GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The tiny island nation of the Maldives, in the Indian Ocean, is in crisis, with President Mahomed Nasheed resigning in the face of a police mutiny. The island is famous for its luxury hotels and resorts, but ABC news in Australia reports that the crisis is largely “invisible” to most visitors, who are whisked away from the airport to holiday destinations where alcohol and bikinis are the norm. The island is otherwise an Islamic state, which strictly observes no alcohol laws and dress codes. Nasheed came to power in 2008 pledging reform, but ran into trouble with the police when he had a long-serving judge arrested for his ties to the president’s predecessor.
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.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Trains in both directions between Martigny and Sion will not be running again until Friday morning says the CFF rail company, after a heavy load fell from a bridge near Riddes, damaging contacts on the lines.
A bus service will replace local traffic but travellers between Geneva or Lausanne and Brig, including anyone going to resorts in the area, will have to travel via Bern.
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.
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.
Liam and Nick Bates, Swiss ski dream week team
This is the fourth in the Swiss dream ski week series, where Nick and Liam Bates, regular contributors to GenevaLunch, see how much great skiing at top Swiss resorts they can pack into one week. Be sure to check their tips at the end.
Click on images to view larger
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – This was the perfect spa and smaller resort stop during the week, a relaxing antidote to the miles of slopes in the larger resorts. Resorts don’t get much more comfortable, charming and relaxing, with good skiing, great thermal baths and superb meals.
The fact that you can get off the train and the bottom of the lift is just 100 metres away is a plus.
Scuol basics
This is a main train stop, so it’s easy to reach, part of the heritage of the area’s success in the latter half of the 19th century as a mineral baths spa. Zurich-Landquart-Scuol by train takes a little over two-and-a-half hours.
Scuol is one of a string of beautiful villages as famed for their architecture and “Sgraffito” traditionally decorated buildings as for the spectacular Engadine Valley scenery around them.
It is a centre of Romansh, Switzerland’s fourth language, spoken by only 1 percent of the population, but treasured here.
This is also a hugely popular summer resort area, in part because this is home to Switzerland’s only national park.
Scuol, the mountains, with snow starting to fall
Scuol has 10 thermal baths, with the Engadin Bad Scuol the largest and most well known. The calcium- and magnesium-rich springs in Scuol itself were mentioned as far back as 1369.
The water is cold when it reaches the Earth’s surface, 6 to 8C. It contains between 1.1 and 17 grams of mineral salt per litre.
The sources for over 20 mineral springs are located near Scuol, 10 of which have been tapped and are used for mineral water cures, carbonic acid mineral baths and the Engadine Spa Scuol.
The Motta Naluns ski area goes from 1,250 to 2,800 metres, with a chairlift from Ftans and two cablecars from Scuol and another 11 lifts once you’re up on the mountain.
Time out for the baths and fine dining
Nick’s notes
Scuol has some excellent hotels and is noted for its fine cuisine
We took an afternoon train to Scuol and settled into the Guarda Val, a charming local hotel. We then headed down to the local mineral baths, stopping off to taste the waters of a public fountain. This was a real surprise, as it offers a choice of clear drinking water or a sparkling, heavily iron-flavoured version, straight from the source.
The baths include a range of different temperatures and mineral content; some leaving the skin tingling. There is a sauna, jacuzzi, Turkish baths.
The local youngsters use the baths as a place to hang out, so it stays busy and lively, with boys on one side of the sauna and girls on the other.
We had a fantastic meal in the hotel restaurant, which is linked to the group of “Jeunes Restauraters”. The prices were more reasonable than St Moritz, with a three-course gourmet meal for CHF75, or four courses for CHF85. There was a good range of wine available by the glass or by the bottle.
Skiing and snowboarding in Scuol
Liam’s notes
Fresh snow!
We had a little dump of snow overnight, and it kept snowing throughout the morning, which meant lovely snow with not-so-lovely visibility.
The first run of the day was great because it was a layer of powder on top of groomed piste, so the runs were safe but smooth. Scuol is a much smaller resort than Verbier or St Moritz, with only about 80km of piste (Verbier has 400+) but it is nicely designed.
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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.
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.
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Jura slopes (photo: Shirley Curran)
Sunrise 31 December 2010, fog-enshrouded Rhone Valley
Cross-country skiing, Goms Valley, Valais 27 December
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The sun is out on the mountains, but fog hovers in most lower areas in French-speaking Switzerland Friday afternoon. If it’s sunshine you want as the new year of 2011 comes in Saturday morning, head for the heights!
