Editor’s special invitation to the best Swiss wine deal in town!
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Cloudiness Friday moving into rain by Saturday, with chilly temperatures: damp will dominate in all parts of Switzerland this weekend. Only the south side of the Alps is promised a glimmer of sunshine Saturday. Highs of 9C in the Lake Geneva region will slip to a high of only 6C Sunday. The snow line could fall to 1,000 metres late Saturday and Sunday in some areas.
Arvinis on your agenda
One of Switzerland’s biggest wine events, Arvinis, kicks off the tasting season for the new vintages, 18-23 April in Morges. The special guest this year is Swiss Wine Promotion, which works for the cantons’ groups of producers. They will be featuring 60 specialty wines from throughout the country, a great introduction for newcomers (and the rest of us!) to why Swiss wines have such an excellent reputation in the world of winemaking.
GenevaLunch will be provide its regular tips, suggestions and a how-to guide at the start of the fair, where 2,500 wines from around the world are presented at 150 stands. Ellen Wallace’s GenevaLunch wine blog, Among the vines, will feature a series of profiles of Swiss wine producers next week.
A very special offer is one of the best wine deals around: GenevaLunch editor Ellen Wallace, who is also a noted Swiss wine specialist and judge at international wine competitions, will be offering a fun and lively introduction to wine class, in English. The CHF30 entry fee to Arvinis is included in the CHF35 fee for the course, Friday 20 April at 18:00.
And to celebrate her new Facebook wine page that explores the world of Swiss wines, Ellen’s Wine World, your editor is offering a special bottle of Swiss wine to the 20th person to register for the hour-long class. It will leave you with the time and the skills to explore Arvinis Friday evening! Sign up now!
Lake steamer "Lausanne" at the Chateau de Chillon during special runs on Lake Geneva last weekend (photo ©2012 Jean Vernet / CGN)
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The Swiss weather map 27 March is a dream, as long as you’re not a farmer hoping for some rain for thirsty crops: nothing but sunshine ahead. Average precipitation in February was 25mm (Meteo Swiss map) in most of French-speaking Switzerland.
March figures are not yet out it appears likely they will be even lower for many areas. Temperatures are starting to rise above 20C in some areas during the day, although by Sunday some cloud cover and slightly lower temperatures (2-14C in Geneva) are forecast.
The exceptionally warm weather has prompted the CGN boat company to offer special runs on Lake Geneva for the past three weekends, ahead of the summer season schedule that starts 6 April, Easter weekend.
Last weekend 600 people took the “Lausanne” steamer between Lausanne and the Chateau de Chillon, which passes in front of the Unesco World Heritage site vineyards in Lavaux. And another 1,200 took advantage of the Nyon-Yvoire shuttle runs.
Hiking trails and Lake Geneva have been busy with pleasure-seekers and bicycles are out in force.
Pollen is starting up; national weather service has daily forecasts
Also out in force, however, are pollen, notably from birch trees. The national weather service this week started offering an improved three-day pollen forecast by region. The service, which was introduced last year, this year takes into account pollen activity in neighbouring countries, which has allowed the service to be refined. Measures are being taken now to improve the service again next year, when the geographic accuracy will be taken from today’s 7km radius down to 2km.
Pollen level Thursday to Saturday this week: high for oak and birch.
Meteo Swiss’s detailed daily pollen reports are offered in French, German and Italian and indicate local pollen counts, but a European forecast site offers a wealth of information in English, some of which is in other languages.
Spring at the beach in Perroy Thursday: time out to admire the Alps
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – This is our last official report for the season, with flowers coming out and trees budding on the Swiss plains.
It doesn’t mean, of course, that you have to stop skiing, and if we spot anything of special interest, we’ll post it on GenevaLunch. See details below for the big x-treme event in Verbier this week and a thrillling video, plus a sobering tally of mountain accidents from the Swiss Alpine Club (CAS).
It’s been a great year, with wonderful snow everywhere, so we’re putting in a bid now for the same next season!
Meanwhile, start polishing those hiking boots, for we’ll soon be moving into that kind of weather, after a spring pause to let the slopes recover.
And take a little time to step back and admire the Alps from the shores of Lake Geneva before you head up to the mountains.
Weather forecast
The temperature spread in the Lake Geneva region area as well as the northern Alps (Vaud, Valais) is 2-19C for the next four days, highs of 12-13C in resorts at 1,700 metres. Time for sun cream if you’re going to the mountains. And what a weekend in the mountains, with sunshine everywhere, occasional cloud cover, no wind and spring in the air. National weather service MeteoSwiss
Avalanche, snow reports
Steep slopes in central Switzerland, around Andermatt, have an avalanche risk of 3, but otherwise the risk is moderate, 2/5 throughout Switzerland. The WSL avalanche institute map shows snow depth still good throughout the Alps.
News
View of the Jura range from La Faucille (photo, Shirley Curran)
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Visitors to the Geneva area for the car show get a real bonus this year, with excellent skiing lined up for this weekend in the Jura, with ski lifts 3 minutes from the centre of the city.
The snow is superb, reports our Jura correspondent, with fresh powder.
