SION, SWITZERLAND – The sun struggled to come out early Saturday morning in the Swiss Alps, and instead left a show of frosted trees and mountainsides while temperatures fell to -20 and lower above 2,000 metres. By 11:00 a light snow was still falling and the sun was out, creating spectacular scenery.
Swiss Alps, canton Valais, 4 February 2011
The path less taken, in this case through Valais pastures, is the one off-piste skiers love
Webcam from Crans-Montana at 11:35 Saturday: clearing skies, spectacular scenery and great snow conditions
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – This report is coming to you a bit later than usual as we waited for the ski news to improve and, happily, it has, but it’s not the perfect weekend for beginners. Sunday promises occasional glimpses of sun.
Yes there is snow, fresh snow, throughout much of the Alps, the depth is excellent everywhere and there is good powder. The snow line has been falling since early morning, to 400 metres in some areas.
The less happy news, for those who like blue skies, is that there aren’t any: gray is the norm. And for less confident skiers, whiteout conditions come and go, especially at relatively low altitudes.
In the news: Vaud is studying the option of a super-region that would connect Gstaad-Diableret-Villars-Gryon. The canton has ordered the “Vision Alpes vaudoises 2020″ study that estimates it would cost CHF160 million to build new lifts to link up the resorts and to recreate others, notably in the Glacier 3000 area. Other runs could be closed.
Note that the Vaud Alps resorts share an information web site, which has useful information in English, but if the links don’t take you anywhere try switching to French.
Keep French and Swiss school holiday dates in mind if you’re planning a ski trip in the near future, as the slopes become much busier at these times. Geneva school break starts 11 February, Vaud and Neuchatel break starts 25 February and French schools break at these times depending on their zones.
This weekend Swiss mountain roads are very icy and chains will be needed in more places than usual, with daytime temperatures just above zero then falling at dusk.
Weather forecast
Temperatures will start to fall, with daytime highs of 2 Sunday in most of Western Switzerland. A mixed snow and sun picture: intermittent snow is expected, with occasional sunshine.
Looking ahead, MeteoSwiss says we could be in for one of the coldest snaps in February in years, with highs next weekend already falling, to -6 and -7.
Special activities, offers in resorts this week
Anzeres has a deal worth considering: reserve before 31 January and you can get 20 percent off on several things including a number of hotels and apartments, ski passes, and equipment rentals.
Gstaad kicks off a winter season of 16 concerts at the beautiful old Rougement church, Sunday 29 January.
Leysin/Les Mosses hosts the start of the beautiful Transalp dog races 30 January. This run that covers 160 km of mountain terrain ends 5 February and is one of the highlights of the Alpine purebred Huskies dog race season.
You can now buy package tickets that combine various fun things like fondue dinners with the Villars Night Show that starts 11 February and is on Saturdays and Wednesdays through March.
Jura report
by Shirley Curran
We have another week before the French holidays begin in earnest and we have been favoured this year by great falls of snow. More is expected at the end of the week. As always, it is a good idea to log in to Monts-jura.com and check the webcams to see our impressive conditions for yourself. Snow depth: 120-155cm, depending on the station.
Ed. note: the site corrected Friday evening’s forecast noting that Saturday morning opened with clear skies, although the web cams show clouding over by noon, so definitely check the site for the latest updates.
Alpine resorts
Holding up against the snow - just
Anzere The snowcross (snowmobile) races as well as the 4x mountain bike on snow races scheduled for Saturday 28 January have been postponed; stay tuned for an update.
Crans-Montana Mostly open, with little wind in the region. Snow conditions superb.
Gstaad 80% of runs are open, but whiteout conditions throughout much of the area
Leysin Slopes open, except superpipe snow park, and hints of sunshine. A highlight this winter, with the great snow, is the village toboggan park that features 8 corridors of 150-200 metres and snow tubing, open from 10-20:00
Verbier Virtually everything open, avalanche risk down to level 2, snow depth at Les Gentianes at 310cm and for the good skiers who love this place, the gray skies won’t matter, although with temperatures at -3 to -10, it’s chillier than it’s been.
Villars Mostly open, 10cm of fresh snow added to the 235cm depth.
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
Best wishes to all our friends and fans, for a restful, peaceful and thoroughly enjoyable Christmas break. We’re taking a short break ourselves, to enjoy family and friends and the beautiful Swiss Alps.
