Ski season in Switzerland stalled by lack of snow

Switzerland's ski resorts, already beleaguered by the strong Swiss franc, are grappling with another obstacle — no snow.

A dry November has forced several ski resorts to push back the start of the season, the latest in a string of bad news for hoteliers who have struggled to fill beds as the soaring Swiss franc deters foreign holidaymakers.

Newspaper front-pages, weather reports and ski websites are showing grim images of snow-free slopes, threatening the traditional start of the ski season on the first weekend of December.

"It would be ridiculous to turn off the webcams," Veronique Kanel, a spokeswoman for Swiss Tourism, said Thursday. "It's a fact that there is very little snow at the moment."

PhotoBlog: Taking to the slopes for skiing on fresh... pebbles?

Not to be disheartened, Davos-Klosters nestled in eastern Switzerland employed no less than 250 snow cannons to get pistes ready for the season start — a week later than scheduled.

Some 3,000 winter sport enthusiasts trekked to the resort last weekend to slide down the nearly 4 miles of pistes made from artificial snow, long white stretches on an otherwise brown and green landscape.

But even the best Swiss snow engineering is struggling because temperatures are too high. On Thursday, just 7 miles of Davos-Klosters' 198 miles of ski slopes were navigable.

A delayed start
According to the World Meteorological Organization, Switzerland is on track to suffer one of its three driest years on record.

Despite the delayed start, Yves Bugmann, finance director of Davos-Klosters mountain railway, remained unperturbed for now.

"Financially, the losses so far are marginal and can be recouped through cost cuts," he said. "Even so, a good start is the basis for a successful season."

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Tourism, which contributes some 5 percent to Swiss gross domestic product, has come under pressure due to the strong Swiss franc that rose by more than 20 percent against the euro earlier this year and flirted with parity in August — the height of the summer season.

Although the Swiss National Bank set a cap of 1.20 francs to the euro on Sept. 6, many hoteliers still regard the currency as overvalued and say the tourist sector needs a good winter to stave off job cuts.

Kanel said some lift owners and hoteliers are now trying to lure tourists with special offers — also meant to counter the strong Swiss franc — while praying for colder weather to come.

She acknowledged, though, that "should there not be snow until mid-December we will have a problem."

Switzerland had its last heavy snowfall on Oct. 19, but the Federal Office for Meteorology is forecasting snow Friday evening, ending a five-week drought.

'The snow will come'
The village of Verbier in southwest Switzerland is hoping skiers see the sunny side as they breeze down snow-free mountains on a one-mile stretch of prepared piste.

"We are providing a different and unique experience," said tourism chief Yan Baczkowski. "You actually get to ski in the middle of the fields."

In the village itself, with temperatures hovering above 54 Fahrenheit, many ski rental shops were shut. Waiters in T-shirts served a trickle of customers at open-air cafes.

Verbier — which counts British pop singer James Blunt and entrepreneur Richard Branson among its regulars — needs 20 inches of snow to afford visitors a good run, said Baczkowski.

"Yes we are late compared to other years," he said. "But we are not worried. The snow will come."

The only consolation for Swiss resorts is that their French, Italian and Austrian neighbors are also sweating under the heat.

On Wednesday, two Women's World Cup ski races scheduled for Dec. 10 and 11 in Val d'Isere, just across the border from Verbier in France, were canceled because of a lack of snowfall.

Lots of discounts
Overnight stays from foreign visitors are forecast to drop 4.2 percent this winter, according to economic research institute BAKBASEL, with tourists from eastern Europe and the United States in particular seen shunning the Swiss Alps for cheaper destinations.

To lure price-conscious skiers and stop locals from straying to slopes over the border, Davos is offering free lift passes to those who book an overnight stay between now and Christmas.

This is just one initiative as part of the project 'Franc-ly Switzerland' run by the tourist board, which aims to sell the country, a favorite winter haunt of the rich and royalty, as an affordable destination.

Other measures include 10 percent off ski holidays, 2-for-1 lift passes, as well as discounted ski lessons and ski hire.

Hotel Grichting & Badnerhof in Leukerbad in southwest Switzerland is offering guests an exchange rate of 1.40 francs to the euro, a discount of some 14 percent.

While this can help take up the slack during low seasons, cutting prices is not a viable option in the long run, Kanel said. Still, some higher resorts blessed with snow have managed to make light of the situation.

Boasting snow-capped peaks, Saas Fee in southwestern Switzerland poked fun at snow-poor resorts in a video showing winter sports fans attempting to ski and sledge and on grassy fields.

"We regret that snow enthusiasts are forced to carry out such questionable activities and invite you to enjoy the start of the winter season with us," Saas Fee said in a mock news video.

Information from the Associated Press and Reuters is included in this report.