Tip for iPhone, iPad owners: the new My Switzerland national tourism office app, released 28 February, as well as the GVA Geneva airport app, released 6 March, were both selected by the iPhone store as featured “noteworthy” apps this week.
Weather forecast, snow conditions
Highs of 8C in Geneva, 10C in Sion, and 7-8C in Verbier and Crans-Montana. Mostly sunny, with overnight lows falling below freezing, keeping the still-deep snow in good condition. Expect strong winds today on the west side of Lake Geneva, gusting heavily in the mountains, but winds should die down by Saturday. Temperatures will rise Monday and Tuesday with highs of 14C, so get your skiing in this weekend.
Some fresh snow fell in many areas, in relatively small amounts, 5-20cm. Snow is hard at 1,500m in the Alps, but powder at 2,200-2,400m. Temperature Friday morning at 2,400m near Crans-Montana: -8C.
Avalanche bulletin
From the Swiss Institute for Avalanche Rsearch, WSL (full bulletin, all areas):
“On the northern flank of the Alps not including the northern Alpine Ridge from Chablais to the Wildstrubel, as well as in the regions of northern Tavetsch and Flims, the danger zones are found above approximately 2200 m. On the northern Alpine Ridge from Chablais to the Wildstrubel, the hazardous zones are found above approximately 2600 m. The size and spread of the freshly formed snowdrift accumulations tend to increase with ascending altitude and during the course of the day. They can be triggered as avalanches even by a single backcountry skier or freerider. Experience in evaluating avalanche danger is imperative.”
What’s on in Alpine resorts
This is one of the busiest weekends of the year, on and around the slopes. Great weather and excellent snow make this a very special year for several of these key events:
Crans-Montana: note that the Snowgames, earlier scheduled for 10-11 March, have been moved to 7-8 April. This weekend the Kiwanis are organizing a charity drive moonlight snowshoe trek and party for 300 at Violettes.
Davos, the Parsenn Derby, 9-11 March, open to all, is one of the world’s oldest ski races, first run in 1924. It’s a wonderfully lively three-day event in one of the country’s most beautiful ski regions, canton Graubuenden. The resort also holds its Snow Jam Party 10 March.
Engadin ski marathon, St Moritz in canton Graubuenden, is a huge and beautiful event where thousands of cross-country skiers take part, 11 March. The marathon has been held since 1969 and is one of the main winter outdoor events in Switzerland.
Grindelwald, in canton Bern, 10 March is hosting a Skicross World Cup event, giving spectators a chance to see this new Olympic winter sport in action.
Les Mosses, canton Vaud, 10-11 March, 1,000 people participate in the Mara cross-country dog sled race, one of the most important ones in the winter competition circuit. Full moon guided cross-country skiing followed by hot wine is also on offer this weekend.
Muerren, near Grindelwald in Bern, 10-11 is holding its White Style Open, for freeskiers and snowboarders, with open competitions and lessons from a pro.
Verbier: time to put a reminder on your calendar that 23 March one of the world’s top Xtreme sports events, the final leg of the Freeride World Tour, is held in Verbier. Words cannot capture this breathtaking event.
Villars, canton Vaud, Saturday night 10 March, full moon skiing on the Bretaye slopes , disco and party time, CHF10 for a pass for the event that starts at 17:00 and goes until the wee hours.
Zermatt, one of the best of the many moonlight ski run offers that take advantage of this weekend’s combination of good weather, great snow and a full moon.
Jura ski report
Jura ski lifts: the crowd are gone, but the snow is great!
We thought the season was reaching an end but this week’s snowfalls have been a delight and we were skiing in powder snow again with temperatures well below zero.
The Crozet installations will run only at weekends and on Wednesdays from now till the end of season but Lélex is still operating fully and the Faucille/Mijoux installations, with tip top snow coverage. The French holiday period is over so you can have runs almost to yourself now!
Ed. note: snow depth remains 50-150cm in the higher resorts. Daily snow and weather bulletins, plus opening hours are aonthe Monts-Jura site, “infos neige”.
Get out the waterskis!
Here comes the sun! Show melt season is here
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – There is plenty of snow but you’ll have to be an earlybird this weekend to avoid skiing in soupy stuff. Temperatures are rapidly climbing, with highs Friday of 16C in Geneva, 17 in Lausanne, 19! in Sion and 11C even in Zermatt, this is spring ski season.
Weather forecast
MeteoSwiss is promising us more of the same Saturday, but temperatures will drop Sunday to highs of 10-11C around Lake Geneva and 3C in Zermatt. Expect the snowline to fall to 800 m Monday, with some snow forecast.
Check out Jared Bloch’s videos from his snowshoe trek up the Salève next to Geneva last weekend on his “Wheels Enthusiast” blog.
Jura report
by Shirley Curran
Spring is almost here in the Jura mountains and this week has seen temperatures shoot up so that our sun-facing slopes become rather slushy after about 11:00. If you want to enjoy the thick layers of snow that still cover our pistes despite the almost drought conditions of the month of February, you do well to get onto the snow early in the day or to stick to the north-facing slopes. We have the promise of yet more sunshine for the next few days, and everything is operating until March 12th from when the Crozet side of the Lelex/Crozet resort will only operate on Wednesdays and at weekends.
