Traffic and weather forecasts, history of skiing show, horses on ice, motorcycle fair and other good train deals, horses on snow, giant greeting card
Plenty of snow in the Jura! February 2010 (photo: Shirley Curran)
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – This weekend it is Geneva residents who head for the ski slopes en masse, with school holidays the week of 22 February. Expect crowds in all Swiss and nearby French resorts.
History of skiing and extraordinary collection of old skis – don’t miss it!
Conthey history of ski exhibit, Coop centre
Ski collection of Laurent Donze, more than 2,000 skis showing centuries of history
The newly redone large Coop in Conthey, two minutes off the autoroute in the heart of a large shopping complex, is home to an extraordinary collection of skis until 28 February. This is a must-see exhibit which recounts the history of skiing from ancient times, put together by Laurent Donzé, who has been president of the Swiss Cross Country Ski Federation. He told GenevaLunch he began collecting skis more than 30 years ago and he now has over 2,000 skis in his collection.
If you think downhill skiing began with the arrival in Switzerland of the British, you might find history shows it is a bit more complicated than that. The exhibit is well documented and illustrated, but the skis themselves offer a reminder of how the need for skis and their designs have changed.
Weather forecast
Rain mixed with snow Friday afternoon on the plain. Snow down to 700 metres in Alpine and Jura areas. Saturday: gradually clearing on the plain, with highs of 4-5C,. Snow Saturday in the Alps, with highs of 9C in the Alps due to warming foehn winds. Winds moderate on western edge of the Alps.
Traffic forecast
Geneva begins its vacation, but so do 10 other cantons Friday 19 February, so TCS warns that traffic will build during the afternoon. The area around Lausanne and heading towards Valais, around the Glion tunnel, are expected to be the worst-hit areas. List of expected heavy traffic areas and time, TCS. For current traffic advisories: TCS in French and the federal truck site in English. Reminder for drivers leaving Geneva: expect delays around Nyon and Gland due to roadworks that continue until 25 February.
Alpine resorts
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
Not the chalet in Verbier, this one
Verbier, canton Valais, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Tourists have been the victims of a scam where they paid for a non-existent chalet in the Valais ski resort of Verbier, according to the canton’s police. The scam consists in transferring money to a bank account only to find on arrival in Verbier that the chalet does not exist. Several people have complained to the Valais police, who have responded by giving some tips to would-be renters. They explain that little can be done about a scam after the fact.
The chalet was advertised on a site that has since been dismantled.
Vaud ski vacation week starts, heavy snow expected, Jura primed for the crowds
Hot news from cool resorts: Crans-Montana, Verbier, Villar
Crozets, France 20 January 2010 (photo: Shirley Curran)
Update 17:25 Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The snow is pouring down, even at the lakefront, and the mountains are promised buckets of it for the weekend, so pull out warm clothes that will keep you dry, whether you are going to the corner store or heading for the hills.
This is the start of the Vaud school vacation week, and nine other cantons plus some German regions start their holidays, so expect crowds on the road Friday night and Saturday morning.
The first carnivals are beginning in some German-speaking areas: this is celebrated over a period of weeks, with dates staggered from one area to another in Switzerland. Also note that Ticino received heavy snow on Friday and although the weather is expected to quickly warm up, some roads will be difficult.
Peak traffic hours are expected to be from 16:00-20:00 Friday and 08:00-15:00 Saturday, heading in the direction of Bern and Valais, according to the Swiss federal Highway Office. Good sources of information about the current traffic situation are Touring Club Suisse (TCS) and the federal road alerts for truck drivers. TSR, French language TV, also has a good map with accident and heavy traffic alerts. TCS also had a predicted traffic map showing heavy traffic areas for the weekend.
If you’re planning future road trips, you might want to check the new TCS web page that lists all the public holidays in Swiss cantons.
TCS offers an excellent course in winter driving, especially focusing on how to behave in snowy and icy conditions. Details
Weather forecast
Top of Saleve peaking out above Geneva's fog, 23 January 2010 (Photo: Obwoodman on flickr)
Highs of 4C Friday and Saturday falling to 3C Sunday, with snow falling to 500-1,000 metres Friday, 600-800m Saturday, with heavy clouds over much of the plains.
Chamonix, 2009 Freeride World Tour competition (Margot)
Chamonix, France (GenevaLunch) - The Freeride World Tour’s second event has been confirmed for Sunday 31 January in Chamonix, with snow conditions considered “excellent”. The Tour, in its third year, has four major events plus 17 qualifying events during the winter.
The season kicked off last week in Russia and after Chamonix the riders move on to Squaw Valley in the US and they finish the season 20 March in Verbier with the “Xtreme”, an event often called the most prestigious in the world of extreme skiing and snowboarding.