Weather forecast
Pea soup on the plains, clear skies in the mountains: Rhone Valley, Valais
Expect stable temperatures with highs of 2C in the Lake Geneva area and 0C in Valais, then highs hovering around 0C throughout western Switzerland until at least Tuesday 4 January.
Fog will continue to hug the plain Saturday, but will lift in Valais, where you can expect mostly sunny skies until Wednesday, when the forecast is for partly cloudy skies. Sunday will bring changeable weather to Geneva and Lausanne, with partly cloudy skies until Tuesday, when heavy fog is expected to return.
Reminder: check holiday traffic forecasts, published earlier by GenevaLunch, to avoid the worst of the holiday traffic jams.
Resorts and winter sports update
Goms Valley, the tiny hamlet where Cesar Ritz grew up before making his fortune in the hotel business
With the slightly milder weather and the sunny days this week, our Jura resorts have been able to offer great conditions for skiing. We have had a little new snow and a number of our lifts are now operating. Take care, as the snow cover is still fairly thin, but we are expecting more snow in the New Year. Enjoy the skiing.
Swiss Alps
Snow fell early in the week, but slightly warmer weather 29-30 December has reduced the snow cover slightly in most areas. Snow is hard, with a 70cm base in Crans-Montana at 2,400m. Verbier reports
Prepared cross-country ski trails are virtually all open, and all but the lower ends of most luge (sled) runs. Snow-shoe trails are in decent shapes, most resorts are reporting.
The Goms Valley above Brig, en route to the Nufenen and Furka passes, both suffers and benefits from heavier snowfalls than the rest of the country in winter, but it also has some of the most piercingly blue sunny skies. Its famously long kilometres of flat cross-country ski runs are in excellent shape right now and good for beginners and families, with many options for more experienced skiers. The trains are often packed with skiers, so travel light if you’re taking the train (a great way to get there).
Events, speedy skiers’ tool and avalanche bulletins
The sun never managed to burn off the Rhone Valley sun during the day 31 December
Good crowds are expected at upcoming World Cup Alpine ski events, including:
Adelboden, canton Bern – 8 January
Wengen, Bern – 11 January (European Cup, 7 January)
Kitzbuehel, Austria – 19 January
Chamonix – 27 January
How fast do you really ski?
And for those who prefer to speed down the slopes themselves, the Swiss Safety Council has a new tool for skiers, an iPhone app to measure your speed. The idea is to better assess the risks you’re taking, not just try to beat your best time, of course.
Avalanche bulletins are currently at level 2 out of 5, “moderate” with the risk subsiding over the next few days, thanks to cold and sunny weather. Check the daily national avalanche service bulletins for details if you’re going off-trail.
Happy New Year 2011!
Goms Valley, Valais, farms in sunshine, side valley storm brewing, 27 December 2010
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Let is snow, let it snow, preferably on our turf! Frankfurt and Paris were snowed in, but the sad news for skiers in Switzerland 10 December is that the snow that fell last week in the Jura has turned to mud, and the Alpine ski resorts are still waiting for the big snowfalls to arrive. You have a few more days to continue your pre-season warmup exercises and to reflect on safety on the slopes.
Weather forecast
Sun today! The first village house to get warm rays, canton Vaud 9 December
Temperatures are expected to go no higher than 2C throughout the Lake Geneva region this weekend, with sunshine alternating with partly cloudy skies. Expect resorts in Valais to have the same weather, but if you are longing to get warm, head for Ticino, where temperatures will reach 15C.
Alpine and Jura resorts updates
Shirley Curran writes from the Jura resorts area that “sadly, after last Saturday’s memorable start to our ski season where we were skiing with feather-light powder up to our knees, not a cloud in the sky and no crowds, this week’s torrential downpours and high winds have blown or washed away most of the Jura snow. The lifts will not be operating this weekend. However, they will be running every day from 18 December. You can keep up to date with information and webcams at montsjura.com.”
Several resorts in the Alps are offering reduced fares and special family offers. Sierre-Anniviers, which groups together several medium-sized resorts above the lakeside town of Sierre, including family-friendly Zinal and Vercorin, has a new special deal for parents. It allows a couple to share one ski-pass, for parents who are alternating taking care of children. It’s valid only in low season, basically January and March, but offers a good practical solution for many couples with small children or babies.
Anzere has a very good deal for this weekend, 11-12 December: CHF10 for kids and CHF20 for adults for a day pass, or CHF15/20 for two days, well below the season day pass price of CHF47. Slopes open for the season 17 December. Children up to age six are free and families of four get a 10 percent discount.
