Mountain roads alert – very icy
Pressure builds on the metre-high fence as more snow arrives in the Alps (here, at 1,100 metres)
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Snow again, and plenty of it throughout Swiss and French mountain regions. The roads were very icy Friday night and, very exceptionally, we needed chains at 800 metres, for the slippery surface rather than deep snow. Snow has been falling steadily since Friday afternoon and the wind has picked up from central to eastern canton Valais resort areas. Be sure to carry chains if you’re driving to the mountains.
Weather forecast
Snow expected through Tuesday in the Jura and the Alps, although Jura areas can expect it to turn to rain in the afternoons this weekend.
The snow line will move up and down between 600 and 1,400 metres and by Monday in canton Valais it will start to be drier, with intermittent sunshine and temperatures rising to 8C at lower altitudes.
Expect sunny slopes again Wednesday, says MeteoSwiss.
Ski report, Alps
Several lifts are closed Saturday morning due to a mix of snow and high winds, with local situations varying considerably. At 10:00 Saturday:
Crans-Montana Entire area closed due to high winds; next update at noon Saturday.
Gstaad Snowing and winds of 45kph and 32 of 57 lifts open. La Vidamanette and Glacier 3000 area closed.
Morgins La Crete and La Tuche closed, but the rest of the lifts are open, 20cm of fresh snow; snowing.
Verbier About 50 percent open, with Mont Forte and Gentiane closed. Winds at 15-35kph, snowing. Snow depth now at 330cm at Col des Gentianes.
Villars-Gryon Mostly open but Glacier 3000 area closed and link to Diableret opening at 11:00, 30cm of fresh snow.
Zermatt Three Furi lifts open but the rest closed. Snowing, but should end by afternoon, with snow Sunday morning and sun/partly cloudy weather in the afternoon.
Avalanche bulletin
Considerable risk, level 3, in most areas and notably for back country skiers and ski touring, although a large swath north of a line running from the Upper Goms Valley in canton Valais to Andermatt and over to Chur in canton Graubuenden has a high risk, level 4.
“The bonding of the new fallen snow and snowdrift to the surface of the old snowpack is generally unfavourable. The old snowpack is favourably structured far and wide. Particularly on the Main Alpine Ridge and in the Upper Engadine on north facing slopes above approximately 2500 m, the snowpack layers near the ground are weakly bonded. Numerous avalanche corridors are filled to the brim with snow or have been effectively obliterated by earlier avalanche releases,” reports the national avalanche research centre’s daily bulletin.
Jura ski resorts
by Shirley Curran
Conditions in the Jura resorts have been exceptional. The very cold weather has permitted the making of vast mounds of artificial snow at Crozet and Lélex to fill bare spots later in the season. Sadly, the long spell of clear cold weather broke on Thursday. Three or four days of snow and rain are now predicted. As usual you are encouraged to go to the website of MontsJura.com to see for yourself what the conditions are like on the slopes.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – A quick Saturday morning update on the status of Swiss and neighbouring France resorts this weekend, following the heavy snowfalls of the past two days:
Alps
Zermatt, early Saturday morning (photo: William Olenick)
Major resorts now have at least some runs open, but many remain closed as crews try to prepare the pistes following more than 100cm of fresh snow in just one day, Thursday, with more snow Friday and heavy drifting.
The quality of the snow is excellent: powder skiing available everywhere.
Anzere 14 of 52 km open, but the rest being prepared
Crans-Montana Plaine Morte and Aminona are closed Saturday; rest is open or being prepared. Snow depth on the Plaine Morte glacier has reached 380cm and in the village it is 150cm.
Gstaad Snow depth is 85-380cm, one of the best years in recent memory for the resort. Saturday: 44 of 57 runs are open.
Verbier Some open, some closed, snowing. Ski depth at Gentiane is now 307cm.
Villars + Gryon Mix of sun and clouds, lifts open, but some snow activities not available
Zermatt Several lifts and runs remain closed, and while the day started with clear blue skies and -10C, Sunday’s clouds, with warmer temperatures, are already on the way. Forecast: three days of sunshine starting Monday.
