The snow has definitely arrived in Nyon and on Wednesday the town saw lots of heavy snowfall. Despite it causing lots of disruption to public transport and to commuters , for others it was just an opportunity to throw snow balls or build snowmen.
"Mobility" cars - not very mobile and going nowhere in Nyon.
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For many others, the newly arrived snow means that it's time to hit the ski slopes (many resorts are now open for business). For skiing options near Nyon and further afield see a previous post here.
Many ski resorts are within a day's drive or train ride from Nyon and Verbier, in the Canton of Valais is one of them. The resort is not only very popular for its expansive pisted terrain, but also for its nightlife and boasts over a million overnight hotel and chalet stays per year, (three out of four of these during the Winter season). 33% of its visitors are from the UK, 24% from Switzerland 10% from France and 14% rest of the world all coming to experience "Verbs" (as it affectionately known).
As a high percentage of these visitors of these are Anglophone, it was only a matter of time before an English language station would spring up to cater for their needs, so on January 2011 Mountain Radio Verbier will begin broadcasting in English to these visitors. The aim of the station is to aimed at the whole Verbier-St-Bernard tourist destination.
Conor Lennon, the founder and director behind the new radio station currently presents and produces the morning show on World Radio Switzerland, (the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation’s national Anglophone station) He says;
"Listeners will get the latest information on snow conditions and weather, as well as daily events guides and a special music mix. The station will target all tourists who use English as a lingua franca, wherever they are from and will aim to create a bridge between the tourists and the local population, by talking about the rich cultural life of the region.
As for the music mix it will be primarily hits, but catering to the needs of the younger, party crowd, but we will also play some Swiss (English language) tunes to remind them which country they are in!"
Photo above: Party time in "Verbs".
Prior to presenting on World Radio Switzerland Conor was Producer for Special Projects at BBC Radio in London. Conor and his family are permanent residents in Lourtier, Val de Bagnes.
Mountain Radio Verbier will be able to be heard on the Sateldranse cable network broadcast to skiers in chalets and hotels and listeners can tune in online before they come to the resort.
More information on Verbier's summer and winter activities is available on its official website (English section). Check out the webcam of conditions in Verbier here.