Season starts for some ski areas

The first winter sports fans are expected in some of Switzerland’s ski areas this weekend, with the higher mountains already having up to two metres of snow. Some places are even opening early. Skiing and snowboarding are possible – mostly at the weekends – in the eastern Alps, central Switzerland, in Valais and in the Bernese Oberland, according to a survey by the Swiss news agency Keystone-SDA. The snowfall during the last weekend in October has prompted several mountain railway companies to start at least some of their equipment early, the agency reported. + Read more about the early snowfall here Two metres of snow has fallen at 2,000 metres above sea level in places south of the Alps, it has reached 1.5 metres between Goms in Valais and the Upper Engadine. Elsewhere in the Alps snowfall has been under 50 centimetres, MeteoSchweiz said. Ups and downs In canton Graubünden, the resort of Laax has had to delay - at the very last minute -the start of its season from ...