The avalanche risk is unusually high throughout the Alps, down to 3 (high) but remaining at 4/5 throughout the eastern Alps. Daily avalanche bulletin and map from WSL/SLF.
Jura
by Shirley Curran
Severe winter conditions have affected skiing for most of this week. This means that we have no lack of snow in the Jura resorts but high winds have frequently interrupted the running of the lifts. Next week will probably be very cold so you should wrap up well and enjoy fresh powder. Consult the webcams at MontsJura.com and
their information about what is in operation before you set off!
Ed. note: starting Monday 9 January we are back from the holiday break and posting news as usual on GenevaLunch, including our regular more expanded weekend snow and winter sports report.
Geneva's Escalade, with energy-efficient Christmas lights in 2011 (photo Mr Kio on flickr)
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Geneva was one of the top winners in the sixth annual Swiss government Watt d’Or programme to recognize energy-saving initiatives.
It was honoured 4 January as the winner of the energy technologies category for its new LED strings of lights along the Lake Geneva waterfront.
The waterfront area has been lit up for more than 100 years, but with incandescent lighting and with new energy regulations calling for the end of this kind of lighting in 2012 the city had to scramble to find another solution. It worked to develop a “revolutionary” LED lighting system that looks like incandescent lights, but uses far less energy, the awards committee announced. Geneva in November 2010 replaced 4200 bulbs with LED light strings that were awarded a prize at the Salon des inventions de Genève. The light is as strong as with the bulbs, but energy consumption has been reduced by 90 percent.
Zermatt was another top winner, for its new rubbish disposal system, and St Gallen was given the top prize for its overall urban development and energy use system, with a new geothermal centre going into operation in 2013.
Clearing the roof, 30 December 2011, near Crans-Montana, Valais
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Too much of a good thing, with more and more snow falling, means that many lifts in the Swiss Alps are not open Friday: more than a foot fell overnight, more is expected Friday night and Meteoswiss is predicting strong northwest winds throughout the Alps Saturday.
Alps and avalanche reports
Check directly with resorts as the situation is rapidly changing for piste closings and openings, due to weather:
Anzere, Crans-Montana, Leysin-Aigle, Verbier, Villars-Gryon, Saas-Fee, Zermatt
The Swiss Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research, WSL, bulletin concludes with: “On Saturday, continuous and intermittently intense snowfall is anticipated in all regions of the Swiss Alps except the furthermost south. The northwesterly wind will be blowing at strong velocity. The snowfall level is expected to ascend towards 1800 m over the course of the day. On Sunday, the precipitation will taper off in northern regions. In southern regions it will be sunny. The avalanche danger will escalate significantly on Saturday, presumably giving rise to increasingly frequent naturally triggered avalanches.”
Jura report
by Shirley Curran
With more snow falling, we look set for a good season. The cold weather and snow are expected to continue until Saturday when milder conditions are expected with some sunshine. The start of January promises to be warmer than recent days and our resorts will have a fine covering of snow, with the fresh that is falling now. Crowds will have diminished. Now is the time to enjoy ski-ing less than half an hour from the Swiss frontier!
Ed. note: at noon Friday the ski runs were open - check for updates
Great weather for snowshoes, ski touring, ice skating and sledding!
Snowshoes in canton Valais: perfect way to get around 30 December
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – A Swiss and French white Christmas is guaranteed if you’re heading for the mountains.
Weather forecast
Valais Alps, 24 December 2011 snowfall
The weather in Switzerland Saturday 24 December is a mix of rain on the plain and temperatures of 2-5C, with fog, snow and some sunshine in the Alps, highs of 4C and lows of -2C. Christmas day: sunshine with high clouds. Next week, highs of 4C in the mountains, mixed cloudiness and sunshine with snow at higher altitudes by Thursday.