Verbier has put together an information page on parking and public transport, with useful emergency numbers, part of the effort to encourage skiers to be a bit greener.
On the lakefront, Geneva remembers a glorious moment from its past, and eats chocolate
New guidelines work with existing laws such as Lex Koller rules limiting foreign ownership
Aminona's existing towers likely to see 15 more as part of new luxury resort project
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch.com) – Tighter control over second homes in resorts must be part of sustainable development for tourist areas in order to retain their attractiveness, the federal government said Tuesday 6 July.
Bern has issued new guidelines for cantons, suggesting that these should serve as the basis for cantons’ own, revised guidelines.
The guidelines call for:
- limiting the number of second homes
- encouraging the hotel industry
- ensuring that first homes are available at reasonable prices
- improve the rate of occupation for “cold bed” homes, which outnumber regularly occupied ones for second homes.
The guidelines work alongside existing laws, but Parliament is considering a tougher law, to counteract a citizens’ initiative that calls for a vote on banning new second homes. Projects that are already underway, such as the new Aminona luxury complex to be built by Russian developer Mirax, will be not affected by the new guidelines, Martin Vinzens of the Swiss Office for Territorial Development told GenevaLunch.
The CHF500 million Aminona project in the commune of Mollens, canton Valais, of which CHF25m has been invested by the company to date, calls for three phases. The first, to build 10 towers, was opposed by four environmental groups, WWF, d’Helvetia Nostra (Franz Weber), Patrimoine Suisse and the Fondation suisse pour la protection du paysage. The ban prompted by their opposition has been lifted by the cantonal council. Phases 2 and 3, to build 45 chalets and then another 5 towers, lag behind in the approval process.
Links to other sites (Fre): Le Nouvelliste, Mollens commune, Sixieme Dimension, Swiss Federal Justice Office regulations on Swiss property purchase by foreigners
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.
Update 13 February: this is beautiful Swiss snow on Saturday!
Video (and skier): Anton Muller, at Bec Rond, Entremont, canton Valais, Switzerland (his photos and film clips on flickr)
Carnivals, cold, the down side of off-piste, Verbier and Jura reports
Verbier's February snow! (photo: Jessica Evans)
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Glorious snow, biting cold in some places some of the time: call it winter in Switzerland! This weekend promises to be one of the best, with good crowds on the slopes, carnival starting in many areas, conditions great for skiing, sledding, ice-skating and more.
Weather forecast
Image 2010: Bakbasel
Basel, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Lech in Austria and Lucerne in Switzerland were the two most popular seasonal tourist destinations in the Alpine region in 2009: Lech in winter and Lucerne in summer. Switzerland has three destinations among the overall top 10 for the year: Lucerne, Zurich and Engelberg. But a report published 21 January on tourism in the region shows Austrian resorts well ahead of Swiss ones as popular winter resorts, taking the first seven places, with Zermatt in eighth. Zermatt gains ground as a year-round destination because it is also popular in summer.
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.
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.
Cars on trains, north-south Kandersteg-Loetschental link
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Snow began falling steadily down to 500 metres in the central Alpine areas in Switzerland, Monday evening 28 December, adding to travelers’ slowdowns that started over the weekend. Saturday was the annual heavy car traffic day in Swiss resort areas, with day skiers joining people who were starting or ending weekly rentals during the highest period of the year, Christmas to New Year’s.
Lines of cars several kilometres long formed Saturday late in the afternoon, coming down from Swiss ski resorts in canton Bern, mixing with north-south European traffic. The north-south piggyback (cars on trains) shortcut between Kandersteg and Goppenstein, a 15-minute tunnel trip through the Alps, has been moving several trains an hour filled with cars, since Christmas. The wait on Saturday was about 20 minutes, with the system working efficiently.
Sites with current traffic data: TCS automobile club, maps (Fre), TSR/swisstxt map and Swiss federal site for truck drivers
Link: Goppenstein train for cars and MeteoSwiss weather forecast for Switzerland
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.
Canton Valais, near St Luc, Switzerland, 4 December 2009
Aminona, near Crans-Montana, canton Valais, Switzerland, 4 December 2009
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The Swiss Alps had enough snow over the weekend for the Swiss ski season to get off to a start Saturday 5 December. Resorts generally open mid-December, so this was a mostly quiet warmup, with only a handful of resorts’ runs and keen skiers on hand. Children en route to school Friday were sliding down hills on their bookbags, and later in the weekend on sleds.
