Swiss ski resorts struggle under the weight of snow

The Alpine village of Zermatt is under siege - not from tourists, but from the snow. And several other resorts have been cut off because there's too much of the white stuff. (SRF/swissinfo,ch) 

Zermatt has been cut off again since Saturday night, and many of the 9,000 tourists stuck there will have to wait until Monday evening for a chance to leave. Helicopter services out of the resort are heavily subscribed. 

A ride out of town costs CHF70 ($72.8) per person but poor visibility and high demand have meant a long wait for those looking to fly out. A swissinfo.ch journalist visiting the resort was able to get away, and sent these pictures from the helicopter. 

The Institute of Snow and Avalanche Research in Davos has upgraded the avalanche danger to the maximum level (5 out of 5,”very high”) on the entire northern ridge of the Swiss Alps. The high risk meant 28 homes had to be evacuated in Zinal in Val d’Anniviers.

Andermatt is also suffering: the railway line from Brig to Disentis/Mustér has been interrupted in several places.  The Gotthard mountain route between Erstfeld in canton Uri and Airolo in Ticino was also closed.