Christmas dawn 2011, over the Alps and Rhone river near Sierre, Valais
Matterhorn victims identified
Jungfraujoch
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The weekend of 15-16 October was a deadly one in the Swiss Alps, with three people dead and one in critical condition following three separate accidents at high altitude.
Speedflyer fails on takeoff from Jungfrau
A speedflyer died Saturday 15 October when his Jungfrau takeoff failed. The 25-year-old Swiss man, paragliding with skis, was with two friends whose flights went off without a hitch at 14:00, but for reasons that Bern police have not provided, he had trouble taking off. He ran into a wall of ice and fell to his death. The trio had left from the Jungfraujoch, a popular tourist destination, to climb to the top of the Jungfrau, at 4,158 metres.
The young man’s body was recovered from a crevasse by a Club Alpine Suisse search and rescue team working with Air Glaciers.
One climber has died and a second is in critical condition after they fell while ascending the north face of the Matterhorn Sunday.
Grand Combin claims 20-yr-old
A 20-year-old Valais man died early Sunday 16 October after he slipped while climbing the Grand Combin in canton Valais. He and a friend had just left the Valsorey hut in order to climb the Combin de Valsorey, 4,184 metres. He was wearing hiking boots equipped with crampons when he slipped and fell about 400 metres to his death.
Zermatt North Face: roped pair fall
One climber, age 43, was killed and his companion critically injured after the first man apparently slipped on the North Face of the Matterhorn, at 07:30 Sunday morning and the pair, who were roped, fell several hundred metres. The two, both Italian and from Brescia, were climbing up, taking the Schmid route, when the accident occurred at about 3,700 metres. The second climber, in his 20s, was flown by helicopter to the Chuv university hospitals in Lausanne and is listed in critical condition Sunday evening.
Aminona, near Crans-Montana, with snow down to 1,400 metres 8 October 2011
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – The season’s first real snowfall has hit the entire Swiss Alps, with a tailback of 7km at the northern entrance to the St Gotthard tunnel mid-afternoon Saturday, according to Touring Club Swiss’s real-time road advisory service.
Several Swiss cantons are taking their autumn week-long holiday starting this weekend.
The snow line (altitude at which snow is falling) varies between 1,100 and 1,500 metres Saturday afternoon.
The national weather service, MeteoSwiss, is predicting slightly warmer, mixed weather starting Sunday.
Hiking near the Jungfraujoch (baby gets a backpack ride), August 2011
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – WWF, the environmental organization, and Switzerland’s largest supermarket chain, Migros, are joining forces to help children learn more about and appreciate the Swiss Alps. Mountainmania is a seven-week online quiz programme that kicks off 13 September, designed to teach children more about the Alps.
The two organizations are ready to hand out 50,000 diplomas to “mountain champions” who correctly complete the quiz.
“We need to take care of our Alps,” says WWF chief executive Hans-Peter Fricker. “We’ll only be able to do this if we instill a love for the mountains in children, starting as early as possible.”
Migros will be featuring its bio brands during this period, aiming to increase their sales by 10 percent during the seven weeks. The mountainmania albums that are sold will contribute CHF1 per album to WWF Alpine projects that include restoring areas of the Rhone and Rhine rivers to natural habitats for trout and beavers, and helping encourage the natural return of large carnivores to their Alpine habitats.
The Moench, viewed from the Jungfrau (photo: Dirk Beyer / wikipedia)
BERN, SWITZERLAND – A 51-year-old Dutch climber died when he fell while coming down from the Moench to Lauterbrunnen, in canton Bern, Wednesday 31 August.
He was climbing with a friend and during the afternoon they began their return, down the south face of the mountain.
When they were at about 3,940 metres the first climber heard a noise and saw the other, who was not roped, falling.
He alerted rescuers but he was dead when the Air Glacier team arrived on the scene, say canton Bern police.
The Moench is one of the three triplet mountains that are hugely popular with climbers: the Eiger, the Moench and the Jungfrau.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Two climbers, whose bodies have not yet been identified, died while climbing the dent d’Hérens in canton Valais Wednesday 24 August, bringing to six the number of people who have died in mountain accidents in the Swiss Alps in the past week.
The pair were climbing the peak at 09:45, at 4,050 metres, say canton Valais police, when for unknown reasons they fell 400 metres to their deaths. The pair were roped together.
Forecast is for more of the same
Update 14 July 10:00 ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – Thunderstorms and heavy rains are taking their toll in central and eastern Switzerland, with emergency services taking calls for pleasure craft in trouble on the lakes, trees down on roads, cellars flooded.
