 Poster: A snowHead
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Three days of torrential rain have caused serious problems in the Alps including floods, landslides and washed-out roads. Switzerland is particularly badly hit. Numerous ski resorts have been affected, including Grindelwald (Switzerland), the Vorarlberg region of western Austria and Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Bavaria, Germany), where a disaster alert has been issued.
This report from BBC Online.
snowHeads are keeping tabs on the situation in the Jungfrau Ski Region of Switzerland (Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, Grindelwald etc.). Click here (page 23, scroll down)
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Tue 23-08-05 15:20; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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How does that play to historical snowfall levels was Winter 99-00 in the NE Alps a good one for us? Italy was cold dry and thin.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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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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It seems there's been widespread snow, across the Alps, at around 3000m. Here's the view from Gornergrat (a non-glacial location), Zermatt
and PG's filed some photos from Les 2 Alpes, on the glacier:
mysnowsports.com
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Wed 24-08-05 8:55; edited 1 time in total
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In the Voralberg
http://www.vol.at/
Some dramatic pictures if you click on the little camera icons .
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In the Voralberg
http://www.vol.at/
Some dramatic pictures if you click on the little camera icons .
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Engelberg in Switzerland is also reported cut off. This resort is above Lucerne, which has been badly flooded. Its lake has reached record levels.
This report from SwissInfo.
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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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Global Warming predicted wetter alpine regions and a drier SW Europe (Iberia) . . . and guess what!
OK that's a bit wide ranging, but if the trend continues we could be in for a stonking year for Switzerland, Austria and points East . . . Bankso anyone?
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David Goldsmith, Looks awful, does'nt ise live near Berne, anyone heard from him?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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snowbunny, not even a PM in a bottle. 
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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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Engelberg Tourist Office advise "The momentary situation is serious ... Fire Brigade and civil defence are in service ... road and train connection closed ... please stay indoors."
The four webcams on the main lift system above Engelberg to the Titlis (a glacial area) can be accessed here. The floor of the base station seems to be full of puddles.
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marc gledhill, Ooh you're on form  Lets hope he has a canoe, made by Stockli of course!
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You know it makes sense.
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I did wonder why my comments about the Rip Off Swiss Lotto on the other thread hadn't provoked a response  Let's hope he is OK
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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As I've mentioned on the jungfrau thread, my parents are about to spend their 2nd night in Interlaken - with all their stuff in their accomodation in Lauterbrunnen!
They were hoping that they might be able to get a helecopter ride back (my dad has medication that he needs), but there is nowhere that they can land.
They said that there were over 1000 people (in Interlaken alone) being put up in temporary accomodation by the Civil Defence Authorities
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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SwissInfo reports on the affected connections between Interlaken, Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen, Wengen and Murren. The road to Grindelwald is said to be severely damaged: click here.
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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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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've been a bit too lighthearted, this is serious. There is real concern that weather pattern movement and weather extremes are set to become a regular part of our lives and trying very hard not to belittle the current events, I think we ain't seen nuting yet.
Even our cousins across the pond are starting to think something might be 'off' in the state of Denmark. It could give us great ski Winters but such a screwed-up World economy that none of us will be able to go. 
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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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This talks of a Tiroler man (from Solden) in a Carperntry company in the Otztal (Längenfeld) who was suddenly killed by a 40 cubic metre Rock Avalanche. A coleague was also seriously hurt.
Also talks about Ischgl, See and Kappl, Numerous people had to be saved by helicopters from their houses
http://www.networld.at/index.html?/articles/0533/11/119674.shtml
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ise,
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I'm actually in California right now
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Is that simply good planning, or did you get some long range weather info
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More reports and dramatic photos from msnbc.
Romania and Bulgaria have also been badly affected.
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There have been floods in Bulgaria and Romania over the past 5 or 6 weeks. Numerous people being reported to have lost their lives in Romania. A handful of people here in Bulgaria have also succumbed to the floods. We travelled down the mountain toward Plovdiv last week and was amazed at the damage caused by the sheer volume of water that must have travelled down the valley. Trees uprooted, train track washed out in several locations. In 1 village where the main road runs along side the river half the road had disappeared!
Sofia the capital has been under a metre of water in places over the past few too. Luckily here in Bansko we have gotten away lightly, no water damage, but the thunder storms have been absolutely amazing. We have spent several hours over the past few weeks stood out on our balcony (under cover) watching the light shows.
A lot of the locals are predicting (due to recent weather) that we will have a hard winter. BRING IT ON 
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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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Philip Eden, weather correspondent of The Daily Telegraph, has an analysis of the causes of the severe conditions across Europe - including the forest fires in Portugal. Click here.
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David Goldsmith, good article but in the absence of lightning strikes starting fires in Portugal I think most have been the work of loony arsonists. The drought conditions then do the rest. Read somewhere a surprising number of forest fires (not just in Portugal) are started by firefighters.
I helped out fire beating on Ashdown Forest (Sussex) once. Small fry compared to those in USA or Europe but quite a frightening experience none the less when the wind starts moving sparks around. Once fire takes hold in the tree canopy, only time for it to burn out, wind changes or very heavy rain storms have any real impact. Helicopter drops may protect buildings but otherwise achieve little by way of fire control.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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stanton, ouch, reminds me of the pictures from Boscastle almost exactly one year ago
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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DB, Given the Swiss civil engineering capabilities I'm pretty certain that all infrastructure in that country will be very rapidly repaired, I'm not sure how Austria etc. compare on that score but I doubt that they are very different I would imagine that power, road and rail links will be a priority, followed by any other infrastructure repairs
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Poster: A snowHead
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Hmm, makes you think twice about buying property in the Alps
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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IncogSkiSno, No but it does make you think about its location, just another thing to consider along with avalanche risks, accesibility and how far the walk is to the nearest lift in the morning
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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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D G Orf, Everyone that you know in W ok I hope?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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IncogSkiSno, I think so, apart from, no power or phone lines or trains
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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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They just showed a brief clip on the luchtime news from Interlaken, looks like lake Brienze may have burst its banks, water not deep or fast flowing but lots of it
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D G Orf, that would make sense. The Ost is getting the worst of it, so the lake overflowing would add to the problem.
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Elizabeth B, also the lake at Ost is only just below the ground level, at the west end the lake is about 3ft lower and the banks a bit higher
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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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| D G Orf wrote: |
| DB, Given the Swiss civil engineering capabilities I'm pretty certain that all infrastructure in that country will be very rapidly repaired, I'm not sure how Austria etc. compare on that score but I doubt that they are very different I would imagine that power, road and rail links will be a priority, followed by any other infrastructure repairs |
The power lines and telephones will be sorted out soon enough. Some roads / motorways have been shut as the bridges that support them are being stressed. Just hope none of the motorway bridges suffer major structural damage and they are not easy to repair/replace without significant traffic problems.
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Has much rain fallen in France? While the chaos looks to be very serious, one upside is that the amount of rain that has fallen might help redress some of the problems from the drought which parts of France (and other places?) seem to experiencing.
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FAQ
