The predicted cold weather has arrived here in Leysin and we’ve had temperatures down to -21ºC in the village. There’s been a little wind as well so it’s moving the snow around that’s fallen during the week, that wasn’t a lot of snow but the wind is picking enough up to build some slabs on exposed slopes so the avalanche risk is moving up a little.

The TransAlp Vaudoise race started in Leysin on Monday so the area around the ice rink was filled with noisy and very excited dogs. The race set off at dusk and will have arrived in the Col des Mosses in the dark. I don’t think those puppies will have been taking part! I think the idea is to get them used to being around other dog teams and to start getting used to the big race day excitement. Not that the more experienced dogs seems able to contain their excitement much, the odd one seems to take in his stride but by and large they can’t wait to get going and wind each other up until they’re racing.

We’ve also managed some ski days on empty slopes, mid-week we went to La Lécherette (above) at the end of the col des Mosses, it’s got three tee bars and a handful of runs and about a dozen other skiers but the snow was fantastic and the powder in the trees was great fun. Yesterday I was around at Villars and had some more great skiing but the the temperatures were beginning to drop so there’s a real danger of frostbite for those people who are here in the alpes skiing this week.

Tags: Leysin | Ski | Switzerland | Villars

It’s been a damp and wet week and there’s been snow down to around 2500m, in some ways it’s a bit of a refreshing change after months of little variation in the weather. The forecast was for better weather in the morning so we took a short route from the top of the lift in Les Diablerets around La Palette, past Isenau, the Col de Voré and Lac Retaud back to the lift.

If you know the area, and you’re passing by, then I’d ask you drop by the Tourist Office and sign the petition in there. The lift up to Isenau is due to retire next year and there’s no funding in place to replace it. They’re a victim of bad timing here, a few years back there was money around to renew lifts but it all looks difficult now. It would be terrible to lose this lift, it’s the only uplift into the ski area and would be a death blow for it. In the summer there’s some really great walking and in winter, in addition to the skiing, there’s some great snowshoeing.

That’s a zoom of the lift at Glacier 3000, that was about as clear as it was all day, later you couldn’t see the top and it looked a bad place to be! Closer to our feet though we saw some great wildflowers and high pastures.

Tags: Hiking | hiking in Switzerland | Les Diablerets | Switzerland | trekking | trekking in Switzerland | Walking | walking in Switzerland

Above left, a view to La Brinta and Orxival where we skied the other day and above right, a pretty tracked out Abondance itinerary. So far the snow that was expected hasn’t started and the clouds that formed this morning seem to have disappeared. Expecting snow we’d postponed a trip to St Luc in favour of a trip to Grimentz which was slightly busy but still fairly good snow at least on the pistes but getting a crust on off-piste south facing slopes.

Tags: Grimentz | ski Grimentz | Switzerland | Val d'Anniviers