Jura
by Shirley Curran
We are hoping for slightly milder weather and have the best snow cover we have had for years at this state of the season, with most of our installations running in the Jura Mountains: 75cm on the lower slopes, 100cm Saturday at the top. Check the daily bulletin for details of all ski areas (infos neige). Have a wonderful ski week.
Alps
Snow on the peaks now has depths of at least 130cm everywhere, reaching 200-plus in Zermatt. In some cases the resort villages have more snow than the tops of the mountains: in Crans-Montana the village, at 1,800 m, has 180cm, while the glacier above has 130cm!
Several resorts have had to keep some of their runs closed, however, due to a mix of high winds and avalanche risks.
Crans-Montana 3 of 27 runs open Saturday, due to high winds. Some 40,000 guests expected this week, according to tourism office CEO Philippe Rubod.
Gstaad area (includes Glacier 3000) 43 of 57 runs open, snow 60-300cm
Saas-Fee several lifts closed Saturday due to high winds
Verbier runs mostly open, with lower winds than in central canton Valais; snow depth 50-170cm. Note: if you’re in the area be sure to take in the special Christmas concert put on by the Friends of Verbier Festival: Thursday 29 December 2011 at 18.30 in the Eglise de Verbier with Japanese violinist Sayaka Shoji and French pianist Julien Quentin. Tickets are on sale from +41 848 771 882 or by e-mail caroline.bertee@verbierfestival.com, for CHF60 (CHF30, under 16s). Starting 26 December, tickets available at the Verbier tourist information center.
Villars-Gryon 11 of 15 lifts opened Saturday. Avalanche danger remains high. Sledge pistes open from 24 and 26 December in Frience and Cergnement.
Zermatt higher lifts mostly closed due to high winds Saturday, Sunnegga and Gornergrat have several lifts open.
by Thomas Clark
2011 marks the centenary of the death of British explorer Edward Whymper
Matterhorn (photo, E Wallace)
The famed mountaineer climbed many of the world’s most treacherous summits. He was the first to ascend several of the highest peaks in the Alps, the Canadian Rockies and the Andes.
But it was his Matterhorn triumph and the subsequent tragedy that befell his party for which he is best known.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Edward Whymper was born the son of an artist in London, April 1840. He trained to become a wood engraver to follow in the steps of his older brother the noted illustrator and explorer, Frederic Whymper.
Edward received a commission at age 20 to make a series of sketches of Alpine scenery, and he undertook an extensive journey in the Central and Western Alps.
“I had only a literary acquaintance with mountaineering, and had not even seen, much less set foot upon, a mountain,” he wrote.
Edward Whymper
The objective of his commission was to illustrate the mountaineering efforts for a Professor Bonney who was attempting to scale Mont Pelvoux. The mountain at that time was believed to be the highest peak in the Daughin Alps. Unfortunately the trip ended in failure for the Bonney contingent.
Inspired by failure
But the failure inspired Edward to make his own attempt at Pelvoux, despite his lack of climbing experience.
“As if by mere chance I fell in with a very agreeable Frenchman who accompanied this party, and was pressed by him to return the assault. In 1861 we did so with my friend Macdonald and we conquered.”
The conquest of Pelvoux now convinced him to become an explorer first and an illustrator second. Flushed with his recent achievement he developed plans to add more Alpine peaks to his mountaineering resume.
Between 1860 and 1864 he lead dozens of expeditions within the Alps, which vastly contributed to the understanding of the local topography. He completed the first assents of Barre des Ecrins, Aiguille d’Argentiere and Mont Dolent in 1864, and in 1865 Aiguille Verte, Grand Cornier and Pointe Whymper, the latter named in his honour.
Matterhorn looms large
He became obsessed with the Matterhorn during this period, at that time a peak considered to be unclimbable.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Two climbers who fell to their deaths 24 August near Zermatt have been identified, say canton Valais police: a 48-year-old woman and 52-year-old man, both Italian. They were climbing the dent d’Hérens and were at 4,050 metres, roped together, when they fell 400 metres.
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.
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – A German who was ski-touring in Zermatt lost his life Sunday. Elsewhere in the Lake Geneva region there were a number of serious accidents, from fires to road crashes.
