Foreign non-residents lax when it comes to safety gear
BERN, SWITZERLAND – The Swiss Safety Council’s latest figures for the use of safety equipment on the country’s ski slopes and off-piste show good use up to age 17, then a dip after age 25 until age 46, when skiers and snowboarders suddenly put on their safety gear again.
The council for the first time compared use of safety equipment by “foreign guests” and Swiss residents, and the foreigners fell far short, with 73 percent wearing helmets, as compared to 88 percent of Swiss residents, all ages and genders mixed.
The use of helmets has increased sharply in the past 10 years thanks in large part to the council’s safety awareness campaign, but wearing them has not been evenly adopted, with the 84 percent Swiss average hiding a big language region difference: 89 percent in German-speaking Switzerland and 71 percent in French-speaking Switzerland.
Biggest increase in helmets seen with 18-25 year-olds
The group that showed the sharpest increase in the use of safety equipment was the 18-25 year-olds, up 12 percent.
Ed. note: no explanation is provided for the difference between 88 percent for Swiss residents and the 84 percent that is the average between French and German regions; presumably Italian region use is lower than German region use.
Skiers have caught up with snowboarders in terms of helmet use, both now averaging 84 percent after 10 years of skiers gradually closing the gap. The 2002-03 season saw only 20 percent of snowboarders wearing helmets and 14 percent of skiers.
The council’s safety check, carried out on the slopes with questionnaires this year in order to include foreign residents, covered 4,521 skiers this year and 1,038 snowboarders, slightly more than the previous year. The safety council works with 20 cableway companies throughout Switzerland to compile the statistics.
Avalanche danger growing, says federal office
Dutch prince “stable” but not out of danger after Austrian avalanche
Very steep slope above Ardon, canton Valais
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The weekend promises every skier’s dream: fresh powder on top of an excellent base throughout the Alps and Jura, warmer weather and mostly sunny skies.
There is a down side: the risk of avalanches is growing, thanks to the combination of warmer weather and significant layers of fresh snow.
Prince Johan Friso, 43, the second son of Dutch Queen Beatrix, is in stable condition in an Innsbruck hospital after being buried under an avalanche for 15 minutes.
He was skiing off-piste with three other people when the avalanche, reportedly 30 metres wide and 40m long, occurred.
He was wearing an avalanche beeper, which allowed rescuers to reach him quickly and he was resuscitated at the scene, but doctors say he is not yet out of danger.
Several members of the Dutch royal family were on holiday together, including the queen, reports the BBC.
Weather forecast, snow conditions
Frosted Jura (photo, Shirley Curran)
Saturday: sunshine and highs of 6-8C, with the Valais Alps the warmest area until you get to Ticino, says MeteoSwiss. Rain or snow in some areas on Sunday, but less likely in Valais. Get in your day on the slopes Saturday.
More snow appeared during the week than was forecast, so there’s a good fresh layer in most resorts. Alpine areas north of the Rhone had 10-25cm Wednesday and early Thursday, with peaks in the centre and some parts of the Vaud Alps getting 25-50cm.
The avalanche risk level is 3 for Saturday, but note that WSL, the Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research, is providing a longer than usual bulletin for this week. Three skiers were caught by an avalanche in Obwald Friday.
The WSL notes that “Snowdrift accumulations can be easily triggered in some places and should be circumvented. Experience in assessing avalanche hazards is essential. In all regions of this danger level, particularly on steep, south facing slopes, the avalanche hazards are subject to a daytime cycle. The likelihood of avalanches being triggered is somewhat lesser in early morning, but subsequently escalates in line with the daytime warming cycle.”
More snow expected Sunday in some areas means the avalanche situation will “remain tense” according to WSL. Avalanche-prone areas are above 2,000 metres in western parts of the Alps, but they are found “on steep slopes in all aspects above approximately 1,600m; in the western part of the northern flank of the Alps the danger zones are above approximately 1800 m.
Alpine resort highlights
Crans-Montana Next weekend is the FIS Men’s World Cup downhill races, with super G and giant slalom, so plan ahead to watch them tear down the National run.
Gstaad Curling tournament: the Curling Schweizer Meisterschaften from 17-25 February, your golden opportunity to see top Swiss teams. Also consider next weekend’s snow games, with a lot of family activities.
Verbier Take along a costume – it’s carnival time! You’ll find this true throughout the Alps, starting Friday 17 February, but Verbier is taking it seriously with a procession followed by a ball Saturday night.