Local weekend highlights
If you’ve just returned to the Lake Geneva region from school ski holidays in the Alps you might want to stay closer to home. Check out our events page, and consider heading to beautiful Annecy for its Venetian Carnival weekend. GenevaLiving blog carries a complete list of Carnival activities.
Enjoy the sunshine!
Farewell, icy lakeside decorations!
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Temperatures are inching above the 0C line today throughout western Switzerland and by Thursday we can expect highs of 5C, according to MeteoSwiss, the national weather service.
Some areas will have snow10-2cm Tuesday, but the rest of the week will hold sunshine with some occasional cloudiness.
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)
Button up, drive safely and watch out on the busier slopes, with vacation crowds
View of Lake Geneva region from Jura ski slopes this week (photo, Shirley Curran)
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The chilly weather of the past two weeks is set to continue, with sunshine in the mountains but highs well below 0C degrees, so take plenty of warm clothes if you’re heading to the Alps or the Jura.
This is the start of the one-week February school break for students in Geneva and parts of neighbouring France. Zurich schools are also on holiday for the next week.
Weather forecast, snow conditions
Mostly sunny but windy with strong gusts, through the weekend. High winds in the mountains and bone-chilling bise winds on the plain. Calmer Sunday with a high of -5C. By Tuesday temperatures will start to climb slightly, with snow expected Tuesday and Wednesday, according to MeteoSwiss. Snow conditions remain good everwhere, with powder remaining.
Be sure to check local conditions to make sure the pistes are not closed due to high winds
Resorts, Alps and events Swiss-wide
MySwitzerland, the national tourism office, has a weekly list of top events, a good place to check for options if you want to take part in Carneval. This week’s list includes the carnival in Aarburg, but also notes that Switzerland plays the US in the tennis David Cup this weekend in Fribourg.
Lenk has dog races and Verbier on Saturday has its Dahu freeride competition. The truly fit can join the 24-hour ski or snowboard race in Gsteig this weekend.
Plan ahead now for the 25 February night-time ski race up (that’s right) to the Rothorn in Zermatt.
Jura report
Just plain cold and spectacularly beautiful: Jura, 30 minutes from Geneva (photo, Shirley Curran)
This has certainly been the coldest week on the Jura slopes that I have ever known.
We have been skiing on almost empty slopes with masses of excellent snow under our feet and cold air varying from minus six to minus twenty, sometimes enhanced by windchill. The snow conditions are superb if you can stand the cold!
More of the same (snow and cold) are expected so check Monts-Jura.com before setting out.
Getting there by road
The Federal Highway Department publishes a list (Fre) of roads with peak travel times for the school breaks and Carneval/Mardi Gras, which is celebrated at different times in different places. If you’re planning to travel on main routes during busy periods, check the list beforehand for times to avoid. On the road, the federal traffic alerts for truck drivers are useful, as is TCS (Touring Club Suisse) travel alerts.
Road reminders: alcohol limit is 0.5 and autoroute speed limit is 120kph unless otherwise marked. The fine for not having an autoroute sticker (road tax) is CHF200 and police have been checking regularly this week. You can buy a sticker at any customs post, post office and some gas stations. It’s legal to have a GPS device in Switzerland as long as it doesn’t have any radar warning devices or information.
Clearing the car: it can cost you CHF200 to drive a car that is not completely free of frost and snow, including front and back windshields and lights. Snow on the top of the car that can fly off and blind or distract drivers behind you is also considered a hazard.
Winter tires: you need them in all areas this year, given the amount of ice on the roads. Chains: good idea to have them handy.
Pack your thermal underwear!
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – We’re heading for the slopes shortly, so this will be short and sweet: a great weekend of skiing and snowboarding is out that for those who are ready to brave the cold.
Weather forecast, avalanche conditions, snow depth
Snow whipped off rooftops and swirled around village streets near Lake Geneva, Friday morning
From now until Tuesday: sunny skies with icy temperatures. Everywhere. Wild winds that are already whipping up Lake Geneva are likely to continue through the weekend, “adding to the impression of fierce cold”, says the national weather service, MeteoSwiss.
Temperatures of -10Cwith a high of -8 in Geneva Friday will keep falling, to -12 with a high of -6 by Sunday, and only -7 Tuesday.
Southern Alps areas and the Jura will be some of the cold spots, with La Chaux-de-fonds and Zermatt having overnight lows of -21C Saturday.
Strong winds, up to 55 and 65 kph over the weekend will build in strength, reaching 75kph in many areas and 95kph in Eastern Switzerland at the start of next week.
Snow depth
Small amounts of new snow have fallen in most mountain areas in the past three days. The depth at 2,000 metres throughout the Alps remains more than 200cm and will remain that way given the cold spell. The depth in the Jura is 20-50cm even at 1,200metres.
Avalanche risks are relatively low, 2/5 in most areas except northern Ticino, where it is 3/5.
