Chalets covered in snow in Val d’Isere.
Photographer: Jean-Pierre Clatot/AFP via Getty ImagesSports
Alpine Ski Resorts Are Suddenly Buried in Snow
After more lean years than European ski operators care to remember, there’s now way too much.
Year after year, ski resorts in the Alps bemoaned the worst snowfall in recent memory. Mountains were left bare, skiers disappointed and travelers deterred. This season some of the biggest ski stations are struggling to deal with too much of it.
In Zermatt, Switzerland, thousands of skiers were stranded in the village for three days last week after train access and roads were shut because too much snow created avalanche risks. It was the second time this season alone that access to Zermatt, perched at the base of Switzerland’s most famous mountain, the Matterhorn, was cut off.