Jura resorts
by Shirley Curran
Conditions are superb in the resorts in the Jura mountains with this week’s falls of snow added to what was already an exceptional cover and the cold weather holding up. However, it is no longer bitterly cold up there, just very pleasant with all the lifts running and queuing very rare. Of course, you have a choice of Jouvencelles/La Dôle (the Franco-Suisse resort), Les Rousses, St Cergue and all the Monts-Jura resorts. Even charming little Menthières is boasting exceptional snow conditions.
And don’t forget about ice-skating!
For those who want something beside skiing, or who are staying on the plain, here’s a little help if you want to talk intelligently about ice-skating, from EPFL in Lausanne: Ice skates glide across the ice because … check out the quiz and its informative answer page.
La Loge (photo, Shirley Curran)
Click on images to view larger: Valais avalanche, Lake Geneva ice skirts being formed
Bern man dies in Valais avalanche
Aminona, near Crans-Montana, Saturday morning: no wind, very thin stratus veiling blue skies
Update 11 February 14:10 GENEVA / SION, SWITZERLAND – There is good news for skiers: the strong winds that were forecast have died down and slopes are open everywhere, with blue skies the rule.
Verbier and Crans-Montana both are showing zero wind, slopes open and sun despite a veil of early stratus clouds.
The south side of the Alps, notably around Zermatt, has less stratus and the sunny slopes are virtually all open.
Time for skis, snowboards and sleds!
Avalanche risk moderate, but one man dead following Valais snow pack slide
A 48-year-old Bern man died at noon Saturday, 23 hours after being caught by an avalanche in canton Valais.
Three power station employees, one of them a mountain guide, were checking snow conditions at Obergesteln and as they headed back, crossing a slope at 13:00 at Sidelhorn, the avalanche struck. Two of the men were caught by sliding plates of snow, 200 metres long and 100 metres wide. One was able to free himself and he and the man who was not hit were able to quickly free their colleague. A rescue team arrived rapidly and he was flown to hospital in Sion, but he died from his injuries Saturday.
Avalanche situation: the risk level is 2-3/5 throughout the Alps, relatively low.
Icy roads raise accident risk
A 52-year-old man is in critical condition, with fears for his life, at the Chuv university hospitals in Lausanne after being hit by a car in Villars-sur-Ollon Friday morning at 09:00. A driver heading down towards the plain did not see the man, who was using a pedestrian crossing, until too late, and skidded into the victim, on the cantonal road at Chesières.
On the plain, around Lake Geneva, the wind will continue to blow, with the icy bise wind gusting in some areas, until Sunday, says MeteoSwiss.
Ice skirts on jetties continue to form thanks to strong winds on Lake Geneva, Friday
The amazing natural ice sculptures fringing Lake Geneva are generally the result of strong winds blowing lake water onto boats, buoys, jetties, boardwalks and plants. The blend of sunshine and glacial temperatures causes a continual melt-freeze action, smoothing them down until the next blast of wind brings a new layer of lake water from Europe’s deepest lake.
Lake Geneva put on one of its wonderful colour shows Friday, with the water ranging from brown to green to deep blue and violet, thanks to the wind whipping it up for several hours.
Lake Geneva blowing onto jetty in St Prex (16:24:39)
Lake Geneva blowing onto jetty in St Prex (16:24:40)
Lake Geneva blowing onto jetty in St Prex (16:24:40)
Lake Geneva blowing onto jetty in St Prex (16:24:41)
Avalanche in Obergesteln, canton Valais, Friday
Avalanche at Sidelhorn, Obergesteln, 200 metres wide and 100 metres long (photo, Valais police)
Sidelhorn avalanche (photo, Valais police)
Sidelhorn avalanche (photo, Valais police)
Verbier piste avalanche 1 February 2012
Avalanche on the piste at la Croix de Cœur, Verbier, 1 February 2012
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – There were happily no victims when a sizeable avalanche swept across a groomed ski slope in Verbier at 10:30 Wednesday morning 1 February.
The run was open but rescue workers, who immediately combed the area,say there were no victims. The avalanche occurred at la Croix de Cœur (Le Clou) and it is not yet clear what triggered it. It was 200m long, 20m wide and less than 2m deep on the piste.