Jura report
by Shirley Curran
Although the snow conditions are superb, it is extremely cold up on our local hills and the temperatures are due to drop every day until Sunday when we might expect a very slight rise, from the predicted -20C to minus 17! The bise wind is due to strengthen.
If you enjoy feathery light snow and extremely cold weather, this is the time to head for the Jura – but wrap up well and plan lots of stops for hot wine or hot chocolate. The cold is fearsome! As always, I recommend that you check the webcams and the website at Monts-Jura.com before you load up the car.
Alps report: sun and cold weather should provide some perfect skiing, but check resorts for wind closings before you head out, given that the wind is likely to pick up as the weekend goes on. Check our previous winter weekend snow and winter sports reports for links to a number of resorts.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – 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
Snow, snow and more snow throughout the Alps!
"Snow is getting deep here and no end in sight", from a GenevaLunch friend in Zermatt, 18:00 Friday (good luck!)
Updated 21:50 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Weather is top of the weekend news, with snow falling and falling in the mountains, at long last, even down to the plain. Zermatt, Verbier and all other major resorts now have snow, an abundance of it, in the villages at the bottom of the slopes, and more is on the way.
A white Christmas is guaranteed at this point, whether or not you’re on the pistes!
If you don’t yet have winter tires on your car, don’t delay: the snow will be mixed with rain and ice in many areas, with wild high winds Friday and Saturday in some areas.
Chains: you rarely need them in Switzerland because main mountain roads are cleared promptly, but be sure to have a set in the car for the winter.
Weather forecast and snow
Golf course in the centre of Crans-Montana, at 1,700m altitude, with snow falling at 09:20 Friday morning (source: CM webcam)
Note for Geneva residents: the city frequently had more than 50cm of snow a year until the mid-1980s, but the amount of snow has dropped since then (flip side is that the amount of sunshine has risen). That doesn’t mean Geneva will be snow-free this winter, but the weekend forecast is for temperatures of 3-9C with rain and strong winds by Saturday, gusting at 90-115kph on the plain.
Jura, but especially northern Jura areas can expect continuing gusts above 110kph.
Driving conditions in the Valais mountain resorts are treacherous late Friday, with snow plows struggling to keep up with the heavy snowfall, so if you’re heading up for a first skiing session, take care. Warm foehn winds blew in lower Alpine areas Friday morning, but by afternoon colder winds with gusts of up to 150kph hit some parts of the Alps, while others had steady but quiet snow falling.
Canton Graubuenden, with its famed resorts of Davos, Klosters, St Moritz and more, has “abundant” snow falling, with lower temperatures than other resort areas, -7C to highs of -1C.
Alpine resorts
Note that they are virtually all closed Friday because of high winds and heavy snowfalls; check the resorts for open runs before heading there for a day on the slopes.
Diablerets and Villars: free skiing (limited number of lifts) for everyone before Sunday 17 December! Snow falling, Glacier 3000 reports snow depths of 50-85cm.
Verbier reports a very high level of avalanches, plenty of snow in the town by late morning and snow continuing to fall. Note that the Friday reports on the web site were a bit behind, noting for example a snow depth of 110cm at Les Ruinettes (2,200 metres) and none in the village (report from 08:00).
Crans-Montana, steady snow falling this week, snow depth has reached 117-150cm in the past two days!
Jura ski resorts
by Shirley Curran
(late Thursday) Last weekend, there was enough snow for our season to begin at the Col de la Faucille, though conditions were rather wet and gloomy. It has snowed and rained intermittently since then and the resorts are now boasting 25cm of snow with more falling steadily and a significant cold snap expected. The official opening date of 17 December 17 seems to be on target. The webcams give you an honest view of the situation.
An attractive offer is being made by the Lake Geneva Tourist Office for anyone visiting the area. Here is an extract!
“For one overnight stay or longer in a partner hotel, you can familiarize yourself free of charge with snowshoeing or cross-country skiing, while exploring the vast spaces of the Jura mountain range. Relax as you discover our 405 km of cross-country trails and our 105 km of snowshoeing trails for all difficulty grades. Well maintained and safe trails await you and will allow you to discover new experiences.”
Neighbouring France resorts
Snow has continued to fall this week and there is no shortage of the white stuff at Meribel, Val d’Isere, Courcheval and other main resorts.
Val d'Isere in France was the winner for snowfalls this week!
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Winter has definitely arrived, and if you are up for skiing, the slopes are ready for you!
We are kicking off GenevaLunch’s winter season weekly snow and sports reports, a Friday morning roundup from Swiss and some French resorts with weather forecasts, snow conditions, avalanche reports , travel news, competition results and more.
Shirley Curran once again reports every weekend from the Jura and Ellen Wallace from the Alps, with others occasionally contributing videos or special reports from the slopes.
Weather forecast
Wednesday and Thursday the Alps had very strong winds, adding some instability to snow on the slopes: MeteoSwiss measured 149.8 km/h at Chasseral, 148 km/h at the Titlis and 130 km/h at Diablerets. Chasseral was particularly affected with the average speed of the wind over 10 minutes more than 100 km/h for more than three hours.
