Europe’s Top Ski Resorts Shut as Record Snow Risks Avalanches

Easter travel LATEST: Swiss police urge drivers to delay trips after snow havoc

The annual Easter getaway in Switzerland has been complicated by the adverse weather this year with police in one canton urging drivers to postpone their trips.

BEST OF THE WEB: Record-breaking snow totals in Switzerland as 89 inches falls in 2 days (and 8 FEET in 3)

A new Swiss snowfall record has been set at the Bortelsee station in the Simplon region of Switzerland, where 89 inches (226 centimeters) of snow fell within just two days, and 97 inches (247 centimeters) accumulated over three days. This unprecedented event, recorded from April 15 to 17, 2025, now stands as the largest amount of snow ever measured in short timeframes in Switzerland, surpassing the previous records of 85 inches (215 centimeters)…

After the heavy snowfall in the Alps, Météo France warns of a very high risk of avalanches for the day of Friday 18 April, due in particular to the softness.

In the Swiss ski resort Zermatt, snow blocks roads and railways. There is currently no electricity. It is the strongest snow in April since the start of the weather records.

Europe’s Top Ski Resorts Shut as Record Snow Risks Avalanches

Some of Europe’s top ski resorts, including Zermatt in Switzerland and Val d’Isere in France, were forced to shut as heavy snow raised the avalanche risk across the western Alps.

Snow is pouring down across the French Alps. In just over a day, it has snowed over a meter in some places. All smaller roads up to the ski resorts are closed, as are most of the ski systems. – It went from 0 to 100 in just one night. No lifts are open, it is extremely avalanche dangerous, says Melker Gothnier, 22, who is in Val Thorens.