Fall, Christmas and summer school holidays all happen at the same time in France. But for the two-week winter and spring breaks France is then divided into three zones, each with different dates, so do check the school holiday calendar. The Jura and Alps areas are located in zone A. In winter and spring, one vacation week is shared by two zones, and roads and slopes can then become very crowded. The school calendar can be printed.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Sarah Burke, 29-year-old Canadian freestyle ski champion, died Thursday 19 January at the University of Utah hospital where she was taken following an accident during training near Salt Lake City a week earlier. Burke had won numerous gold medals in the past five years and CNN reports that she “is considered a pioneer of freestyle skiing and was a major force in getting the ski halfpipe event added to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi”.
The accident occurred as she was doing a superpipe training run. In a fall after making her jump, she tore one of the main arteries that supply blood to the brainstem and the rupture sent her into cardiac arrest. She was without a pulse and spontaneous breathing while the CPR emergency team worked on her at the site and after being taken to the hospital she had surgery 11 January. The surgery was successful in repairing the artery, but she sustained irreversible brain damage in the minutes following the accident and this ultimately caused her death Thursday, according to the skier’s publicist.
In accordance with Burke’s wishes, reports CBC, her organs were donated to others.
Burke married another freestyle skier, Rory , in October 2010 in British Columbia, Canada.
Links to other sites: AP, CBC, CNN, Ski Channel, Vancouver Sun
News video, ABC
Wedding video, Sarah Burke and Rory Bushfield
Didier Cuche announcing his decision to retire from World Cup skiing at age 37 (image: TSR television))
BERN, SWITZERLAND – Swiss ski star Didier Cuche, who was named Swiss Person of the Year earlier this week by thousands of television viewers, announced Thursday afternoon that he will retire from the sport at the end of this season.
The 37-year-old’s decision came as no surprise.
But Cuche is not just one of the oldest skiers on the world circuit, he’s been a fixture and a winner for the past 10 years. The announcement was made at Kitzbuehl in Austria, where one of the toughest downhills of the season will take place Saturday. Cuche won it last year, making him, at age 36, the oldest winner of a World Cup event.
The Neuchatel skier was emotional during his press conference but said his weak performance in Wengen last weekend did not play a role in his decision. “You don’t make a decision based on a single race,” he said, but noted that he was distracted by the sense that he needed to make a decision. “i had this gut feeling that the time had come.”
Update, 15 January weather forecast for the week, for skiers:
Dawn in Zermatt 12 January (photo ©2012 William Olenick)
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – If you’re able to ski during the week, concentrate on getting up to the slopes at the start of this week, with temperatures hovering around zero, some cloudiness mornings but clear skies and sunshine in the afternoons.
By late Wednesday some rain is likely in warmer areas, with intermittent light snow in the mountains and the snow line at 1,000 metres, highs of 4C.
Thursday: expect winds to pick up, rain and snow with the snow line moving up to 1,500 metres before falling to 600 metres on Friday, with the high Friday around 1C and gusting winds.
Jura skiing, 13 January, a half-hour from Geneva
The huge piles of snow dumped on Switzerland and neighbouring France are turning ski resorts into winter wonderlands and there is an amazing mix of things to do.
Our Jura correspondent, Shirley Curran, was skiing on the mountains you pass over as you fly into Geneva, Friday afternoon, and she says the weather was good (just a few clouds), the snow fantastic, and too few people in Geneva seem to realize that fast chairs, excellent snow and very good slopes are just 20-30 minutes from home.
Weather forecast should send you to the hills
Temperatures hovering around 0C with some cloudiness in the mornings in the mountains and on the plains, sun in the afternoon Saturday and Sunday in the Alps. Gusting winds are a possibility in the Jura.
For those interested in Swiss mountain life, two bits of news are worth checking out.
Avalanche update
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.
Liam and Nick Bates, Swiss ski dream week team
This is the fifth 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 out the video at the end.
Click on images to view larger
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Davos to non-skiers is possibly best known as the place where the world’s political and business leaders meet every year to discuss the state of the world. But long before it had that reputation it was a resort with a long history, popular with skiers because of its reliably good snow.
Davos basics
The combined resorts of Davos and Klosters make up one of the largest ski areas in the Alps, with five mountains, 300km of pistes, 85 downhill runs and just about every variation on winter sports you can imagine. One of the most recent additions is a “slow slope” on Schatzalp.
Two of the mountains here stay open later in the season than many Swiss resorts: Jacobshorn until 1 May and Parsenn (Davos and Klosters) unti 25 April, whereas many resorts will be closing in Switzerland and France starting 27 March.
This is a big resort area, with a very good range of prices and types of accommodation, so it’s worth getting a bit of help from the local tourism office to plan where you’ll stay. The town has hotels for heads of state and close by you’ll find farmhouse accommodation and simple B&Bs.