For the weekend: temperatures hovering between 2 and 8-9C throughout the region this weekend, with some rain in the Jura and generally dry in the Alps, but temperatures below zero at altitude will allow the fresh snow to remain. More snow is expected Tuesday, but then the snow line should rise to 2000 m before falling next Friday to 1,000m, as schools break up for the holidays.
Snow conditions
This slope in the centre of Val d'Isere was technically closed Thursday, but skiers decided otherwise
Variable is the best word, with the snow that fell at the start of the week falling heavily in some resorts, less so in others.
Valais police are warning caution, with the snow base unstable. A six-year-old child caught by an avalanche Wednesday died during the night after being hospitalized.
Snow levels in Alpine stations Thursday: see the SLF snow depth map for Friday, showing all of Switzerland. Crans-Montana opens this weekend, with powder, but the base is still only 20-50cm. Verbier, Les Ruinettes has 44cm. Central Valais had more snow early in the week than lower Valais, closer to Lake Geneva, and Zermatt has snow down to the village, with virtually all lifts operating. Vaud Alps also received heavier snowfalls, so Gstaad has 20-65cm.
Switzerland’s most reliable and richest source of information on snow conditions is the daily Avalanche Bulletin published in English and other languages by SLF, the Swiss Snow and Avalanche Research Institute.
Jura report
by Shirley Curran
Things are looking very promising for our Jura resorts – better than last year when we had a magnificent dump of snow at the start of December that was all washed away during the second week. There is already snow on our summits and the official opening of Crozet-Lélex, and La Faucille-Mijoux and, of course Menthières and Le
Vattey is 17 December. The higher resorts will, exceptionally, be running this weekend if they deem that there is sufficient snow. You can see the state of snow coverage for yourself if you visit the official website and click on ‘Webcams’.
The plan at the momentis to run the Telecombi at the Col de la Faucille and two other lifts during the weekend. Of course, that depends on the weather.
France Voisine, Val d’Isère
If you want to remind yourself what glorious winter snow is like, head for the French resort, just under three hours from Geneva Airport by car or shuttle bus. The peaks had 1.7 metres in just three days at the start of the week and the village itself, at 1,850 metres, is heavily covered and charmingly wintry. Temperatures are hovering around zero on the slopes, so the snow is in good condition.
Tourists and cell phone cameras capture the jet d'eau in Geneva 22 November
Keeping the dog safe from the leaves, canton Vaud, lakefront, 3 November
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Expect rain this weekend around Lake Geneva, with gentle temperatures of 11-13C and autumn colours remaining unless the rainfall becomes too heavy.
Canton Valais will be spared much of the rain, with warm foehn winds blowing hard and raising temperatures to 18-19C.
The weekend kicks off the November-December pre-holidays boom in events in the region.
The Leman Expat Fair is a popular introduction to the area for newcomers with information about local services for old hands as well. Lausanne has an arts and crafts fair and its Scottish Church is holding its pre-Christmas bazaar. Schilliger Garden Centre is open extra hours with its magnificent Christmas displays.
Check out the complete editor’s selection of events in the region on the GenevaLunch events page!
It’s also the start of the glamorous charity events season, with the big Geneva Charity Ball kicking things off 18 November. The high-octane event is selling tickets to the public; this year’s recipients are Clair Bois, Paidos, SOS Children’s Villages and The World Youth Education Trust.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Unseasonably warm weather and sunny to hazty skies are expected in most of Switzerland Saturday 1 October and Sunday.
Highs of 22C with lows of 10-11C will usher in October, with little rain or change in temperature for the week to come, according to MeteoSwiss, the national weather service.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The sun is struggling to come out across Switzerland after two weeks of cold and soggy weather, but the forecast promises it will be here for Monday 1 August. The weekend weather forecast is mixed, sun alternating with rain in most regions.
Early weekend traffic is not expected to be a major problem in most areas, with the holiday falling on a Monday.
Fireworks in some areas are held Sunday evening 31 July but in most towns the pyrotechnics and bonfires are scheduled for Monday. Check local municipal web sites for details (note: townname.ch will take you to most of these sites)
Geneva is giving advance warning of traffic changes starting Thursday 4 August for the huge Geneva Festival, with traffic on the Mont Blanc bridge reduced to two lanes, and closed entirely during the two weekends of the festival, which last year attracted 100,000 people.
- Switzerland’s national holiday explained (GenevaLunch 2010)
- Safety precautions for 1 August celebrations from the Swiss Safety Council
- Celebrate by biting into a very Swiss apple!
- up to the minute traffic details on the federal truck traffic site and TSR’s mobile services page (Fr)
Rainbow 19 June near Chamoson, canton Valais: expect some showers or cloudiness at the start of the weekend, then sun and warm weather Sunday
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The Lake Geneva region and canton Valais can expect a bit of mixed weather late Friday and Saturday, with temperatures in the 11-23C range. Bring out the sun cream for Sunday, though, when temperatures will climb to 28C and not a cloud in sight, we’re promised.