The 52-year-old German was part of a group of five people who had been at the mountain hut Brittania. They were heading towards the Monta Rose hut, having crossed the Adler pass, and were below the second hut when the man was caught by an avalanche at 20:40 His fellow skiers immediately raised the alert and police, a medical team and Air Zermatt were sent to the rescue. His body was found under 2.2 metres of snow.
Road accident closed lake road near Gland Sunday
The lake road (N1) was closed to traffic Sunday afternoon 20 March for two hours following an accident at 15:10 at the Messerin intersection between Prangins and Gland.
An 18-year-old driver was hit by a car driven by a 23-year-old woman who failed to yield to the first driver. Both were injured, with the first driver trapped in his car. They were taken to hospital via ambulance. Police report that their lives are not in danger.
Fire in the centre of Sierre, another in Vaud
Fire Saturday morning in Sierre, Valais
Forty firefighters from Cossonay in canton Vaud were called to Dizy after a fire started in the kitchen of a village house Saturday at 09:00. Two men in their 70s were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.
A fire in the centre of Sierre, on the rue Glarey, caused serious damage and sent one person to hospital with burns to the hands. The fire started for reasons that have not been determined, at 07:00 Friday 19 March. Six residents of the building were evacuated.
Zermatt, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – A 22-year-old man from canton Valais was killed Saturday night on the outskirts of Zermatt, following a ski accident. The youth left a “public establishment” on the slopes, a few hundred metres from the village, say cantonal police, carrying a young woman on his back as he skied down a floodlit piste. Shortly after joining the piste he crashed into a woman on a snowboard.
The young man went into the safety nets at the edge of the piste but was critically injured, and he died soon afterwards.
The two women were slightly injured.
Police have opened an investigation into the accident. This is the second accident in two days on slopes near Zermatt.
Third avalanche death this week: woman died Thursday in Bern
Update 14 March Geneva and Zermatt, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – A 57-year-old man from Solothurn died Sunday night 13 March in hospital, the second of two skiers to die from an avalanche near Zermatt Saturday. A 50-year-old man, also from Solothurn, died Saturday shortly after the accident. He was part of a group of 10 people from the Solothurn Swiss Alpine Club who were ski-touring in the Triftjigletscher area near Zermatt when they were caught by an avalanche.
The accident occurred at 17:45 Saturday 12 March.
Three members of the group were carried away by the avalanche, one of whom was dug out by the others. Air Zermatt and canton Valais police sent a rescue team, and the two missing skiers were pulled out and given medical treatment immediately. They were then flown to hospitals in Viege/Visp and Bern, but one of them died en route to hospital.
Skier triggers snow slab break
A 45-year-old woman from canton Bern died Thursday 10 March when she was caught by an avalanche. She and a male companion, both very experienced ski tourers, according to cantonal police, were coming down the Sulegg, heading towards Saxeten, when they decided to cross a slope. She went first and provoked a snow slab to break off. She was carried several hundred metres to her death. Her companion immediately alerted police. He was taken from the area by helicopter.
The woman’s body was found by the rescue team.
Google’s Street Views to add Swiss ski slopes
Verbier on a blue skies day in January 2011
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – We will soon be bringing you a wonderful special feature, a report from two good skiers, one young and one a few years older, who’ve decided to see how many top Swiss ski resorts they can pack into a week.
They are looking at what’s involved in making a perfect week, away from family, minds focused on the slopes, from getting from point to point and whether the fabled slopes are as grand as their reputations.
They’re busy touring and gathering tips for that dream week of yours, but they are also sending brief daily reports on conditions to whet your appetite.
Here’s the first one, from Verbier, 21 February:
“Lots of cloud, snow was pretty good on the pistes with a few centimetres of fresh snow. They still need a big dump so people can go off-piste and do more at the snow park, which wasn’t busy. Left the slopes early for good apres-ski due to poor visibility. Challenging skiing, more sporty than other places.”