Verbier, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - 20 Minutes reports that a 44-year-old Geneva man and his son were freeriding in Verbier, at Bec des Rosses, following the Xtreme competition trail, when the father fell into a gully and slid 600 metres Sunday 17 January. The newspaper says the man’s life is not in danger but that he suffered multiple serious injuries. The report has not been confirmed by Valais police.
Moon rising above Leukerbad, Switzerland: after the rain, before the new snow, 30 December 2009 (click on image to view larger)
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Precipitation is not in short supply in Switzerland at the moment, but the picture from the mountain-tops has been mixed: heavy rain in most areas all day Wednesday 30 December, and into the night, washed away much of the snow below 2,000 metres in the Alps. The Jura was short on snow to begin with and the rain did not improve things.
But temperatures have been dropping and as of 10:00 Thursday morning snow is back in the Alps, down to 800 metres: it is snowing heavily in the Sion-Brig resorts area (Anzeres, Crans-Montana, Saas-Fee, Zermatt).
Jura report, from Shirley Curran
The Jura resorts are all poised ready for the big snow which is taking its time to appear this year. Harsh weather conditions mean that you are probably better off by a log fire with a good book this weekend.
Alpine resorts report
When the snow and snowplows look like this at 1,000 metres, you know the skiing is getting better up above!
Snowing hard at 1,000m near Crans-Montana, Switzerland, 10:00 Thursday 31 December
All regions: use care if you’re considering going off-piste: High temperatures plus fresh snow = increased avalanche danger, with the SLT (federal avalanche institute) bulletin indicating “considerable avalanche danger widespread” (level 3), throughout canton Valais and the northern flanks of the Alps, which includes the higher resorts in canton Bern.
Crans-Montana Friday night skiing, from 19:00-22:00, should be good New Year’s day, but check after Thursday evening. Cost: CHF15.
Garden, fresh snow, Saturday 12 December, Valais (1,100 m)
Aminona, near Crans-Montana, canton Valais, Switzerland, 4 December 2009
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Last weekend there was snow: it wasn’t always pretty and it was wet, but it was the white stuff. It’s mostly gone now, except above 2,000 metres, but crowds nevertheless packed the autoroute from Geneva and canton Vaud to the resorts in Valais Friday evening. Saturday morning: it’s snowing again at 1,100 metres, so the buildup on the slopes is starting!
Here is your first taste of GenevaLunch’s popular winter weekend reports, a regular feature, now in its third season.
Alps, season gradually opening
Resorts news:
- Crans-Montana’s ski web site, mycma.ch, has a new look and offers more functions, but it’s slow. This weekend the resort offers low season rates, CHF57 for the day. You pay high season rates, CHF63 for the day, starting 19 December so get out there this weekend! (Ed. note: the Telegraph, UK, just ran a big feature on the resort but missed the boat when they got it wrong when they said it doesn’t strike them as a family resort)
- Gstaad, join the papparazzi, all sitting around outside Roman Polanski’s chalet, where he has been confined by a Swiss judge. Gstaad, for all its glamour, is not one of the high resorts, so not much is open in or near the town, but you can always head for the Glacier 3,000 area nearby.
- Verbier has been open since 20 November and will have five lifts open 12-13 December. CHF23-45 for day passes right now. New feature this winter – video snow reports. Snow depth Thursday, last snowfall: 70cm at 2,200m and 95cm at 2,950m
- Zermatt has 60 km of decent skiing at the moment.
Jura: you might prefer hiking to skiing this weekend, but some good news for later
December 2008, Jura
(Ed. note: Shirley Curran is back with her weekly reports on the Jura slopes, where she has taught skiing for years)
Our Jura resorts are due to open on December 19th and, in view of the excellent seasons we have had recently, to remain open until April 5th. Unfortunately, the weather is glorious in the Jura mountains at the moment with cobalt blue skies and some green slopes. We are not too worried. A cold spell is expected next week and snow will fall. This will be the first time for many seasons that we have not had a substantial fall in November!
Good news is that our downhill resorts (La Faucille, Mijoux, Crozet and Lélex) are all now using only the magnetic ‘forfaits’ that you can recharge on-line or at the ticket offices. The bornes read them automatically, so there will be no more fumbling with the ticket strung round your neck. The card is valid for three years and now costs only 1€.
9 December 2009, Jura - bit slushy yet!
Further good news is that Jean Charles and Pauline are back for another season running the refuge at Crozet. My top tip is a mid-morning hot wine next to their roaring fire or their home-cooked speciality of the day.
Weather forecast for the Swiss mountain regions
Snow in the Jura and the Alps, although some dry stretches in the Valais Alps. High of 3C, but -8C at 2,000m. Sunday 13 December colder, cloudy, highs of 0-2C. Snow intermittent throughout the mountain regions. MeteoSwiss
Swiss skiers off to a great start
Be sure to check our Monday morning weekend sports reports to follow Switzerland’s skiers, who are off to a great start this year.
