The Engadin Valley in Switzerland received a lot of Sahara sand in the storm on Easter weekend. | Image: Engadin Facebook
A rather unusual sight was in store for visitors to some ski resorts on the south-side of the Alps, with slopes at Corviglia or Corvatsch, Switzerland, looking like a caramel Fudge Sundae.
Slopes in the southern Alps were covered in Sahara sand carried in by the strong winds that were blowing across the Alps with gusts of up to 100km (62 miles). Warm southerly winds have been bringing large amounts of fine sand from the Sahara to Central and Southeast Europe for days. On Saturday, large parts of Austria, Switzerland, and southern Germany were affected. Instead of a sunny Easter Saturday, it was partly eerily dark in the middle of the day in some areas.
According to calculations by Swiss Meteo, 180,000 metric tons of Sahara dust hung in the air over Switzerland alone on Saturday. While Sahara dust is a regular ocurrence, this much is quite unusual. Normally, the wind will carry about half as much sand to Switzerland.
The strong winds caused several ski areas to start closing down on Thursday afternoon. Footage of a ski lift swaying dangerously on the Italian side of the cross-border ski resort Matterhorn Ski Paradise went viral. Some skiers were still on the chairs when the lift was put on windhold, causing one snowboarder to be thrown from the chair. He was slightly injured in the ordeal.
The stormy weather should continue slightly weakened until Easter Monday.
A young skier in the Corviglia Ski Area in St. Moritz, Switzerland, skiing down sand-covered snow. | Image: Bernard Brauld InstagramDesert sand at Corviglia Ski Area in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Image: Bernard Brault InstagramDesert sand at Corviglia Ski Area in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Image: Bernard Brault InstagramNo, this is not a retro-photo of Corviglia Ski Area, this is yellow due to desert sand from the Sahara blowing into the Sourthern Alp. | Image: St. Moritz InstagramThe bizarre phenomenon is actually quite a regular occurrence in Europe and can happen every couple of years when winds carry sands from the Sahara deserts more than 1,500 miles to European ski resorts. | Image: Dagi Schädler FacebookRed clouds full of Sahara sand are looming on the horizon in Scuol in the Engadin valley in Switzerland. | Image: Engadiner Post FacebookRed sand on the slopes in Scuol in the Engadin valley in Switzerland. | Image: Engadiner Post FacebookThe Engadin Valley in Switzerland received a lot of Sahara sand in the storm on Easter weekend. | Image: Engadin FacebookYellow looking slopes in St. Moritz. | Image: St. Moritz InstagramDesert sand at Corviglia Ski Area in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Image: Bernard Brault InstagramDesert sand at Corviglia Ski Area in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Image: Bernard Brault InstagramDesert sand at Corviglia Ski Area in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Image: Bernard Brault Instagram
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