Torrential rains in parts of Valais are prompting fears of flooding in Zermatt (video, 20 Minutes) and the A2 autoroute in Ticino was cut off between Lugano and Mendrisio by a mudslide late Wednesday.
In the Bernese Oberland the Schynige Platte rail line was cut off by fallen trees and 64 passengers had to be evacuated by helicopters.
Zurich has had the most rain, according to TSR, with 40cm/m2 at the airport.
MeteoSwiss is predicting more of the same until at least mid-day Thursday in western Switzerland and Saturday in the central and eastern parts of the country.
Photos below, taken from the same spot in Valais during one hour, show the rapidly changing weather in the Alps. Click on images to view larger.
Swiss Alpine storm pummels garden 13 July
Heavy sheets of rain swept across the Alps Wednesday
Val d'Anniviers, storms come to an end
Val d'Anniviers, end of storm 13 July 2011
Not a cloud in the sky - storms have moved on to eastern Switzerland
The clouds are not quite ready to call it a day! Hikers, beware.
Finsteraarhorn, canton Bern's highest peak, 4,274 metres
Geneva / Sion, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - A climber died Sunday while attempting the 4,274-metre Finsteraarhorn, say canton Valais police. The victim was a 39-year-old German man, who lived in Germany.
He was climbing with one other person, a woman. The pair left the Finsteraarhorn hut Sunday morning to climb to the peak. They turned back at a point called “Hugisattel” due to poor weather conditions. The Hugi saddle is about an hour below the summit and is named after the Swiss climber who first ascended the peak.
The Finsteraarhorn is the highest mountain in canton Bern and the third highest peak in the Swiss Alps.
The two were not roped together and for reasons that are not yet clear the man had a fatal fall at an altitude of 3,900 metres.
Rescue column searching avalanche, Bourg-St-Pierre
Geneva and Sion, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Four people lost their lives in three separate accidents in the Swiss Alps in 48 hours.
Two of them died Sunday 13 March in an avalanche, bringing to five the number of people who have died in avalanches in the past 10 days in the region, four of them since Saturday.
A 43-year-old Valais man and his 11-year-old son died in an avalanche in Bourg-St-Pierre, not far from Verbier, late Sunday.
A German man who was climbing in snowshoes to the Wildstubel near Leukerbad died Saturday evening after he ran into health problems and was unable to reach safety.
And a Swiss man, age 38, died Monday as he was driving a van up the main road to the Simplon Pass, when he lost control of his vehicle and crashed head-on into a truck driven by a 37-year-old Slovakian man. The truck driver is in serious condition.
Father and son caught by avalanche on dis-used ski slope
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
Whitepod, above the Rhone Valley in the Swiss Alps
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Another weekend of blue skies and sunshine has arrived, with clement temperatures that are good for sunbathing, but less good for the thinning snow supply. Expect some haze and occasional light cloudiness, but mostly sunny with highs of 9-11C and lows of -3 to 0C, says MeteoSwiss.
Snow conditions in all major and many other resorts nevertheless remain good and lifts are open. Check the latest snow information for all resorts on MySwitzerland, the national tourism office’s site.
Days are getting longer and the sun at the top hotter, so it’s time to pull out the sunblock and suntan creams.
Caution: slopes remain icy
Do note that there were yet more fatalities this past week, linked to icy conditions and use great caution. A 12-year-old from Bienne died when she fell off a tow bar and slid 100 metres before hitting a pylon, in Evolene, canton Valais.
A woman was killed and one of her companions injured when they slipped under a barrier to ski on an icy slope in Champéry, canton Vaud.
Two big events in the area
Two events for winter sports fans should pull in the crowds this weekend. Leysin, only 45 minutes from Lausanne, is host to the popular Champs Open snowboard competition, open to all but also featuring some of the best half-pipers around. Friday noon: it’s not too late to sign up.
The other big event is the European Cup races in Geneva/Monts Jura, just outside Geneva. See Shirley Curran’s special report and note the special offer: a very friendly €1 for the day ski pass Friday and Saturday is available from Crozet and Lélex. We’ll be adding some gorgeous skiing photos from the event later today, Friday.