The town and piste maps are well done and helpful for advance planning. If you’re planning to travel from Geneva by train, allow 5 hours 20 minutes, via Zurich, Landquart and Davos.
Nick, who spent a bit of time at the hospital, reflects on life off the slopes while Liam, who fell in love with the igloo village on the mountainside, was equally impressed by the “big, big jumps” at the snowpark.
Kieran Brookes (photo: ©Irving of Exeter)
Chatel, France (GenevaLunch) – The chairlifts in Châtel, France, part of the Portes du Soleil ski resort area over the border from Switzerland, were stopped for a minute Wednesday 23 March to remember Kieran Brookes, age 14. He died 17 March following a chairlift accident a month earlier, during a school ski trip.
This is South Devon, a British newspaper, quotes Nicolas Rubin, the mayor of the French town, as saying “His death has been a huge shock to everyone here. It is something that people talk about not just here in Châtel but beyond. We have all been really affected by this. It is something we will not forget and we don’t want to forget. In memory of the tragedy we will hold a minute’s silence today at the time of the accident.
“Myself and others will go to the top of the chair lift where it happened. All chair lifts in the resort will be shut down for a minute in memory of this young lad.”
The youth was critically injured when his backpack became caught in the chairlift, he was unable to get out at the top, and as it left to head down he was trapped. His airway became blocked while a rescue crew tried to free him.
Those close to the police investigation into the accident have asked that anyone, especially English speakers, who witnessed the accident or the rescue contact French police to share their information.
Gendarmerie in Abondance, France:
Telephone / +33 4 50 73 01 02
Fax / +33 4 50 73 01 71
E-mail / bta.abondance [ à ] gendarmerie.interieur.gouv.fr
Background stories, GenevaLunch, 24 February and 20 March
Snow has been falling at higher altitudes, although not in great quantities, as on the road to the Simplon Pass 14 March
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Blue skies and 10C in Geneva Friday morning 18 March make it hard to use the word “winter” but resorts are still open and the snow remains decent to good in most areas.
Weather forecast, snow conditions, avalanche warnings
Highs of 10C around Lake Geneva, 14C in Valais for the weekend, with occasional cloudiness, but mostly sunny, turning sunny for the start of next week. Snow down to 900 metres in cooler areas, which could give the Jura a final spring covering on the slopes. Details, Meteosuisse (Fr)
MySwitzerland’s snow conditions report indicates that it has snowed in several resorts in the past 24 hours, although in most places, such as Crans-Montana, the snowfall above the resort was 10cm.
The avalanche warnings are at level 3, “considerable” throughout all mountain areas: warm late winter days are the peak time for them. The national avalanche institute notes that “The old snowpack is thoroughly wet in all expositions below 2000 to 2200 m. Particularly on west to north to east facing slopes, the old snowpack is prone to triggering.” Even north-facing slopes below 2,200 metres are at risk where steep slopes have not yet discharged, it says.
Hikers are starting to walk in the mountains, thanks to the warm weather and low snowfall this winter which means many areas are clear of snow. Use caution: a man died near St Luc Friday 17 March after slipping on ice and then sliding 100 metres, while on a mountain walk.
Resorts news
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.
Third avalanche death this week: woman died Thursday in Bern
Update 14 March Geneva and Zermatt, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – A 57-year-old man from Solothurn died Sunday night 13 March in hospital, the second of two skiers to die from an avalanche near Zermatt Saturday. A 50-year-old man, also from Solothurn, died Saturday shortly after the accident. He was part of a group of 10 people from the Solothurn Swiss Alpine Club who were ski-touring in the Triftjigletscher area near Zermatt when they were caught by an avalanche.
The accident occurred at 17:45 Saturday 12 March.
Three members of the group were carried away by the avalanche, one of whom was dug out by the others. Air Zermatt and canton Valais police sent a rescue team, and the two missing skiers were pulled out and given medical treatment immediately. They were then flown to hospitals in Viege/Visp and Bern, but one of them died en route to hospital.
Skier triggers snow slab break
A 45-year-old woman from canton Bern died Thursday 10 March when she was caught by an avalanche. She and a male companion, both very experienced ski tourers, according to cantonal police, were coming down the Sulegg, heading towards Saxeten, when they decided to cross a slope. She went first and provoked a snow slab to break off. She was carried several hundred metres to her death. Her companion immediately alerted police. He was taken from the area by helicopter.
