Snow in Villars
The first half of the 60s was marked by a lack of snow. This half-decade will go down in history as the least snowy of the 20th century.
The winter of ’64 is still fresh in everyone’s memory. Snow didn’t really appear until March. For the record, this winter would have coincided with the resort’s purchase of its very first “Ratracs”. Andrée Olloz recalls, “We brought back the little snow that remained in the valleys using the first aid sleds. This snow was then distributed in baskets, especially to cover the uphill track of the ski lift. The lower part of Chaux-Ronde was arranged with branches and beams to keep some snow in the crossing.” A few years later, the winter of 1970 was the snowiest of the century, and skiing took place continuously from Bretaye to Villars from November 15th to June 15th.
From the outset, the Swiss Ski School Villars has adapted to the sometimes capricious snow conditions. Even in 1933, as reported by those who were there, the Swiss Ski School Villars dealt with a winter that was stingy with snowflakes… However, (sometimes with considerable effort), skiing could always be taught at Bretaye from Christmas to Easter, even if only for beginners.
One year follows another, and no two are alike…
In January 1967, 8cm of snow fell in Chesières. In January 1968, 321cm of snow were measured at the same location.
At Chesières, 379cm of snow fell in April 1970, while in April 1971, there was no snow at all. Everyone remembers January 1987, the coldest month of the century (-30° in Villars). Fewer people remember that twelve months later, January 1988 was the hottest January on record (+30° at Villars)…
In 1993, following another Christmas poor in snow, the Swiss Ski School Villars, with the help of ADEV, installed a snow cannon on the Palace slope. Following a first learning season (the Palace slope was proclaimed “the world’s first inclined skating rink”), the school has since been able to ensure adequate snow cover every Christmas. In recent years, the Swiss Ski School has had to use trucks to transport snow from Col de la Croix to the Palace.
More recently, the excellent work of the ski lifts has often made up for periods without snow. In the near future, the installation of more snow cannons should enable all the resort’s partners to look to the future with peace of mind.
