16 November 2007

If You Like to Ski...

...you might want to book your flight now.

It has been reported that this is the snowiest start to a Swiss winter in 55 years.

The ski resort owners are estatic and hope to recoup their losses from last year, one of the warmest winters on record.

Those of us who like winter are saying "hoorah!"

We have all season tires, but I wonder if we should invest in snow tires.

11 comments:

Greg said...

You'll probably want snow tires here. I think if you are in an accident here (with snow on the ground), and don't have snow tires, the insurance will not cover your losses. I'm not sure if M+S tires count as snow tires here, but I wouldn't be surprised that they would not.

Global Librarian said...

We already checked this with our insurance. Our tires are covered.

The issue is that we don't actually use the car that much. Nor do we do much mountain driving.

In addition, I am from Minnesota and GLH is from Cleveland. These are both places with extremely harsh winters and mountains of snow. So we are both accustomed to winter driving and now how to break slow, stop slow, handle skids and so on.

Is it still worth the cost? Especially given how quickly they plow after it snows.

Greg said...

Then you're probably okay. We have to drive up a windy little road in the middle of the Alps to visit my mother-in-law. We certainly need the tires there.

The driving in the snow here can be a bit different than the midwest, as the hills and mountains are a bit steeper. At least it's not as bad as Seattle, where we'd get a nice rainstorm that would turn to snow. We'd have a nice icy base to the snowpack that way.

Anonymous said...

Ummmm thinking my flight is already booked, but not big on skiing :)

Twelfthknit said...

...so it looks like I might need my theremals after all. Don't know whether to be excited or not - thinking of all the snow shovelling that I might have to do come January. Do folk use snow blowers in Siwtzerland, or is that just for wimps??
India

Unknown said...

some areas don't salt/sand, depends which canton you are in and if you actually travel while it snows. Typically this weather could last until around march 1st...

Whistler is opening here this weekend. We've had some snow, but nothing like what you guys have.

Impossible Jane said...

Flight already booked. Leave 12/24. Return 1/14/08. I tried to convince travel companion to go skiing.

GL'sD said...

Expat traveler you should see what it looks like when an Alberta Clipper out of Canada meets a Texas Hooker comming up from the Gulf. 35 inchs min. TG they don't come together often.

Kirk said...

Well OF COURSE it's the snowiest winter, since we left at the end of one of the least snowy winters. We heard the same thing that Greg mentioned about tires, and we paid more for one tire than a whole set would cost here, so consider yourself lucky if you don't need to buy them...

The Big Finn said...

Blow off the snow tires. We had all-season radials on our Jeep, and they were fine. I even drove with them in the mountains a couple of times, but I wouldn't do that again - a definite "white knuckler"!

Anonymous said...

I'm here in Norway sitll waiting and waiting for my first snow in Norway...a little jealous!