The woman’s body was found by the rescue team.
Liam and Nick Bates, Swiss ski dream week team
This is the third 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, as well as the video from the slopes.
Click on images to view larger – snowboard video at end
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - St Moritz and glitz: it’s hard to separate them, but for two skiers intent on getting the best out of Swiss mountains in a week, the furs and razzmatazz of St Moritz become just a small sideshow.
Skiing father Nick and snowboarding son Liam gave the famous but also very large resort two days, arriving by train from Zurich. The Zermatt-St Moritz Glacier Express would have been a beautiful option, but it’s not for those in a hurry to get to the slopes. And one week for five resorts with as much skiing as possible meant leaving out the 10 km tough Diavolezza to Morteratsch run. 2,978 m to 1,896 m, the “longest secured glacier descent in Switzerland”.
But you can’t expect to do everything in just two days in St Moritz.
The basics: 350km ski slopes, 1,800-3,300 metres
The village of St Moritz has given its name to a cluster of beautiful little hamlets and villages in canton Graubuenden that together offer 350 km of skiing, four large areas and seven smaller ones, reliably some of the best (and surest) snow in Switzerland at 1,800-3,300 metres. First lift opens at 07:45, the rest by 08:00, so if you want the first one on fresh snow, head out early. Four major peaks.
Corviglia in St Moritz: plenty of blue sky and space on the slopes for a snowboarder
Other ice and snow sports are hugely popular, so there is no shortage of winter sports, from 200km of cross country skiing and long sledding runs to the world-class White Turf horse race on the frozen lake in St Moritz village, in early February.
The Preda to Berguen sled run goes alongside the lovely Albula railway section that is a Unesco World Heritage site, and the bright red rail cars travelling through banks of light white snow is one of the sights of the area worth seeing while you’re out doing sports.
The resort claims to be the birthplace of winter tourism 150 years ago, but there is certainly nothing decrepit about the village or the area around it, and don’t be surprised if you recognize a few royals or headline-makers.
A good thing about the resort’s luxurious approach to life if you’re a skier is that the lifts are in good shape and queues are not a problem.
Skiers’ notes from Saint Moritz
Day 1 – Skied Corviglia mountain
Lunch pause, El Paradiso, St Moritz
There was a clear blue sky and it was cold, -17C at the top of the peak where we were, Piz Nair, at just over 3,000 metres.
The slopes were steep but very wide and well groomed, so we could ski fast but safely.
There were very few people on the slopes before lunch. By the time we stopped for a much-appreciated hot chocolate at Chamanna cabin at 10:30, it already felt like we had done a full day of skiing.
This is the second in the Swiss dream ski week, 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.
Liam and Nick Bates in St Moritz, canton Graubuenden
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Nick and Liam left the car at home near Lake Geneva, with some reluctance since they are used to driving to the slopes. They caught a fast CFF InterCity train for Zurich, then headed for St Moritz.
Both had passes for first class travel; Liam, who lives in Beijing, had a Swiss Pass for foreigners, which meant one 8-day ticket that covered all trains as well as city transport, the mountain trains they used and cablecars in the resorts they visited.
Initial calculations were that a car would be cheaper and handier, but by the end of the week the two had changed their minds. Two Swiss Pass tickets for eight days would cost just under CHF1,000 but a rental car plus CHF300 petrol to cover the same distance, plus parking fees at some hotels and lift areas would quickly have cost the same.
“We never missed having a car, at all,” says Nick, who would have done all the driving since Liam does not have a Swiss license. “In many ways the train was much more pleasant. You don’t have to worry about maps or where you’re going. And when you’re feeling tired, it’s nice. You can have a glass of wine, read a book or watch a movie on your laptop.”
You can go out to dinner at the end of the day, relax and drink without considering if you’re staying under the legal driving limit, he notes.
First class is busy for a reason: it has advantages
Liam, who normal travels as cheaply as possible, and who expects other people to, was surprised to see how busy first class trains are.
First class cars have bigger seats and more luggage space, and you tend to see more foreigners on them, Liam noticed, probably because so many foreigners buy special offer packages before they come to Switzerland.
These often include first class travel because these cars are usually more conveniently located for making connections and for getting in and out of stations more easily or quickly.
Commuters who work on the train regularly often have general subscription passes for first class. The Swiss have the world’s highest rate of use of trains in the world, and rush hour on commuter trains can get very busy.
