin ski marathon, St Moritz in canton Graubuenden, is a huge and beautiful event where thousands of cross-country skiers take part, 11 March. The marathon has been held since 1969 and is one of the main winter outdoor events in Switzerland.
Grindelwald, in canton Bern, 10 March is hosting a Skicross World Cup event, giving spectators a chance to see this new Olympic winter sport in action.
Les Mosses, canton Vaud, 10-11 March, 1,000 people participate in the Mara cross-country dog sled race, one of the most important ones in the winter competition circuit. Full moon guided cross-country skiing followed by hot wine is also on offer this weekend.
Muerren, near Grindelwald in Bern, 10-11 is holding its White Style Open, for freeskiers and snowboarders, with open competitions and lessons from a pro.
Verbier: time to put a reminder on your calendar that 23 March one of the world’s top Xtreme sports events, the final leg of the Freeride World Tour, is held in Verbier. Words cannot capture this breathtaking event.
Villars, canton Vaud, Saturday night 10 March, full moon skiing on the Bretaye slopes , disco and party time, CHF10 for a pass for the event that starts at 17:00 and goes until the wee hours.
Zermatt, one of the best of the many moonlight ski run offers that take advantage of this weekend’s combination of good weather, great snow and a full moon.
Jura ski report
Jura ski lifts: the crowd are gone, but the snow is great!
We thought the season was reaching an end but this week’s snowfalls have been a delight and we were skiing in powder snow again with temperatures well below zero.
The Crozet installations will run only at weekends and on Wednesdays from now till the end of season but Lélex is still operating fully and the Faucille/Mijoux installations, with tip top snow coverage. The French holiday period is over so you can have runs almost to yourself now!
Ed. note: snow depth remains 50-150cm in the higher resorts. Daily snow and weather bulletins, plus opening hours are aonthe Monts-Jura site, “infos neige”.
Taeschhorn, scene of climbing accident in canton Graubuenden
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – A 55-year-old man from Solothurn died Saturday 10 September after climbing the Taeschhorn in canton Graubuenden, in the company of a guide.
The small group of climbers was coming down from the peak and heading towards Taeschalp at 12:15.
They had just removed their ropes five minutes before, according to the guide, and were walking along Weingarten glacial moraine when the man fell 100 metres to his death from the edge of a cliff.
Swiss forest fires: prevention is the best solution (shown: history of fire hydrants, Zurich, ©2011 Ellen Wallace)
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – A dozen bush fires have been sparked in canton Vaud in the past week, mostly started by negligence, from cigarette butts and cooking fires not put out properly, police warn.
The canton has had a ban since 15 April on lighting fires closer than 10 metres from forests, woods, hedges, grasslands and reedbeds. Small amounts of rain fell over the weekend in some areas, but the largest amount recorded was only 10 cm, far short of what is needed to end the record April dry spell.
Cantons Graubuenden and Ticino both had sizeable forest fires in the past few days, reports TSR, with 2,000m2 burning under a ski lift in the commune of Celerina and 3,000m2 burning in the area of Maggia, in Ticino.
In the first case a discarded cigarette butt is suspected of causing the fire that took several hours to put out, using three helicopters, with 60 firefighters involved.
Gotthard base tunnel workers line up to return to the surface at the end of their shift
Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The second of the twin Gotthard rail tunnels was completely pierced Wednesday 23 March near Sedrun in canton Graubuenden, inching the mega-project to build the world’s longest train tunnel closer to completion.
When the Gotthard opens in December 2016 the 57 km tunnel will cut travel time between Zurich and Milan to 2 hours, 50 minutes, reducing it by nearly an hour.
The first tunnel was pierced to much fanfare five months earlier, in October 2010. The engineering feat came soon after 33 Chilean miners were trapped underground, drawing attention to the dangers and difficulty of work hundreds of metres underground.
Workers must now encase the galleries in cement, add the high-speed train rails and other fittings for the tunnels, parts of which sit 2km underground.
Background story, GenevaLunch, 16 October 2010: Life down under: the Gotthard tunnel workers have reason to cheer
Links to other sites: TSR, “The New Gotthard Rail Link”, pdf, brochure by Alp Transit, in English with technical descriptions, Alp Transit home page
Update 14:30 Merano, Italy (GenevaLunch) – An Italian regional train came off the rails near Merano, in northern Italy, not far from Switzerland’s canton Graubuenden and the border with Austria, 09:00 Monday morning 12 April. Seven people died and 25 people are injured, five of them seriously. Another train had passed just moments before, going in the other direction, without a problem. First reports are that the cars on what is considered one of Italy’s most modern train lines were derailed when a landslide was set off by a ruptured irrigation pipe for nearby farmers’ fields.
Links to other sites: Corriere della Sera (Ita), Reuters (Ita) and Reuters UK, TSR (Fre)
Davos, Switzerland (image: WEF)
Davos, Graubuenden, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Graubuenden cantonal police chief Markus Reinhardt appears to have committed suicide, one day before the World Economic Forum opens in the Swiss resort of Davos. Reinhardt was also head of security for the WEF, which pulls in business and political leaders from around the world. The news was announced by the cantonal minister for justice, safety and health, Barbara Janom Steiner. Reinhardt’s body was found in a hotel room in Davos Tuesday morning and all signs are pointing to suicide, Janom Steiner told reporters, calling it a “personal tragedy.” No further information will be given, out of respect for the family, she added.
Reindhardt had headed the police department for 25 years. Marcel Suter, a high-ranking police official in the cantonal system, will now take over as head of security arrangements for the WEF.
Title: Giacometti, a retrospective
Location: Musée Rath, Place Neuve, Geneva
Link out: Click here
Description: A retrospective of a major sculptor of the 20th century. Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966), was born in Grisons, and spent most of his professional life in Paris, except for 1942-1945, when he lived in Geneva.
Open every day except Monday. Weds open until 21:00
Entry CHF10/CHF5
Start Date: 05 Nov 2009
Start Time: 10:00
End Date: 21 Feb 2010
End Time: 17:00
Guided Tour for English speakers!!
Sunday, November 22, at 3:00 pm and Wednesday, January 13, at 6 :30 pm
Free admission, no reservations, places limited
Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – GaultMillau has awarded its coveted title of Swiss chef of the year 2010 to Andreas Caminada, the second time the chef has been given this distinction. Caminada tends the stoves at Schloss Schauenstein in Fuerstenau, Graubuenden, which has 19 points. He won the title in 2008 as well.
GaultMillau includes 816 restaurants in its 2010 Swiss guide, none of which have 20 points, but eight of which have 19 (five are in French-speaking Switzerland). The promising young chef of the year for French-speaking Switzerland is Pierrick Suter at the Hôtel de la Gare in Lucens, Vaud.
Links to other sites: Lake Geneva region tourism office, GaultMillau and Michelin restaurants list
Basel, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Austrian police are investigating a case of possible arson at a hunting lodge in Bach, Austria, near Innsbruck, that belongs to Daniel Vasella, CEO of phamaceutical giant Novartis. More than 100 firemen put out the blaze, which witnesses say broke out early 3 August out after a dull explosion was heard at the property. According to a Novartis spokesperson, a “professional fire accelerator” was used.
Col de Bernina, Graubuenden, Switzerland (20 Minutes/ATS) – A chain reaction crash involving seven motorcycles has put seven people in hospital, some in critical condition.
The accident was provoked by one bike going up the pass road, which was in the wrong lane, colliding head-on with another one coming down. Other bikes were unable to stop on time. One of the bikes caught a piece of clothing in the wheel, causing the biker to fall.
