Zermatt ski World Cup to go ahead despite slope encroachment
The slope of the Zermatt-Cervinia men's World Cup downhill races was built outside the boundaries of the ski area.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/ac
This was the conclusion of the Valais Cantonal Construction Commission (CCC), which prohibited the use of the encroached space. The race can now be held as planned.
Only safety nets ‘can exceptionally be tolerated’ in this area for the occasion, writes the CCC. This is ‘applying the principle of proportionality and considering the temporary nature of the event’.
After having had to postpone its trip a first time, the CCC was able to travel to the Teodulo glacier in Zermatt to ascertain the facts, accompanied by an engineering and surveying firm. The authority pointed out that the slope ‘initially proposed by the organisers was entirely within the ski area’. On site, however, the groomed slope was found to be too wide along the start area of the men’s race.
Criminal proceedings
After analysis, the CCC determined that the perimeter, located on Swiss territory and where excavators were used, was outside the ski area. Originally intended to provide access to the start of the women’s race (which is located on Italian territory), this area is now precluded from use, the authority added, pointing out that the work had been stopped.
At this stage, restoration of the site is not advisable, as the snow and ice should be left in its natural state. The CCC emphasises that the criminal proceedings are ongoing and refused to provide any further information.
The organisers of the race took note of the CCC’s decision and refrained from appealing, they indicated in a note. However, they point out that GPS measurements carried out by the independent surveyor of the municipality of Zermatt and the Zermatt Bergbahnen lifts gave different results from those of the CCC.
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. You can find them here.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
This content was published on
Nemo brought the Eurovision Song Contest to Switzerland with a victory on Saturday evening in Malmö, Sweden. It is Switzerland's third victory in the history of the music contest.
Switzerland abstains from vote on Palestinian bid for full UN membership
This content was published on
On Friday, Switzerland abstained from the vote at the General Assembly on granting the Palestinians new rights at the United Nations (UN).
Protein in abdominal fat could help shape obesity treatment
This content was published on
The study analysed fat cells from different locations in the body, and found that those in the abdomen have unique properties.
North African asylum claims fall after rapid Swiss processing
This content was published on
The accelerated procedure, now out of its test phase, has resulted in a significant drop in applications from North African countries.
This content was published on
The artist's song "The Code" focuses on their journey as a nonbinary individual. It is one of the favourites to win this year's contest.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.