You won’t run out of things to do, from watching regattas on Lake Geneva to flea markets to seeing how wine is made, if you check out our weekend events listings. Add in a good dose of exercise by trying out the new Swiss hiking/biking/skating official Swisstopo maps that you can get online and as handy mobile apps, or head for some of canton Vaud’s beautiful outdoor public swimming pools when the air warms up Sunday.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – A 60-day drought in the lower reaches of the Yangtse River in China is set to continue, the country’s meteorological service said Sunday evening, 29 May. Rainfall in the area since January has been 40-60 percent less than in 2010, and no rain is expected in the next few days. More than 35 million people are affected by the dry weather, which has so far caused economic losses of 15 billion yuan ($2.3 billion), reports Xinhua, which notes that more than 4 million people are having trouble finding drinking water.
“China’s two largest fresh water lakes – Dongting Lake in Hunan and Poyang Lake in Jiangxi – are both drying up dramatically” and the price of vegetables is soaring, with fears that inflation in May will rise sharply as a result of the drought.
Last week the government began released enormous quantities of water, 5bn m3 a day, for irrigation and drinking water, from the Three Gorges dam, cutting back its capacity to generate power. The drought is the worst in 50 years in the region.
The Yangste is Asia’s longest river.
Earlier in May, shipping traffic on the Yangtse became problematic because of the low water level. A 140-mile stretch above Wuhan was closed 12 May to avoid further problems.
Links to other sites: China Post, Guardian, Reuters
Met Office's model of expected ash drift Tuesday, by 18:00 UTC (20:00 Swiss time)
Update 00:02 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Airports in Bremen and Hamburg, Germany, will be closed early Wednesday, the government announced, as Icelandic ash arrives in northern European air space. Scotland, which was most affected by the ash clouds Tuesday, expects its airports to be back to normal operations Wednesday.
The latest update on Icelandic ash heading towards Europe will be released in London at 18:00 UK time. Ash being spewed by Iceland’s Grimsvoetn volcano is being closely monitored for Europe by the Met Office in the UK, World Meteorological Organization members were told 24 May while meeting in Geneva. The Met Office is the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center for Northwest Europe, one of nine such centres throughout the world.
“The British Geological Survey (BGS) have described the eruption of Grímsvoetn that began over the weekend as a ‘significant eruption’ and the Icelandic Met Office (IMO) have reported ash continuing to be ejected to a height of 10km,” the Met Office said Tuesday morning in a press release.
“The movement of the ash plume will depend on how long the volcano continues to erupt and how weather patterns develop,” it noted, saying that while Scotland is expected to have some ash Tuesday, “further ahead, the outlook is very changeable with areas of low pressure likely to track across parts of northern Britain during the remainder of the week. This means that wind direction is likely to be quite variable.”
The eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in April 2010 caused widespread disruption to airlines.
The Lake Geneva region is good for weekend urban hikes: Geneva's Mont-Blanc bridge adorned with the UN and Geneva flags this week mark major world health and meteorology conferences
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Expect comfortable temperatures, with highs of 24-26C in western Switzerland over the weekend, but with sunshine mixed with thunderstorms, says MeteoSwiss.
Several events in the area should get you out of the house this weekend, including:
The Chateau de Chillon has on display 10 very special models of Lake Geneva’s historic paddle-wheel steamships, 1:50 scale models and some even 1:25: “La Suisse”, “Simplon”, “Helvétie”, “Rhône”, “Lausanne”, “Montreux”, “Savoie”, “Italie”, “Vevey” and the “Major-Davel”. The Lavaux vineyards that are a Unesco World Heritage site near the castle are now budding and green from the week’s rains, making it perfect for hiking.
Alpine and Jura mountain walks are never far away - cows out for a walk in Visperterminen, Valais
La Cote is learning a lesson from Geneva’s winemakers and this weekend’s winery open days in Mont-sur-Rolle will offer a shuttle bus to and from the Rolle train station and the 30 wineries that are participating. Pay CHF10 for a glass and you can sample the new wines in all the cellars for free (but don’t lose your glass!).
Nyon’s Gaos (Geneva Amateur Opera Society) offers good laughs with The Producer, which ends Saturday.
GenevaLunch editor takes one-day Swiss spin
Lungern in May, proof that you never become immune to spectacular views in Switzerland
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The weather forecast is getting tedious but if you’re a tourist and not a farmer it is pleasant: the weekend promises to be warm and sunny throughout Switzerland, lows around 9C and highs in the mid-20s, with slightly cooler nights at altitude.
Your editor had work in Saint Prex in Vaud, then Wohlen near Zurich and finally in Sierre in Valais Thursday, so took the opportunity to spin across a large part of Switzerland to see what spring was looking like, camera in hand. You can see photos from Wohlen to south of Lucerne, Thursday 5 May, in the new Central Switzerland in spring, May 2011 photo album.
Easter weekend: sunshine, warm temperatures iln most of Switzerland
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The weather forecast for Switzerland is for sunshine and more of it, with a few drops of rain in northeastern Switzerland on Sunday 24 April. Lows of 6-7C and highs of 23 in Geneva to 26 in most other areas. The southeast corner of the country, around Samedan, is the one chilly patch, with temperatures of -2 to 14C.
