Poster: A snowHead
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Astonishing photos of an ice storm which swept the shores of the Lake of Geneva on Wednesday have been posted on website www.skyandsummit.com . Click the following links for some of the most dramatic images. This is familiar territory to thousands of skiers heading for the mountains every winter ...
Photo 1 ... Photo 2 ... Photo 3
Here's the link for the full set of photos:
http://www.skyandsummit.com/Glacegeneve/index.html
Can anyone recognise the location, which doesn't seem to be identified in the text?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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This looks like a somewhat more extreme version of the "freezing rain" that we had here in Mordor one night some 5or 6? years ago. I woke up to find everything outside had been "glazed" in a coating of ice. Quite extraordinary, never seen anything like it before nor since.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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That is awesome!
Gotta be a caption competition in there...
"No job too tough for your Halfords 99p plastic window scraper!"
"Did you remember the anti-freeze dear?"
"Mr Incredible says 'there's no evidence Frozone is on holiday in switzerland' "
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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... i'm never gonna complain about cold water again, I believe the sailor in the 2nd picture at the link below is sailing in Lake Geneva in those conditions .... cuuuuurrrrraaaazzzyyyy - brrrrrrr!!!!
http://www.stehsegelrevue.com/pod/20050128155205/
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I've taken the liberty (and PMed Bored At Work to check that it's OK) to edit the opening post. I've termed it an 'ice storm', since the effect is similar to ice storms involving freezing rain which sometimes hit the eastern USA (not to mention Mordor). I'd concur with Alan Craggs in that regard, though in fact it looks to me as if this was the result of the very high winds that hit that region on Wednesday, whipping up spray from the lake and instantly freezing it on already-frozen cars etc.
Maybe there was no precipitation at the time, which might distinguish it from a true 'ice storm'. Maybe a weather expert could clarify all this...
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Sat 29-01-05 9:05; edited 6 times in total
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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No worries David.
Looking at the photos, there's a lot of chop on the water - combined with the wind, the spray would probably have done that - IMO. But then again????
Cheers
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What's amazing is that the copyright owner of the photos probably didn't sell them to a news syndication agency. Here's a tip (which I should maybe pass on to him): if you're ever lucky enough to snap a news event of that rarity and significance, immediately contact an agency such as Rex Features (one of several) who have the means to instantly transmit the images to newspapers worldwide and bill them all for publishing rights.
The agency will pay you handsomely, and you'll go on receiving royalties for years and years because photos like that have an indefinite value in terms of time - they can be used in books and magazines until someone comes up with something even better (almost inconceivable!)
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Incredible photos!
(And thanks for the tip David - not that any of my photo are likely to make the news.)
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Photo 3 looks like an ice sculpture!. I remember seeing on TV about ice storms in US and Canada, I think they were caused by a form of extreme temperature inversion where water falls as rain but freezes on impact. They caused huge distruction to power lines. This looks a bit different however as the line of the ice seems to be pointing away from lake, as suggested above.
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Just put yourself in the position of one of those car owners. You are late for work. Your next move is....?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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... that handy little plastic scraper, or gold credit card if you drive an expensive car.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Looks like the photos originally posted were in Versoix, which is a port town just outside Geneva along the north shore of the lake. I was out in Geneva on Wednesday night and on the lake front the wind was howling so strong that it was difficult to walk ... somehow you expect that when you're half way up a mountain, but not in the centre of town!! This wind was whipping up the waves from the lake and, combined with temperatures well below zero, ice formations were appearing every where. There were also quite a few yachts that bought it as well, all encased in ice and just laying in the water on their side.
In case anyone wants to see more, i posted a few photos on our website as well.....these photos were taken on the north lake side in Geneva.
http://www.chaletinthemountains.com/geneva%20ice%20storm.htm
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You know it makes sense.
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I drove through Geneva the day before, I wonder if the CDW would have covered the hire car!
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