Advertising

The Seattle Times Company

NWjobs | NWautos | NWhomes | NWsource | Free Classifieds | seattletimes.com

The Seattle Times

Travel / Outdoors


Our network sites seattletimes.com | Advanced

Originally published January 12, 2007 at 12:00 AM | Page modified January 12, 2007 at 6:16 PM

E-mail article     Print view

European ski resorts have more mud than snow

At many ski resorts across Europe, there's more mud than snow. World Cup race courses are flanked by dead, brown grass. Tourists twirl umbrellas in...

WENGEN, Switzerland — At many ski resorts across Europe, there's more mud than snow. World Cup race courses are flanked by dead, brown grass.

Tourists twirl umbrellas in the streets rather than clump around in ski boots. The telephone hot lines at Europe's ski resorts have gone cold. Those who bother to call are most often greeted with depressing news of high temperatures and lack of snow. "No winter sports are possible again today," is the recorded message on the "snowphone" for Oberhof — a top German training area for ski jumping, bobsled and biathlon. "With the current warm climate it's very clear that things have become completely crazy," says the Meteo France national weather service recording. "We're in winter and the temperature in the valleys is the equivalent of the end of March."

Tourism in the Alps is crucial for the European economy, with up to 80 million tourists and 160 million ski days in Austria, France, Switzerland and Germany each year. Though a few lucky areas have snow, for the majority the situation is bleak. Much of Europe has seen record-high temperatures in January.

Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company

More Travel & Outdoors headlines...

E-mail article Print view      Share:    Digg     Newsvine

advertising

Winter snowpack melts into waterfalls

Paddler's paradise: South Sound offers quiet and beauty

Explore suburban Seattle's agricultural heritage on a day trip to Bellevue

Hit the beach at Everett's Jetty Island

Pix From My Weekend

Advertising

Video

AP Video

Entertainment | Top Video | World | Offbeat Video | Sci-Tech

Marketplace

 
Most read
Most commented
Most e-mailed
 
 
Advertising