Ueli Steck, a former carpenter and climber from Ringgenberg near Interlaken in Switzerland, was found dead on 30 April 2017 by other climbers near Nuptse, a 7,861 m peak close to Everest. Steck, known as the “Swiss machine”, was acclimatising before climbing Everest via the Hornbein route on the West Ridge of the world’s highest peak. The […]
Snow returns to Switzerland
Meteo Swiss. Yesterday, Meteo Swiss predicted snow, and this morning, many in Switzerland awoke to a sprinkling of white on the ground. The main areas affected are central and western Switzerland, in particular the Alp and pre-Alp regions. The snow is the result of opposing high and low level air currents. North of the Alps, […]
Vote launched to legalise cannabis in Switzerland
Tribune de Genève. Last week a group called “Legalize it“, launched an initiative to have cannabis legalised. They now have 18 months to get 100,000 signatures, the minimum number required to qualify for a referendum, known as a popular initiative. Unlike a failed referendum on the subject in 2008, this one includes a ban on sales […]
On Saturday crowds took to the streets of Geneva in support of science
People around the world marched for science on Saturday. Some of the slogans, such as “There is no planet B”, “I’m with her…” and an arrow pointing at a picture of the earth, or “Alternative facts are the square root of minus one”, were humorous, however the message was serious: science underpins our success as a species […]
Snow up to one metre forecast for parts of Switzerland
Meteo Swiss, has posted a warning of snowfall of between 70 and 100 cm in parts of the Swiss Alps above 1,800 metres over the next 24 hours. The warning applies to the region stretching between Andermatt and St. Moritz, although it extends further west of Andermatt and further east of St. Moritz. The affected […]
The Swiss municipalities with too many second homes – latest figures
On 11 March 2012, Swiss voted to accept a law restricting the construction of secondary residences, homes that are only used occasionally by owners living somewhere else. Under the law no more than 20% of a municipality’s housing can be second homes. Those with percentages above 20% run into building restrictions. The initiative was nick […]
Swiss clocks move forward one hour this Sunday
Early on Sunday 26 March 2017 Swiss clocks move forward one hour. Officially time changes at 2am. This means you will miss one hour of sleep and it will be darker when you get up. On the up side, it will be lighter for longer in the evenings. The rest of Europe will adjust its clocks […]
Switzerland’s spectacular dams and their uncertain future
Switzerland’s 604 hydroelectric plants aren’t just powerhouses for clean energy. Some dams are also dramatic destinations. But their source of fuel is literally drying up. By Bill Harby Switzerland’s glaciers are shrinking. In 2015, of 99 Swiss glaciers measured, 92 were retreating, 3 were stationary and 4 were advancing. Global warming doesn’t just threaten Switzerland’s […]
Swiss report recommends eating more foods typically high in saturated fats
On 16 March 2017, the results of a survey on Swiss eating habits were released. The survey, dubbed MenuCH, quizzed 2,000 Swiss residents between the ages of 18 and 75 on what they eat. The report shows that Swiss meat consumption is at unhealthy levels. Average weekly consumption of 780g far exceeds the recommended level […]
Switzerland 4th happiest country
The world’s happiest country, according the latest World Happiness Report, is Norway, with Denmark, Iceland and Switzerland almost on par. The report’s authors say that these four countries are clustered so tightly that the differences among them are not statistically significant. Norway (7.537), Denmark (7.522), Iceland (7.504), and Switzerland (7.494) are almost equal, with Switzerland’s […]
