Swiss head to shops rather than slopes
The lack of snow in many Swiss ski resorts has had a beneficial effect on the shops, with many people shopping rather than skiing on the Sundays leading up to Christmas.
Zurich and Winterthur both reported brisk business in Sunday trading, the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper reported.
The last Sunday before Christmas, also the winter solstice, saw temperatures nudging 10 degrees.
“The shops were very busy on Sunday shopping this year,” Milan Prenosil, president of the Zurich city association, told the paper.
“The unchangingly mild weather certainly played a part in this.”
But not all shops were happy. Unsurprisingly winter sports articles and clothing were not in great demand, Prenosil said.
Instead, shoppers were buying electronic equipment, mobile phones, games, books, accessories and jewellery.
The Sihlcity and Glatt centre shopping shopping malls both reported that business was up on last year, Tages-Anzeiger said.
It was a similar story in Winterthur where traders enjoyed “three great Sunday shopping days”, according to Heinz Schudel of the Junge Altstadt retail association.
Meteorologists say the mild weather will remain until December 25th when a cold front is set to arrive - possibly bringing snow overnight to low-lying areas.
Photo: Gillian Zbinden
Those looking to ski will find snow at high altitudes in the cantons of Graubünden and Valais.
Nicola Möckli of meteoswiss.ch told the 20 Minuten newspaper that Davos and Saas-Fee were both good bets, although the villages themselves were snow-free.
The Local reader Gillian Zbinden also recommended Rosswald in the canton of Valais, a village that stands at almost 1,900 metres.
“The pistes and skiing conditions are excellent despite less than usual snowfall for this time of year,” she said.
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Zurich and Winterthur both reported brisk business in Sunday trading, the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper reported.
The last Sunday before Christmas, also the winter solstice, saw temperatures nudging 10 degrees.
“The shops were very busy on Sunday shopping this year,” Milan Prenosil, president of the Zurich city association, told the paper.
“The unchangingly mild weather certainly played a part in this.”
But not all shops were happy. Unsurprisingly winter sports articles and clothing were not in great demand, Prenosil said.
Instead, shoppers were buying electronic equipment, mobile phones, games, books, accessories and jewellery.
The Sihlcity and Glatt centre shopping shopping malls both reported that business was up on last year, Tages-Anzeiger said.
It was a similar story in Winterthur where traders enjoyed “three great Sunday shopping days”, according to Heinz Schudel of the Junge Altstadt retail association.
Meteorologists say the mild weather will remain until December 25th when a cold front is set to arrive - possibly bringing snow overnight to low-lying areas.
Photo: Gillian Zbinden
Those looking to ski will find snow at high altitudes in the cantons of Graubünden and Valais.
Nicola Möckli of meteoswiss.ch told the 20 Minuten newspaper that Davos and Saas-Fee were both good bets, although the villages themselves were snow-free.
The Local reader Gillian Zbinden also recommended Rosswald in the canton of Valais, a village that stands at almost 1,900 metres.
“The pistes and skiing conditions are excellent despite less than usual snowfall for this time of year,” she said.
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