The once-popular ski runs of Dent-de-Vaulion in the Swiss Jura Mountains are now deserted as unusually mild weather has driven away winter sport enthusiasts and forced ski resorts to close across the country. Abandoned pole rods of the ski lift sway in the wind. Crusty snow dots stretches of yellowed grass. Lift pylons stand alone in rocky terrain where cheerful crowds once puffed steam in frigid temperatures. A view shows the closed Dent-de-Vaulion ski lift amid lack of snow at altitudes below 1500 m due to high winter temperatures induced by climate change, in Vaulion, Switzerland, February 2, 2024. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse Switzerland, a major ski destination, is warming at about twice the global average rate partly because its mountains trap heat, the United Nations Intergover...
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David Vencl emerged from the depths of Switzerland's Lake Sils on Tuesday after a record dive beneath the ice to a depth of more than 50 meters without a wetsuit. The 40-year-old Czech diver's record vertical plunge to 52.1 meters in a single breath follows his entry into the Guinness World Records book for swimming the length of a frozen Czech lake in 2021. Czech freediver David Vencl dives to 52 metres under the ice of Lake Sils in one breath and wearing only a swimsuit in this picture taken from a video in Sils near St. Moritz, Switzerland March 14, 2023. David Vencl Organisation/Handout via REUTERS Vencl dived through a hole in the ice then retrieved a sticker from a depth of 50 meters to prove his feat before re-emerging through the same hole. He spat some blood, sat down fo...
Read MoreAsian travellers are expected to support the recovery of the Swiss tourism industry this year after American visitors pulled the sector out of its pandemic doldrums in 2022, the Swiss national tourism association has said. The number of foreign visitors to Switzerland's mountains, lakes and cities collapsed in 2020 and 2021 as countries imposed travel restriction to curb the spread of COVID-19. But overnight stays in Switzerland increased 29% in 2022 to just below 2019 levels as restrictions were lifted and a marketing campaign featuring Hollywood actor Anne Hathaway and tennis legend Roger Federer paid off. FILE PHOTO: Balloons take part in the 43rd International Hot Air Balloon Festival in Chateau-d'Oex, Switzerland January 24, 2023. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse American visitors...
Read MoreTucked in a valley surrounded by snow-capped peaks, the sleepy Swiss town of Chateau d'Oex emerges from its slumber to host a hot-air balloon festival that draws thousands of spectators and flying enthusiasts. During a nine-day celebration ending on Sunday, 60 brightly-coloured hot balloons from 15 countries will soar through the sky over the valley, known for winds that make for particularly good flying. Balloons take part in the 43rd International Hot Air Balloon Festival in Chateau-d'Oex, Switzerland January 24, 2023. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse "The special thing about flying in Chateau d'Oex is that we can take off in the morning, fly in one direction ... and in the afternoon the wind just turns around," Thomas Spildooren, a hot air balloon pilot, said from his bal...
Read MoreSpain’s Alberto Ginés López and Slovenia’s Luka Potočar reached new heights as they were crowned champions of Red Bull Dual Ascent, overcoming Slovenian climbing champion Domen Škofic and former bouldering world champ Jernej Kruder in a thrilling head-to-head final in Switzerland. Testing the limits of the world’s best climbers, Red Bull Dual Ascent saw athletes attempt to conquer the sheer face of the Verzasca Dam in world’s first head-to-head multi-pitch climbing competition on artificial routes. Overview during the Red Bull Dual Ascent in Verzasca, Switzerland on October 30, 2022. Photo credit: Stefan Voitl / Red Bull Content Pool Following two days of qualifiers – as climbers attempted to tackle the roughly 180m route, which had more than 280 moves and close to 400 holds – fo...
Read MoreA Swiss railway company claimed the record for the world’s longest passenger train Saturday with a trip on one of the most spectacular tracks through the Alps. A train of the Rhaetian Railway (RHB) is on its way to set a world record for longest passenger train, on Saturday, October 29, 2022, in Preda, Switzerland. The 1.91 kilometer long train is on a journey on the UNESCO world heritage track from Preda to Alvaneu. The train consists of 100 waggons. The old world record of 1732,9 meters dates back to 1991. (Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP) The Rhaetian Railway company ran the 1.9-kilometer-long (1.2-mile-long) train composed of 100 coaches along the Albula/Bernina route from Preda to Berguen. The route was designated a UNESCO World Heritage in 2008 and leads through 22 tunnels...
Read MoreRocky path revealed between Swiss glaciers in extreme melt season
A rocky Alpine path between two glaciers in Switzerland is emerging for what the local ski resort says is the first time in at least 2,000 years after the hottest European summer on record. Hikers walk past the newly uncovered Zanfeluron path, as a split of the Sex-Rouge and the Zanfleuron Glacier revealed the path for the first time in 2000 years due to this summer heatwave, at Glacier 3000 in Les Diablerets, Switzerland, September 11, 2022. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse The ski resort of Glacier 3000 in western Switzerland said this year's ice melt was around three times the 10-year average, meaning bare rock can now be seen between the Scex Rouge and the Zanfleuron glaciers at an altitude of 2,800 metres and the pass will be completely exposed by the end of this month. "About 10 yea...
Read More"I couldn't sleep," and "my room was too noisy," may be complaints hoteliers dread from guests, but for the Riklin brothers that is the entire point of their latest 'zero star hotel' art installation. The Swiss concept artists' hotel room is essentially a double bed on a platform, with two bedside tables and lamps. There are no walls, ceiling or doors to provide any privacy or shelter. Swiss artist Patrik Riklin, co-founder of the Null-Stern-Hotel (Zero-Star-Hotel) offering guests a choice between four open-air rooms in reaction to the world current state after the pandemic, prepares the Bayart suite in Saillon, Switzerland June 15, 2022. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse They have set up their null stern suite - German for zero star - on a roadside next to a petrol station in the village ...
Read MoreA rare albino Galapagos giant tortoise made its public debut at a Swiss zoo on Friday. Two of the tortoises were born last month at the Tropiquarium in the western town of Servion in Switzerland as part of a programme to preserve the endangered species. Thomas Morel of the Tropiquarium holds an albino baby Galapagos tortoise, born on May 1 and the first ever recorded albino birth, in Servion, Switzerland, June 3, 2022. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse One is black like its parents and the other is albino. Their gender has yet to be determined. "This is the first time in the world that an albino Galapagos tortoise has been born and kept in captivity. No albino individuals have ever been observed in the wild," the zoo said in a statement. The mother, who weighs more than 100 kilograms...
Read MoreMovers and shakers arriving for the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) this month can pack sandals instead of ski boots for a rare springtime version of the event in Davos, the Swiss ski resort that is Europe’s highest city. In December, organisers postponed the meeting of government, business and other leaders just before its traditional January slot, citing the difficulties of holding an in-person conference during the coronavirus pandemic. FILE PHOTO: The foyer is seen at the congress center in Davos, Switzerland. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann Simply putting on the event after a two-year hiatus is welcome news to locals, who, a 2017 study showed, benefit from a $60 million windfall every time it takes place. “All the people here are very glad that the World Economic F...
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