Meanwhile, a few peaks away, Zermatt snowmobiles carry Google cameras
Thomas Imboden of Zermatt Bergbahnen in front of the Matterhorn Monday 21 February with the Google Street View snowmobile
Google has starting filming in Zermatt as part of its plans to map Swiss ski slopes. The company began filming Monday 21 February, using a snowmobile on the Sunnegga, at 2,288 metres, and will continue to the Paradis glacier at 3,883.
The images will then be put through a quality control check and assembled, so it will be some months before they are available to the public.
Google plans to film as many other ski areas as possible, a plan that Thomas Winkler, a member of the board of the Swiss national tourism office calls “a gift for Swiss tourism”.
The filming in Zermatt has begun a week before a court case comes up that will consider the legality of Street Views under Swiss privacy laws.
Courts aside, the Swiss population is enjoying Street Views, Google says, in a statement about the new ski slope shooting: its Google Maps have seen a 20 percent increase in use since the August 2009 start of Google Street Views.
In recent months a tricycle has filmed hard-to-view areas such as the Chateau de Chillon in canton Vaud and the Aletsch glacier in canton Valais.
The slopes don’t pose the same problem as Swiss streets because they are being closed while Google’s cameras, on snowmobiles, film the pistes.
Olympic downhill champion Didier Defago
Sion, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Swiss skier and Olympic downhill champion Didier Defago will likely be out for the season, after tearing a knee ligament during a fall in training in Zermatt Wednesday 15 September.
The 32-year-old skier will be operated on Saturday at the Hopital de la Tour in Geneva by the ski team’s head doctor, Oliver Siegrist.
Trains expected to run by Sunday
Last three cars of the Glacier Express that crashed 23 July
Update 24 July 16:40 Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch.com) – The Glacier Express train crash that killed one person and injured 42 others Friday 23 July in the Goms Valley could have been due to technical problems, possibly linked to warm weather, say officials of the company that owns it, MGB.
One hypothesis is that the rails may have been deformed by dramatic shifts in the weather in the hours preceding the crash. After days of very hot dry weather the temperature suddenly dropped several degrees and heavy showers fell along the Alpine ridges in the area. An investigation has been opened to determine the cause of the crash, which occurred at noon Friday 23 July. A 64-year-old Japanese man from Osaka has been identified as the one person who died, but two women, both Japanese, remain in critical condition. Among the 42 injured, most were Japanese, but the group includes five Swiss, four Spanish, two Austrian and one Indian traveller.
The trains are likely to be running again Sunday, once the derailed train is placed back on the track and removed, and the line checked, according to the company. It said Friday evening trains on the line could be operating by Saturday but work has taken longer than expected. The cars involved in the crash are being set aside for investigators.
The Glacier Express carries some 250,000 people a year. It went into operation in 1930 and this is its first accident. The train has an average speed of 30kph, earning it the nickname of the “slowest train in the world.”
It runs on a single track and between Zermatt and St Moritz it goes through 91 tunnels and crosses 291 bridges, covering some of Switzerland’s most spectacular Alpine scenery in the process, making it a hugely popular tourist attraction.
Youth electrocuted in Morges, Pakistani woman dies on Interlaken luge
Three climbers die in Valais
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch.com) – The hot, fun days of summer have been accompanied in the region by a series of fatal accidents.
A 20-year-old man died in the early hours of Saturday 17 July when he crossed the rails near a train parked in the station at Morges in canton Vaud was electrocuted. He had stepped onto a locomotive, putting him in the line of its electrical charge.
People near the station saw an electric flash at 02:40 and alerted CFF rail company staff. Emergency teams arrived quickly and found the body of the youth, a Swiss man from the Lausanne area, on the tracks, say Vaud police.
A Pakistani woman visiting Switzerland died Monday after she was thrown from her luge at the Heimwehfluh luge park near Interlaken, around 13:00, for reasons that are not yet clear. She was found several metres from the piste and was rushed to hospital, but she died later from her injuries.
Two climbers in Valais lost their lives Monday at 08:45 in a 900-metre fall on the north face of the Liskamm, near Zermatt. The two men, who were roped together, have not yet been identified.