Easter Friday and Monday traffic on roads: expect delays, look for alternative routes
School holidays began in a dozen cantons Thursday afternoon, and traffic began to build up quickly on roads heading south. By Friday morning at 08:00 the logjam on the north side of the St Gotthard tunnel was already 4 km long, with a one-hour wait. Friday is expected to be a heavy travel day on all main roads in Switzerland, so expect slowdowns.
Road forecasts are available in French from TCS (Touring Club Suisse), which suggests that drivers heading south from French-speaking areas use alternatives to the St Gotthard, which is a main European north-south road, taking for example the Grand St Bernard route. The Swiss Highway Office’s web site for trucks is updated every minute or so, giving real-time information on traffic situations, one of the best sites for this. TSR, Swiss public television, also has good traffic situation maps.
Schools that have been on spring break for the past two weeks, including many in Geneva and Vaud, return Tuesday, and Monday is forecast to be a very heavy traffic day on roads.
Airports and roads to them are also expected to be busier than usual, so build in extra travel time.
The CFF rail company recommends reserving ahead for international trains.
Fire warnings issued in canton Vaud due to dryness
Farmers are watering fields early as animals are put out to pasture in Switzerland, in fields with slow growth due to dryness
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Temperature extremes are normal in April in Switzerland, with cool nights and warm days, but the week of 18 April promises to show off the phenomenon at its best, with cold and even frost in some parts of Switzerland early Monday, then temperatures rising to 22C.
Expect sunshine, with occasional clouds that won’t do more than provide a whiff of shade, throughout the week. Temperatures are expected to slowly climb, continuing Switzerland’s unususally dry and balmy month of April.
A few drops of rain are forecast in canton Valais starting Thursday, with expected highs of 24-25C, according to MeteoSwiss, the national weather service. Ed. note: keep abreast of forecasts on GenevaLunch’s MeteoSwiss weather pages.
Authorities in canton Vaud issued a rare spring public fire aert Friday, due to excessive dryness: it is now illegal to light a fire unless you are at least 10 metres from a wooded stretch. Valais has had an open-air fire ban since mid-March and Ticino has now banned open fires, with canton Graubuenden having a ban on fires near forests.
The national weather service notes that 2011 could well bypass 1976 as the driest year since records were started in 1870: Geneva will need more than 34cm of rain and Sion 44cm to avoid this.
Snow conditions, Spring skiing deals, this season’s improvements, Aminona resort, upcoming events
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Winter is officially behind us, clocks spring forward this weekend, and the snow is gone from the lower slopes, so this will be GenevaLunch’s final weekend snow and winter sports report for 2010-2011 season.
There is still time to ski and even sled, so snow fans have little to worry about, but you’ll need to check first to see where the snow is. Be sure to take along the sun cream!
Weather forecast
Snowpark at Corvatsch, St Moritz, 25 February 2011
Highs on the plain and at low altitudes, including Geneva, of 18-20C Saturday, with sunshine, but clouds building in the afternoon. Expect mountain highs of 16C Sunday and snow Sunday afternoon down to 1,700-1,900 metres.
Resorts closing, but special offers in some that stay open
This is the final weekend of skiing for most resorts at lower altitudes. This includes the Jura, where there is still, happily, enough snow for a few final downhill runs. Shirley Curran reports:
“Our Jura ski season closes Sunday, 27 March, but it is still possible to ski at Crozet and Lelex. Indeed, in the middle of the week, the run right down to Lelex was still in operation, though the cover down there is thin. Eight lifts will be running on Saturday and Sunday but it is a good idea to get up there early as the snow becomes very soft in the afternoon. You will need suncream too. The season is already over at the Col de la Faucille.”
MySwitzerland, the national tourism office, has a list of resorts that remain open in April, with special spring skiing deals as well as a list of the glacier resorts, some of which offer summer skiing later on.
GenevaLunch’s series, Swiss dream ski week, will be completed Sunday 27 March with the final article, on Zermatt, the slopes and the town. The report on Davos published 25 March points out that great skiing and snowboarding is available there until the end of April.
Avalanche alerts, for those going off-piste or doing back country skiing: moderate / level 2 on the northern flank of the Alps, but high / level 3 on the southern side, from lower Valais to the Goms. Details in the national daily avalanche bulletin, in English.
Looking back, changes during the 2010-2011 ski season
Snow machines are everywhere
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
Les Faucilles, Jura, 5 March 2011 (photo, ©2011: Shirley Curran)
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Blue skies, warm weather, and the snow is holding in most places, although this will clearly go down in the records as a winter when it mostly forgot to snow during the ski season. This week we bring you an abbreviated edition of the winter sports weekend news to continue producing our Swiss dream ski week series, with Scuol next, after St Moritz.