International sports, skiing
Kranjska Gora, Slovenia (GenevaLunch) - Carlo Janka won the Giant Slalom at Kranyska Gora, Saturday 6 March, just 10 days after being operated on for irregular heartbeats (cardiac dysrhythmia). Janka had suffered from rapid heartbeats following his previous races, up to 160 per minute even a half hour after racing. The skier from Graubunden commented that he should have had the medical procedure earlier so that he could have been more competitive this season.
Lindsey Vonn picked up her third trophy for the season when she took the super-G title to add to the downhill and super-combined she had already won. The American star is currently second to German skier Maria Reisch in the race for the overall title.
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.
Jura early morning skiing, before the fog disappears below, to sit over Geneva
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - A short message to wish you all well outdoors this weekend, because the weather and a whiff of fresh snow are combining to offer good times in the Alps! Friday morning saw lower altitude Lake Geneva towns sitting in gloomy gray weather, with clearer weather if not sunny above, in the Jura.
Slopes, snow conditions: generally good throughout Switzerland, although more fresh snow is still needed everywhere. Limited snow park and off-piste skiing. There have been yet more serious accidents on the slopes this week, including two where children fell off skilifts. Icy slopes continue to cause accidents: slow down.
Shirley Curran reports from the Jura: Both the Col de la Faucille and the Crozet-Lélex resorts are now operating, though the cover is thin at La Faucille. We have had snow and rain this week and the slopes
are very busy with two French holiday regions having their ski week at once, and the Swiss schools. However, it is again sunny above Geneva’s cloud layer. The excellent grooming continues on the slopes, so that the good conditions continue.
Weather forecast: highs of 7-9C Saturday, with sunny to lightly overcast skies in western Switzerland, including resorts in canton Valais. Rain moving in Sunday, with the snow line falling to 800 metres, and temperatures 5-7C, slightly colder at altitude.
Roads: keep in mind that canton Geneva drivers will be packing the roads Sunday afternoon and evening, as their school holidays end. Check TSR and the federal truck traffic site for live updates on accidents, heavy traffic patches and weather conditions, particularly for mountain areas and main autoroute junctions.
We’re cutting short our report this weekend, with a promise to bring you some of the best of Swiss skiing throughout next week! Off to the pistes now.
Liam Bates, Nick Bates, take a break up on St Moritz's famed Corvatsch
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - GenevaLunch will soon share the results of the one week, best of Swiss ski slopes dream trip taken by our two reporters, Liam and Nick Bates, but in the meantime, here is today’s quick update from St Moritz.
“Snow is good, but too thin for real off-piste skiing. Wednesday offered brilliant blue skies but a biting wind. Thursday, up on Corvatsch, the wind had died down and the morning weather was fine, but faded into white-out conditions as it clouded over. Snow on the way, we hope!”
Tomorrow: Scuol, then on to Davos for more hard work on the slopes!
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The British 15-year-old boy injured Wednesday 23 February in a freak chairlift accident in Châtel, France is in hospital in Annecy, France, police confirmed to GenevaLunch, but French authorities have not issued information about the state of his health a day after the accident.
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.
Weather forecast, driving on Swiss mountain roads, watch the icy slopes
Jura has had some fresh snow this week (photo: Shirley Curran)
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Expect traffic on the roads and on the trains: this weekend is the height of the school holiday period with families heading towards the slopes from cantons Geneva and Vaud as well as parts of France.
The snow cover might be thinner than winter sports fans like, but snowmaking machines and snow left from December are keeping the pistes white. And, cross your fingers, the weather people are telling us to expect snow down to about 1,000m Sunday, cooler temperatures Monday and the snow line falling to 600-800 m.
Better yet, all of this should be followed by clearer skies early in the week in Valais.
Switzerland received almost no new snow in the past week. What little fell landed mostly in the Jura, so it is one of the good places to go if you’re looking for snow Saturday.
We’re repeating a word of caution this week because there have been yet more injuries and a death linked to icy slopes. A 16-year-old from Neuchatel died 15 February, two weeks after she crashed going down a slope that had been closed, during a school ski trip. TSR has a good page, in French, with advice on safety and health tips including common sense pointers for those who love going off piste.
Canton Vaud police have offered a few tips on driving in the mountains to help the foreigners on the roads, which we’re sharing with you.
Weather forecast
It's the Jura this week! Snow .... (photo, Shirley Curran)
It’s true: snow is on the way! The forecast from MeteoSwiss for Sunday shows one big black cloud, with the snow line down to 1,000 metres for the first time in weeks, and falling to 800 or 600 by Monday as temperatures fall.
