The Oz Report, a near-daily, world wide hang gliding news ezine, with reports on competitions, pilot rankings, political issues, fly-ins, the latest technology, ultralight sailplanes, reader feedback and anything else from within the global HG community worthy of coverage. Hang gliding, paragliding, hang gliders, paragliders, aerotowing, hang glide, paraglide, platform towing, competitions, fly-ins. Hang gliding and paragliding news from around the world, by Davis Straub.

logo
The
 Oz Report
email
?
older newer

No snow in Europe?

Snow's a no show
Snow
January 19, 2007, 1:03:11 pm AEDT

record|weather

LA Times January 17th.

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, ITALY — Up here in the Alpine Dolomites, the wide vista is painted with warm, vivid colors: swatches of deep-green pines, golden straw, grassy pastures and pink limestone ridges.

It would be an idyllic panorama — if this were not the dead of winter and the height of the ski season in Italy's most renowned, and most stylish, mountain resort. Just about the only snow to speak of these days is artificial, spewed from the "cannons" lining steep runs that wind for hundreds of yards down the jagged peaks.

Europe is enduring one of its warmest winters on record, part of a global trend of higher seasonal temperatures from here to the United States and beyond.

Throughout parts of Europe, flowers are blooming out of season, T-shirt weather is changing the winter dress code, and sports events are being postponed or abandoned. Ski-related businesses are suffering, and winter playgrounds from Austria to Spain have reported a drop in visitors.

"I've never seen it so green," said Benedetta Scatafassi, a businesswoman in Rome who has been vacationing at her winter home in Cortina for years. Forgoing the skis this season, she decided to go to one of the spas that have sprung up in fancier hotels; in contrast to the slopes, the spa was packed.

Maybe Europe won't talk about this.

After a slow start to the season, snow cover may have built up at the big-name, high-level Swiss resorts like Davos, Zermatt and St. Moritz. But less-famous names, still waiting for snow, are planning to seek alternative sources of tourist cash.

"The lifts were open over the Christmas season. Now it's over, I don't know," said Luca, a Locarno resident trekking along paths muddied by melted snow on the steep slopes above the town.

"It makes it a lot quieter for walking."

Above Locarno on the 1400-metre Cimetta – blanketed in snow last year – the ski lifts and restaurant are closed. A thin trail of brown-streaked old snow runs down a short slope in the shadows.

The word here from our European visitors is that hang glider pilots are out thermaling in Europe.

Discuss Snow at the Oz Report forum


  ‹@
contact email list
Wills Wing
Flytec
Social Responsibility
Learn to Fly
Last Seven Issues
Back Issues
Goodies
Store
Cloudsuck
Support Us
Subscribe
Classified ads
Advertise
Forum
Calendar
Site Guide
Resources
Web Services
Facebook Page
Facebook Group
Facebook Community
Facebook Events
Blog
Google Earth
Coverage
Other blogs
Other forums
Mainstream news
Memorials
RSS & OPML
privacy policy
play Pilotle (mobile)
web proxy

How to subscribe to (support) the Oz Report



You can send $20 or more for a yearly subscription / donation. To pay for your subscription with your credit card or PayPal account:



If you'd rather just send a check for $20 or more, please feel free to do so. The mail gets forwarded to me wherever I'm at.

Payable to:

Davis Straub
PMB 1889 PO Box 2430
Pensacola, FL 32513

Thanks for your support by subscribing to the Oz Report.

Oz Report Hang Gliding Discussion group

Want to discuss hang gliding? You can join the Oz Report hang gliding forum. Click Oz Report Hang Gliding Discussion Group.

Subscribing and Unsubscribing to the e-mail version

You are in charge of your e-mail subscription to the Oz Report. If you wish to unsubscribe or subscribe, click: Subscribe.

Credits

Gerry makes the Oz Report portal much smarter. He is a web consultant and a PHP expert. He's the brains behind the Oz Report, so contact him for PHP programming services. David Glover heads up the Oz Report Radio

To view the Oz Report on the web click Oz Report.

If you want to send in an article to be published in the Oz Report, send it to me here.

Davis Straub
Oz Report