If you’re looking for something different to do in the mountains this week
Luxury accommodation in an igloo-like tent in the Alps
Consider these two options: head for what MySwitzerland calls “tiny winter resorts”, some of which are real gems. They make a happy change from the well-known big name places. List from the national tourism office
Another option is to get cozy in an igloo-like luxury “tent” on top of a mountain, overlooking the Rhone Valley. For CHF550 for two (extra beds CHF80) from Friday night to Sunday afternoon or CHF400 a night during the week you can stay in one of the Whitepod rooms in Cernier, below the Dents-du-Midi, not far from Monthey.
This is not camping as you’ve ever known it before but rather the height of luxury and the luxury of height all in one.
And if you long for the kind of skis the pros have
Keep an eye on the officials at the races in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany this weekend. They will be trying out new handmade skis made by Zai, a company based in Disentis, near Davos, headed by a former UBS currency senior strategist.
Whoosh!
Previous Friday Swiss weekend snow and winter sports reports
Cool! Also cozy: WhitePod hotel rooms
Second student in Bern hospital with head injuries after hiking group caught near Kandersteg
Oeschinensee (photo, Roland Zumbuehl, Picswiss)
Update 18:23 Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Henry Lo, who would have graduated from university in 2011, was killed when his group of nine university students hiking near Kandersteg in the Swiss Alps was caught by an avalanche of snow, ice and rocks Sunday 6 June. The rock and snow slide was set off by a skier above them, who was also caught, but who managed to save himself and call for help. Another student, Amy Nolan, was taken to hospital in Bern where she had surgery for head injuries.
The two were part of a group of two Oxford University students and seven from Williams College in Williamstown, Massachussetts, who are spending a year studying at Exeter College in Oxford.
The skier who triggered the avalanche did not see the group hiking below him until after the accident and he immediately alerted authorities. Police questioned and released him but they are investigating the accident, a Bern cantonal police spokesperson told GenevaLunch.
The group was near the Frundenhuute hut, heading for the Oeschinen lake above Kandersteg when it was caught at about 2,200 metres altitude, the police spokesperson said. Lo’s body was quickly found and Nolan was airlifted to Bern. The others in the group were taken by helicopter to the nearby Oeschinen Hotel at a little over 1,500 metres, where they stayed overnight before leaving Switzerland to return to the UK.
Link to Williams College, president’s letter about the accident
The world according to Geneva
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Runners in this weekend’s Geneva Marathon won’t get overheated, with highs of 15-16C and some rain Saturday, with more rain predicted on Sunday, says MeteoSwiss.
At least they won’t be sneezing from the pollen count, which is relatively low.
The Alps will generally have more sunshine and warmer temperatures, but the snowline will remain at about 1,600 metres until Tuesday, when it rises to 2,000m.
Glacier Patrol 2010 finish line in Verbier: you have to be fit to run with your skis at this point (photo 2010, PdG)
Verbier, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - A mere 5 hours, 52 minutes and 22 seconds to ski from Zermatt to Verbier: the daunting Glacier Patrol run across the top of the Swiss Alps saw 20 minutes sliced off the old record Saturday 24 April. The previous record was set in 2006 by a French-Italian team.
The winning men’s team of Florent Troillet, Martin Anthamatten and Yannick Ecoeur from canton Valais enthused about the excellent conditions when they finished the race: they were in form, the snow was hard and fast, and they were never cold.
Troillet’s sister Marie was part of the winning women’s team, which finished in 7 h 41’18”, also a record, by 12 minutes.
The race has its origins in the second world war, when the Swiss military were preparing to move fast in case of invasion. The 2010 race had more than 1,500 skiers racing in teams of three.
Background, GenevaLunch
Links to other sites: Glacier Patrol. Le Matin (Fre), TSR (Fre)
Dawn among the peaks near Zermatt for the Glacier Patrol 2010 (photo ©2010 Juerg Kaufmann/PdG 2010)
Heading up, Glacier Patrol 2010, Swiss mountain race from Zermatt to Verbier (photo 2010, PdG)
Weather forecast, Jura and Alps reports, Easter weekend traffic information
click on images to view larger
Snowline in Valais, near Leukebad
Fresh snow above Aminona, Valais 31 March 2010
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The long Easter weekend is starting and school holidays in Switzerland are well underway: expect traffic jams on the road but a good mix of vacation options once you’re off the road.
Weather forecast
Highs ranging from 9-11C in the Lake Geneva region this weekend, with some rain Saturday, sunshine alternating with overcast skies Sunday. The weather should become more springlike by Tuesday, with temperatures reaching 16C and sunshine. (MeteoSwiss)
Road traffic forecast
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
Title: Chateau d’Oex hot air balloon festival
Location: Chateau d’Oex, Vaud
Link out: Click here
Description: One of the most colourful and popular annual outdoor events, runs a week, many events for all ages: 80 balloons from 15 countries, spectacular against snowy Alps
Start Date: 2010-01-23
End Date: 2010-01-31
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.
