Swiss Snow

Would it make the waiting easier if I said that the lifts are not open here until the weekend, so I have to earn my turns if I want to ski

ise wrote:

bandit wrote:Anyone heading to resorts around the Rhone Valley this weekend should have a fab time. It's been snowing all day, I saw snowploughs working at Geneva Airport and also on the runway at Sion. 1st time I have been on a bus which had chains on at the railway station pickup in Sierre

that happened to us last season coming back up after a tour, it does make the route up exciting

It's an interesting experience going round the hairpins with big chains on the bus rear wheels. Quite noticeable that they have to take a bigger swing to get round the bends.

bandit wrote:

ise wrote:

bandit wrote:Anyone heading to resorts around the Rhone Valley this weekend should have a fab time. It's been snowing all day, I saw snowploughs working at Geneva Airport and also on the runway at Sion. 1st time I have been on a bus which had chains on at the railway station pickup in Sierre

that happened to us last season coming back up after a tour, it does make the route up exciting

It's an interesting experience going round the hairpins with big chains on the bus rear wheels. Quite noticeable that they have to take a bigger swing to get round the bends.

I can think of a better word than interesting. I was pretty damned scared hurtling down the mountain road from VT on a bus in thick snow with the driver on his mobile phone, swining the thing round corners one handed.

Tony_H wrote:
I can think of a better word than interesting. I was pretty damned scared hurtling down the mountain road from VT on a bus in thick snow with the driver on his mobile phone, swining the thing round corners one handed.

the route bandit's talking about is to the VT road what the VT road is to the promenade at Brighton you have to go there to really get an idea.

Nothing to do with snow, but the scariest road I have ever been on was on a coach from Dlaman airport in Turkey down to the beach resorts. Over 2 hours, the coach driver was overtaking police cars on a one lane either direction road.

Kids were screaming, parents panicking and you could see the occasional wreck of a bus/van that had left the road.

Petrifying.

bandit wrote:Would it make the waiting easier if I said that the lifts are not open here until the weekend, so I have to earn my turns if I want to ski

Not really . I am so jealous of you people getting out for the early season snow. I have another 51 days to go and it seems like forever .

However, I suppose some respect is due, if you have to skin up the mountain to enjoy each run, no matter how wonderful .

As regards scary journeys, my worst experience was in a minibus from St Anton back to Zurich leaving at 4am in the middle of a blizzard. As the minibus slowly climbed up the mountain roads, conditions got worse and worse - at times, it was virtually impossible to see where the road was because of the drifting snow. However, the driver still didn't see any need for chains. Thankfully, we got through it safely with only a few minor skids. Afterwards, I found out, the driver could have avoided the mountain altogether by using the Arlberg Tunnel but he was too mean to pay the toll

still snowing so much that the weight of it's bought down tree's near the village so we were cut off this morning and I missed my train into town and was late for class