GenevaLunch Friday 11 December begins its popular weekly update on snow, ski conditions, resort news, competitive sports, sports activities for non-racers, in the Jura and in the Alps.
Ski rates compared, various resorts, from TSR
Weather forecast, Meteoswiss: Wet and gray during the week, getting somewhat colder by Friday, with snow falling at 900 metres.
Three towers now but new Aminona resort would build more
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The Russian company scheduled to build a large luxury resort in Aminona, near Crans-Montana in Valais, has assured the local Swiss mayor the project will go ahead as planned, Swiss radio RSR reports. Stéphane Pont, the town manager of Mollens, Valais, the administrative commune in which Aminona is located, has reportedly received a letter from the CEO of Mirax giving assurances that it has the financial means to develop the area, following a rescheduling of its debt with a Russian bank.
Pont wrote to Mirax CEO Sergey Polonski earlier in September asking for clarification of the situation, following reports in the Russian media that Mirax was in financial trouble and that it had not obtained credits for its projects for several months. Mirax announced 21 September that “Alfa Bank bought the rights to Mirax Group loans from Credit Suisse in July 2009 and became the company’s largest creditor.”
Lake Geneva, Alps, March winds
Changeable March, near Sierre, Valais
Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Gray skies and relatively warm temperatures are the rule on the plain 28-29 March but on the peaks the snow is still good, with a solid base. Aminona, Valais, at 2,400 m, still has a base of 220m, for example, with powder. World Meteorological Day was this week, so we’ll turn the spotlight for a moment on those good people who’ve helped us plan our winter weekends during the ski season.
World Meteorological Organization in Geneva to host major conference
The impact of climate change remains a hot topic, but the relationship between climate and weather is not always well understood.
Valais, Switzerland 24 January 2009
Switzerland, France (GenevaLunch) – Large amounts of snow, from 10cm to well over 50cm in many areas, fell in the Alps and Jura Friday, with top-ups Saturday. Ski resorts now appear to be set for the season, with no shortage of snow for the February school breaks and after. In most Alpine resorts the snowfall is now above the annual average for this time of year, according to records from the Swiss Federal Snow and Avalanche Institute. Temperatures hovering around 0C and below freezing at night for the next five days will hold the snow.
Roads are clear in most areas, say Valais police, but Friday’s wild winds and heavy snowfall down to the plain took its toll, with the A9 autoroute between Martigny and Sion closed for a period. Ed. note: the tourism office, police, Viasuisse and TCS contribute to a map showing the state of the roads in Valais, useful before driving off towards the resorts.
Lake Geneva Friday, with heavy winds and storms moving rapidly through the region: view from Rolle, Vaud, with the lake water stirred up, turning it green and brown
Click on images to view larger.
Sunrise, 6 December, over the Rhone Valley in Valais, at 1,100 m. An hour later the metre-high fence in the foreground had disappeared.
Updated 8 December Valais, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Saturday morning update on the weather: this is one of the best starts to a snowy season in the Alps for some years. A good quantity of light snow had fallen even at 1,000 metres by Friday night, with snow continuing steadily since then.
From St Saphorin/Vevey, you could almost touch the snow on the Vaud Alps 27 November 2008
Lake Geneva region, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Cold weather, good snow throughout Alpine resorts, more resorts and runs opening up, and some sunshine in store: what a great start to the ski season! Details below.
Weather
This was a cold, cold week week- in fact so cold the doors on the new M2 Metro subway trains froze for a while mid-week. Temperatures will remain around 0C at night and not rise above 4-5C during the day in most of the region, for the next five days, predicts MeteoSwiss.
Swiss Alps snowline, December 2007: it's very much a line at a given altitude!
Lake Geneva region, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Cold weather and snow have arrived in the region, just in time, with several resorts opening their ski lift this weekend and next. GenevaLunch’s very popular weekend winter sports roundup is now back: starting today, on Friday afternoons we will be bringing you a mix of weather, winter sports news, suggestions for the weekend, firsthand reports from our Jura correspondent, Shirley Curran, and, of course, a look at what the French media are publishing on the business of having fun in winter.
Ski-lifts at Crans-Montana April 2008
Switzerland (20 Minutes, Fre) – The cost of ski lift passes will go up in most Swiss resorts this year, most likely by 3% and in some resorts possibly by as much as 5%. The higher cost of raw materials for new lifts and rising fuel prices will play a role. Televerbier, however, told 20 Minutes that it will charge only CHF1 more on a CHF65 ticket.