They had left the Capanna Gnifetti to climbe the Liskamm and appear to have been at an altitude of 4,470 metres when they fell, for reasons that are not yet clear. They were at coordinates 630/000 – 086/130.
A third climber in Valais died near Arolla 18 July, Sunday, at 12:30 while climbing down from the Grande Dent de Veisivi. The 51-year-old Frenchman had climbed the peak alone but came down by another path and found himself in a couloir, where he fell 100 metres to his death.
Links to other sites: 20 Minutes, Tribune de Geneve
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)
Glacier patrols depart from Zermatt to Vevey
Famed Glacier Patrol has good weather
Vevey, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The Glacier Patrol race is on. The PdG, as it is known for its French acronym, is a long-distance endurance race that takes place every two years across the 53km of glaciers, summits and passes between Zermatt and Verbier. A shorter 26km version covers the peaks between Arolla and Verbier.
The three-person patrols compete in male, female and co-ed categories. Traditionally, race participation was restricted to military personnel, but civilians are now welcome. Most of the patrols take 12 hours on average to complete the race, although top athletes finish in almost half the time.
Head for the hills: Extreme World Championship in Verbier, balmy weather in the Alps, decent snow in Jura and an affordable new hut in Zermatt
This weekend we won't see fresh snow, but more green
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Temperatures are warming up nicely on the plain, but it remains cold enough in the mountains for skiers to find good snow. It’s not yet clear what conditions will be like for the Easter school holidays that start in a week, but for this weekend, the skiing is good if you stay above 2,000 metres.
If you’re still on the mountainside at 17:32 Saturday 20 March you can celebrate the first day of Spring there.
Snowpacks are weakening thanks to daytime sun radiation, says the Swiss national avalanche centre in its Friday 19 March bulletin, but avalanche danger is low to moderate.
Weather forecast, snow depth
The snow is disappearing in many areas, which the MeteoSwiss snow depth maps show.
Image 2010: Bakbasel
Basel, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Lech in Austria and Lucerne in Switzerland were the two most popular seasonal tourist destinations in the Alpine region in 2009: Lech in winter and Lucerne in summer. Switzerland has three destinations among the overall top 10 for the year: Lucerne, Zurich and Engelberg. But a report published 21 January on tourism in the region shows Austrian resorts well ahead of Swiss ones as popular winter resorts, taking the first seven places, with Zermatt in eighth. Zermatt gains ground as a year-round destination because it is also popular in summer.
Update 8 January Sion, Valais, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Police in Valais say that the information published by Le Matin concerning an avalanche Sunday 3 January was incorrect: the seven skiers caught by an avalanche that ended on a groomed slope had been skiing off-piste and set off the avalanche themselves. The group included five young people, ages 11-19. The two adults in the group, a 51-year-old Geneva man and a 44-year-old French woman, have been reported to the magistrate (judge) named to investigate the case. The newspaper had reported earlier that three young people, not part of the group, were arrested by police for setting off the avalanche.
Anzères freeriders who set off avalanche reported
The police also announced Monday that they have reported three freeriders to the magistrate investigating an avalanche that hit a groomed slope at Ayent, near Anzères, 27 December. A 34-year-old Valais woman and two men from Neuchatel, one age 32 and the other 42, joined the initial search for people caught by the avalanche, but then left the area without giving their names. They did not respond to police notices and a press release inviting them to turn themselves in, police note, but the police investigation turned up their names.
The ski-touring person who died when he and his guide were caught by an avalanche in the Val de Bagnes area near Verbier has been identified: a 56-year-old man from Bern.
Police seek Crans-Montana fireworks witnesses
The police are also looking for witnesses to New Year’s midnight celebrations at the Ycoors skating rink in Crans-Montana, where a nine-year-old boy was hurt in the eye by fireworks set off by an unknown person. Tel: +41 27 326 5656.