That said, the highs are expected to be 5-7C in western Switzerland, just a degree or two colder at altitude, but with luck the snow will last for the coming school holidays week.
Ski resorts report
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – A 16-year-old girl has died in hospital two weeks after a ski accident on a closed piste in canton Valais. The girl died Tuesday 15 February at the Chuv university hospitals in Lausanne.
She was on a school ski trip with her class from Neuchatel 3 February in Isérables, part of the Nendaz ski system in Valais. She and a group of students were skiing in the Siviez area and decided to ignore signs saying the Fontaines piste was closed, in order to get to a lift. She took a bad fall on the run at 11:15 and was taken to hospital in Sion, then transferred at 16:15 that day to the Chuv due to the seriousness of her injuries.
A 12-year-old girl from Biel/Bienne died while on a school ski trip in Valais 10 February, after sliding down an icy towbar path. In another slippery slope accident, a 65-year-old Vaud woman lost her life after sliding down a closed path near Champery 6 February.
Police in Valais have opened an investigation into the accident.
International sports, World Championship skiing
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany (GenevaLunch) - Didier Cuche just failed in his bid to win the FSA World Championship downhill at Garmisch-Partenkirchen when he came in second. The Neuchatel 36-year-old emphasized the positive: that he had won silver rather than losing gold. In fact, the dangerously bumpy course, coupled with warmer than normal weather meant that many racers were not keen to race at all. The gold was won by French-Canadian Erik Guay who became the first Quebecois to win a World Championship downhill.
The women’s downhill saw another gold for Austrian Elisabeth Görgl, who won the Super-G earlier in the week. Second and third places were taken by American Lindsey Vonn and Germany’s Maria Riesch, the two friends who have dominated the season. Switzerland’s young star Lara Gut took fourth place for the second time in a week, the dreaded “chocolate medal.”
The site of the fatal accident, Evolene, Valais (source: Valais Cantonal Police)
Sion, canton Valais, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – A 12-year-old girl on a ski camp in Evolene, in the Val d’Herens, canton Valais, died in hospital in Sion after a ski accident Thursday morning 10 February.
She fell off a tow bar and slid 100 metres on icy snow, hitting a pylon with padding before coming to a stop several metres below.
The girl, from Bienne, was promptly treated at the site then transported by helicopter to the hospital in Sion, where she died. The exact cause of death has not yet been determined, Valais police said in a statement later in the day.
The ski camp was organized by the girl’s school.
International sports, Women’s European Cup skiing
Shirley Curran writes the weekly Jura report for GenevaLunch’s weekend snow and winter sports feature
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Preparations are underway for this weekend’s big Geneva-Jura ski event, the FIS Coupe d’Europe (European Cup) women’s super-G and super-combined.
This is the first time the Jura resorts have hosted a ski event of this significance.
The city of Geneva is hosting the competition in partnership with France’s Ain department, a show of cross-border cooperation.
There is an astonishingly rich layer of snow thanks to the work, all through the month of January, of the resort’s staff and the massive accumulation of neige de culture: artificial snow.
Race preparations, Jura (photo, ©2011, Shirley Curran)
The nets are going up on both sides of the two race pistes and the tents are in place.
Young skiers from all over Europe are already training heavily.
Note for skiers and race fans: A one-day special, a €1 for the day ski pass is available from Crozet and Lélex Friday 11 February and Saturday 12 February.
Pedestrians will need to go up the mountain from the Lélex side, where there is still snow down to 900 metres.
Skiers have access via the Fierney telecabine and the Bergers chairlift from the Geneva valley.
The conditions are still astonishingly good but it is like spring skiing, as the daytime temperatures have risen during the last week.
However, the plans are to keep the resorts running all next week and as long as possible, even if that longed-for metre of fresh snow doesn’t fall.
More photos Read more…
Les Diablerets, canton Vaud
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Blazing blue skies beckon, and they promise to hold for the weekend. Ski resorts are offering plenty of activities in the run-up to the school ski holidays that are staggered by canton in Switzerland, starting in two weeks.
A word of caution: accidents up
The number of accidents on slopes in France and Switzerland has been unusually high in the past two weeks, in part due to hard snow because of limited snowfalls and thaws followed by freezing.
Col des Mosses, canton Vaud
Some schools have cancelled ski days, not for lack of snow, but as a precaution because of the potential danger, especially for older students who ski on their own.
Use extra caution and be prepared for icy patches.