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Three bodies were found Tuesday 5 July shortly before noon by a search team hunting for three people still missing following two avalanches Sunday morning in the Dietigtal region of the Bernese Oberland. Four people had already died from the avalanches, bringing the death toll to seven.
The three individuals, two men and a woman, were found in the cone (bottom) of the avalanche. Sixty people were involved in this morning’s search, mainly from the Secours Alpin Suisse Bern unit and the Swiss army’s mountain research team.
Thank you for joining us in 2009 to learn more about the Lake Geneva region in 2009 and we look forward to helping you stay informed in 2010.
Our New Year’s wish for you: rise above it – seek the peaks in your life, just waiting for you to find them.
Image: Ellen Wallace. Canton Valais, Switzerland, changing weather, 31 December 2009 (click on image to view larger)
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – This is it folks: snow is coming down, even on the edge of Lake Geneva, which means you can count on it in the Swiss and French Alps. Head outdoors this weekend and remind yourself why you are in Switzerland. Snow on the slopes is still thin except at high altitudes, but snow canons are now in use in most resorts, so the slopes are open.
Weather forecast
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.
New day in the Alps, 21 November 2009
Days' end in the Alps, Friday 20 November
Lake Geneva region, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - It’s the in-between season in Switzerland, too early for snow for the skiers, too late for warm pools and barbecues for the summer folk.
If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, consider a hike. Better yet, take a hike in the vineyards, anywhere from Geneva to Vaud to Valais. The vineyards are etched with small paths, open to the public, which is one of Switzerland’s great assets and the reason the Swiss are some of the world’s best walkers.
The weather has been exceptionally mild, with few strong winds, and the autumn colours are still lingering. You can hike up to 1,000 metres among the vines without more than a sweater or light jacket this weekend.
Weather forecast: highs of 12C in the Lake Geneva region to 16C in Valais, with mostly sunny skies, dry, some cloud cover (MeteoSwiss)
New GenevaLunch photo album: Switzerland outdoors November 2009
Wintry sunrise, Rhone valley, canton Valais, Saturday 7 November 2009
Val d'anniviers, Valais, fresh snow 7 November 2009
Click on images to view larger
Valais, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – There is one day every year when you know that winter has arrived: it can’t be defined clearly by a drop in the temperature or all the leaves suddenly disappearing or even by snow arriving, but it is tangible. Saturday 7 November, winter settled in, in the Swiss Alps.
Leaves began to fall seriously last week in Vaud (Saint Prex)
First winter snow of 2009 above Aminona, Valais: 12 October
Update 14:00 Lausanne / Sierre, Valais, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – If anyone still had doubts, autumn has arrived, and in the Swiss Alps that means the first snowfall of the winter season, at high altitudes. Temperatures dropped during the night of Sunday to Monday in the Alps and while the cooler temperatures came with heavy rain around Lausanne, they brought snow to the Alps, starting at about 2000 metres altitude.
Tunnels closed, could snow down to 800 metres or lower
Heavy winds and snow were recorded in several parts of Switzerland by MeteoSwiss, the national weather service, with gusts well over 130 kph. Several tunnels closed Monday morning for the winter: Furka, San Bernardino, Klausen Nufenen and Grimsel.
Forecasts show snow falling to 800 metres in some areas, with temperatures falling: western Switzerland’s range Thursday 15 October is expected to be 2-8C, with even cooler temperatures in the east of the country, according to MeteoSwiss.
Click on images to view larger
Swiss soldiers, part of the weekend commando operation, near the A9 autoroute, Chablais
Taking the fast road down from the high alps: Swiss cows near Crans-Montana
Lausanne/Sion, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Switzerland did its best to live up to clichéd images this weekend.
Swiss soldiers were running around in the mountains as part of commando exercises with soldiers from other European countries, the cows came down from their summer pastures in the high alps in many areas – sometimes with garlands and festivities – and families headed for their vineyards in Valais to pick grapes. Valais, the largest wine-producing canton, has 26,000 grape growers, the majority of which are not commercial winemakers.
Indian summer weather graced the activities in many parts of western Switzerland Saturday.
Click on images to view larger
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.”