Verbier, Valais, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Televerbier, which operates the lift system in the commune of Bagnes, which includes the resort of Verbier, has bought out the 20 percent share of French company La Compagnie des Alpes for some CHF20 million.
Verbier, Valais, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – About 50 residents at Les Elfes, an international summer camp in Swiss ski resort Verbier, canton Valais, are being treated for A/H1N1 swine flu after coming down with symptoms last week, the latest outbreak among groups of school-age children and youths in the region. Valais cantonal authorities said in a release (Fre) that the situation was “under control”. About 40 young people and 10 monitors came down with the flu. The camp’s other participants were treated and let go. Some of the children have left for home already, according to the press release.
Verbier, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Alberto Cantador showed that he was not just the leader of his Astana team but also this year’s tour with a storming attack in the last eight kilometres of stage 15 of the Tour de France, leading up to the finish at Verbier.
Besancon, France (GenevaLunch) - The 14th stage of the Tour de France was overshadowed by the death of a 61-year-old woman who was struck by a police motorcyclist as she crossed the road during the passage of the race. It is the first death of a race spectator since 2000. The accident took place near Wittelsheim. Two other spectators, injured when the bike slid into them, were taken by helicopter to a hospital in Mulhouse.
Verbier, Valais, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - An international camp in Verbier has 14 confirmed cases of A/H1N1 among its students, ages 8-18, and another 20 students are being tested. Those who are sick have been isolated and are being given medical care, says the public health department in Valais, but none of the students are a cause for worry.
Southern France (GenevaLunch) – The end of the first week leaves the tour very open, with two main dramas being played, one between the Astana team and the other teams and a more personal conflict between seven-time winner Lance Armstrongand his teammate, the theoretical leader of the Astana team Alberto Contador.
Easter Sunday in Switzerland was overcast for the first part of the day in much of the country, but the sun inched its way out. Mid-afternoon, at the Col de la Forclaz that connects Martigny and Chamonix, France, the greening of the valleys was apparent. Martigny and the Rhone Valley are to the left, the road to Verbier, which sits high on the mountain in the distance, is to the right (click on image to view larger).
Lake Geneva, Vaudois Alps, 19 March 2009
Lake Geneva region, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – A reprieve from winter during the past week, with heavy coats and jackets left at home, may have weakened your desire to head for the mountains, but if the weather forecast is right about cold and snow coming our way by next Tuesday, you might want to reconsider. Pick up some sun this weekend and watch the pros in Verbier!
Read more…
Saleina glacier accident scene: click on image to enlarge
Verbier, Valais, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – A 42-year-old Russian man died near Verbier Sunday morning at 09:00 when a snow bridge gave way and he fell 15 metres, into a crevasse. He was heading down from the Saleina glacier to Praz-de-Fort, near Verbier.
Ravine where snowboarder, reportedly Rob Williams, died (photo: Valais police)
Updated 4 March 07:00 Verbier, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The UK’s Liverpool Daily Post and BBC report that Rob Williams, a British entrepreneur who co-founded retailer Dolphin Music, is the snowboarder who was found dead at the bottom of a ravine late Monday night. Its report covers the heavy use of Twitter by fellow entrepeneurs who were part of a group in Verbier once the mountain rescue operation was underway. The British Foreign Office and Valais Police have confirmed only that the 29-year-old whose body was found was British.
Title: Verbier High Five by Carlsberg
Location: Verbier, Valais
Link out: Click here
Description: Ski and mingle with the pros, listen to live music, and enjoy the after ski scene.
Date: 4 Apr 2009
Calm before the storm: hard to believe 23 January, but Thursday 22 January the sky was blue in Geneva, and Mont Blanc and other peaks felt as if they were on the city's doorstep. Foreground: jet d'eau.
Lake Geneva region, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Weather is on the mind this weekend, with heavy rain falling on the plain, snow in the mountains and a very large question mark about where the snow line will fall. Shirley Curran captured on camera the beauty of the Jura, just minutes from Geneva: see her photo collection from the past few days at the end of this report (click on images to view larger).
Read more…
Verbier, Switzerland (Le Nouvelliste) – A 67-year-old German woman from Geneva is in serious condition in the Sion, Valais hospital after she was caught by an avalanche Sunday. She was skiing off-piste in the Mont Fort area above Verbier, as part of a class led by a ski instructor, when the avalanche buried her under 2.5 metres of snow.
Peter Brabeck, chairman, Nestle
Vevey, Switzerland (TSR, Fre) – Vevey and Vaud’s loss is Verbier’s gain: Nestlé’s chairman of the board, Peter Brabeck, has officially moved from La Tour-de-Peilz, a commune in the Vevey district, to Verbier, where he owns a chalet, effective November 2007. Taxes in Verbier and Valais are lower and there are no inheritance taxes.