Also see:
- “Off-piste in Switzerland: risks, responsibilities”, 5 January 2010, GenevaLunch, on fitting the punishment to the avalanche crime
- Swiss avalanche and snow institute’s chart, European Danger Scale with Recommendations
Update 23:25 Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Four people were killed by avalanches Sunday 3 January, two near Diemtigtal, canton Bern and one in Bagnes, Valais. Seven others were injured, some of them critically, in Bern and one other person was hospitalized following the Valais avalanche. In a separate incident, Valais police have reportedly arrested three young snowboarders who appear to have set off an avalanche near Zermatt Thursday 30 December that caught a group of seven, including five children.
The deadly accident in Bern occurred in an area that is not considered particularly at risk, although the Swiss avalanche and snow research institute has had level 3 “considerable danger” warnings out for much of the Swiss Alps during the past week. One member of a group of ski tourers was caught by a first avalanche at about 11:30 Sunday, and emergency services were immediately called. While the rescue operation was underway a second avalanche occurred. A Rega helicopter service doctor and one other skier were found and taken to hospital, where they died. Another skier was dead when uncovered. Eight people were found alive, but some of them are in critical condition Sunday night, according to Bern police. Eight helicopters were used in the rescue operation, to carry rescue teams, doctors and avalanche search dogs to the area.
The search was called off at 18:00 due to weather and snow conditions. Police in Bern ask that anyone waiting for news of ski tourers in the area phone them at +41 31 634 3434.
The other avalanche Sunday occurred near the Tête de la Payanne, in the Val de Bagnes region near Verbier, in Valais, about 14:00.
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.
Update 31 August 06:30 Martigny and Valais, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The week’s end death and serious injury toll from non-road accidents in the Lake Geneva area in Switzerland was high, with 2 young men in critical condition after a swimming pool accident in Martigny and a diving accident in Prangins, and three people dead from mountain climbing accidents.
An American student, 20, is in critical condition, reports the Tribune de Geneve, following a diving accident Sunday afternoon at the Plage de Promenthoux in Prangins. Diving is banned along the lakefront in the area because of the shallow water. He was flown by a Rega helicopter to the Lucerne paraplegic trauma centre after receiving emergency treatment at the site of the accident.
A 23-year-old and two friends climbed the municipal pool fence at 05:00 Saturday, according to 24 Heures, and once in the pool two of them noticed that their friend was missing.
When the snow melts, Switzerland and Italy will know how to draw their border
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The usual cement country border markers don’t work in the high Alps, partly because the snow is too deep and partly because the boundaries tend to shift as nature moves her mountains slightly. The Swiss Federal Council 19 August signed notes drawn up by Switzerland and Italy laying out the procedure for drawing the boundary line if the need arises.
The high Alps border covers a large area around several peaks, including Bernina, Mont Rosa, and around the Matterhorn and Mont Vélan.
Bern and Sion, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Southeastern Valais will continue to have five small airfields high in the Alps, the Federal Council has decided as part of the country’s sustainable development review of mountain airstrips. Landing and takeoff altitude and seasonal restrictions will be put in place as part of the approval process. The Federal Aviation Office has outlined the new system, after months of study and consultations with groups that included environmentalists, tourism offices, local residents and heli-skiing fans. Four of the five exist already, but one, Unterrothorn, will disappear and be replaced by a new airstrip in the Trift region near Zermatt, which will be a base for heli-skiing. The airfields are used by mainly by pleasure craft.
The Guides of Chamonix specialize in guided hiking, mountaineering, ice-climbing and winter sports in Switzerland and France. Other countries and trekking also available. In the summer, check out their wide range of activities. Trusted professionals since 1821!
Zermatt, Valais, Switzerland (Le Matin, Fre) – In a robbery worthy of a film script, three man wearing black masks arrived in the centre of car-free Zermatt in a car stolen the previous day in Lucern and broke into the Schindler jewelry store at 22:15 while passersby stared in amazement. MInutes later they fled with thousands of francs worth of jewels, according to Le Matin, and they fled on bicycles with no lights, disappearing into the darkening mountain night.