Avalanches: MySwitzerland’s avalanche warning page offers a useful map and at the moment the danger level is low to moderate throughout the country. If you’re going off-trail, the Swiss national avalanche centre offers more detail.
Weather forecast
Les Diablerets, canton Vaud
Fog on the plain and sunny and mild in the mountains for the weekend: lows of -1C starting Saturday, with highs of 10C, so if you’re planning to ski, get out early in the day before the snow turns soft.
MeteoSwiss, the national weather service, is forecasting falling temperatures, but still relatively mild with highs of 4C, starting next Tuesday 8 February.
Ski resorts: snow reports and what’s on
Jura report, by Shirley Curran
All week we have been skiing on the excellent pistes that have been maintained with artificial snow at Crozet and Lelex in the Jura mountains. There is good skiing right down to 900 metres over at Lelex. The surfaces are hard but the blue, green and red pistes are in fine condition and the sun shines all day up above the layer of stratus that shrouds Geneva.
You can see for yourself at www.monts-jura.com
Swiss Alps
Les Diablerets, canton Vaud
The new snow report won’t make skiers happy: less than 1cm of fresh snow in the past week, for the entire country. Ski conditions are nevertheless good, with enough snow to keep the runs covered and weather cold enough until now to keep it in decent shape.
Alternative weekend winter events
White Turf horse racing on ice
One of the most thrilling winter sports events in Switzerland is the White Turf races in St Moritz, so if you’re heading that way, don’t miss this, Sunday 6 February.
Horses thunder around the frozen lake in the centre of town in this annual race that has been taking place since 1907. For an idea of what to expect, check out last year’s beautiful photos.
Carnival!
The Carneval season has begun, but keep in mind that dates vary from canton to canton and from one town to the next. A good source for information and dates is the Swiss tourism office site, MySwitzerland.
This weekend there are celebrations in Estavayer-le-lac in canton Fribourg, Saturday and a marching band (fanfare) festival in Saas Grund in canton Valais to kick off Carnival, Friday night and Saturday: a good opportunity to discover the excellent skiing in and around Saas Fee.
Skiers urged to use caution: icy slopes
Ski slopes throughout the Alps have icy patches, and skiers are urged to use extra caution (photo, Verbier 24 January 2011)
Update 22:40 Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – One skier is dead and another one severely injured following a tragic accident on the slopes at Adelboden in the Bernese Oberland Sunday 30 January. Shortly after their accident, at 13:30, a nine-year-old girl from the French Jura fell and hit her head on icy slopes in Megève and was critically injured. She died Sunday night in hospital in Annecy.
According to police in canton Bern, a 73-year-old man from Bern and a 44-year-old woman from Schaffhouse collided while skiing at around 13:00 Sunday.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident and the woman was taken to the hospital by Rega helicopter. Police are still investigating the accident.
A girl, age 9, was skiing with her parents in Megève on the steep Coq slope that can be reached via Christomet, according to Le Dauphine, when she fell and hit her head on the icy, hard slope. She was reportedly wearing a helmet. She then slid and when rescuers working nearby reached her, she was already in cardiac arrrest.
Police in France are asking skiers to use extra caution, with the number of accidents increasing in recent days due to icy conditions on slopes, throughout the Alps, reports Le Parisien.
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Suva, the national Swiss accident insurer, says 70,000 accidents take place every year on Swiss ski slopes, many of them resulting in serious injury or death. Suva produces safety videos showing the potentially fatal impact of a downhill skier travelling at 30 kph colliding with another, stationary skier.
Suva offers, free-of-charge, DVDs and other ski accident prevention material.
Swiss ski star Didier Cuche
Chamonix, France (GenevaLunch) – Swiss skier Didier Cuche was called “untouchable” by Austrian Klaus Kröll, who came in third, and “an example for the rest of us” by runner-up, 21-year-old Dominik Paris, when Cuche skied flawlessly down the tough Verte des Houches course in Chamonix.
The Saturday 29 January downhill win in one minute 58.91 seconds on the 3.37km course was the first Chamonix victory for Cuche, who at age 36 appears to be in his prime, mentally and physically. Dominik Paris of Italy came in second, 0.67 behind Cuche.
Last week he won the downhill on one of the most difficult runs of the World Cup circuit, the Streif in Kitzbuehel, Austria. Cuche leads the World Cup standings in downhill and is second overall.
Saturday’s race gave him his 16th career first place finish.
Links to other sites: 24 Heures (Fr), Canadian Press