Weather forecast
Western Switzerland will have almost summery, balmy weather, with highs of 15-16C and sunshine Friday and part of Saturday, with cloudy skies and rain gradually moving in. Highs of 12-13C Sunday. The Alps show a mixed picture, with highs in canton Valais of 16C this weekend, and yet snow is expected at high altitudes. The dry, warm foehn wind will be blowing at lower altitudes. Details, in French, MeteoSwiss
Southeastern Switzerland, however, will have highs of 3-6C, starting around Zermatt, and in Samedan in Graubuenden, the high for the weekend is expected to be -1C.
Snow conditions and avalanche warnings
Moderate, level 2 warnings for avalanches Friday, 10 March and snow conditions remain generally good, but check daily snow reports from MySwitzerland, by resort.
Jura ski report
by Shirley Curran
Conditions remain surprisingly good in our Jura resorts, as the weather becomes milder. From next week, the Crozet telecabine will be running only on wednesday and at the weekends, though you can reach the resort from the Lelex side of the mountain. The Faucille will remain open for your end of season ski-ing with a variety of lifts and pistes available.
Dream Swiss ski week
Snowpark at Corvatsch, St Moritz, 25 February 2011
If you’re a good skier and dream of heading off for a week of some of the best slopes in Switzerland with a friend, this is for you.
Share a week in some of Switzerland’s top resorts for good skiers with reporters Nick and Liam Bates: Verbier, en route by train, and St Moritz have been published. Scuol, Davos and Zermatt will be published Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
Click on images to view larger
Jura skiing, on Geneva's doorstep, in the fresh March air above the Geneva Motor Show
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) -Spring weather is upon us, with temperatures well above zero C during the day throughout the region and no fresh snow in sight over the weekend.
Head for Oslo, Norway, if you want colder weather, where the Nordic Ski World Championships finish this weekend.
Closer to home, if you’re not interested in going to the mountains, Geneva will be awash in car fans, for the Geneva Motor Show, one of the world’s largest car shows. Biel/Bienne starts its five-day carnival festivities a bit later in the week, Wednesday 9 March, with some seriously noisy and fun brass band competitions.
Warning about Sunday traffic: the Vaud school holiday ends and the car show is on: the combination will create dense traffic starting at 15:00 on the autoroutes heading back to Geneva.
Weather forecast
Nighttime temperatures just below 0C and during the day highs of 7-8C, with 5-6C in the mountains at 1,500-1,800 metres altitude. Fog on the plain in the mornings, to 800-1,000m, dissipating or thinning during the afternoons, a bonus for Jura resorts where you can ski in the sun and look down on poor Genevans in the fog. Temperatures are expected to stay in this range until Thursday.
Details, MeteoSwiss (Fr). Check GenevaLunch weather pages, from the national weather service, for current Geneva and Zurich temperatures and weather forecast in English.
Avalanche warnings
The danger level is 3,”considerable” along the northern flank of the Alps, the northern lower Valais which includes several popular resorts and the main Alpine ridge from the Matterhorn to Furka. Fresh snow has been 10-25cm. The Swiss national avalanche bulletin Saturday morning 5 March notes:
“In northern regions more than anywhere else, there are faceted, loosely packed layers of old snow embedded inside the snowpack which are prone to triggering in many areas. Released avalanches and weak snow profiles make clear that these weak layers must be taken into consideration at altitudes as of the treeline. In addition, in all regions of the Swiss Alps, there are freshly formed snowdrift accumulations, particularly in areas adjacent to ridge lines and pass areas.”
A sad note: a well-known and very experienced Canadian skier from Verbier, Scott Mann, who ran the Surefoot shop in Verbier, lost his life in an avalanche near Mont Bonvin in Crans-Montana early in the week.
News from the resorts
Snow cover remains good in the Jura resorts and blue skies are returning for the weekend
The anticyclone that was stationary over our Jura mountains has at last moved on and the sunshine is back. The snow cover is still good at both Crozet/Lélex and La Faucille/Mijoux with about 60 percent of the lifts operating at Cozet, and good runs still available right down to Mijoux and Lélex. Up above Geneva’s layer of murk there is good skiing to be had and the French holiday crowds are diminishing.
Alps
The small bit of snow that fell last week isn’t enough to excite off-piste skiers, but it gave the resorts enough to look brighter and whiter and to keep skiers happy.
Snow is hard underneath a thin layer of fresh snow in most resorts, but it varies, so do check MySwitzerland’s up-to-date guide to snow conditions.
Zermatt and the 4 Vallees areas are the only ones with a depth of over 100cm, although Verbier has 93cm and Crans-Montana 79cm, and there is powder in several places.
Snowpark at Corvatsch, St Moritz, 25 February 2011
GenevaLunch on Sunday starts its special five-day report on Dream Ski Week: five of the best resorts in a week, for good skiers. One of these is St Moritz, and if you’re tempted by our report, keep in mind that next weekend you can catch one of the most impressive ski sights of the year, the 42 km Engadine Ski Marathon, with some 20,000 participants. Reserve your hotel room ahead, given the visiting crowd of cross-country racers.
The run, with spectacular scenery and great snow, is from Maloja to S-chanf, with the half-marathon from Maloja to Pontresina. Tempted to join the race? You can register until the day before the event, 12 March.
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.
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
