Waiting time of up to three hours –
Due to strong winds: Lauberhorn fans must expect delays when arriving
Because the infamous “Guggiföhn” blows in Wengen, the feeder cable cars to the Lauberhorn were unable to run early in the morning.
Published today at 9:27 am
The crowds in Lauterbrunnen are huge. Because of the strong winds, fans in Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen have to expect longer waiting times.
Photo: 20min/Thomas Sennhauser
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Due to strong winds, the feeder lifts to the Lauberhorn piste had to be temporarily closed early in the morning. The reason for this is the so-called “Guggiföhn”, a locally occurring phenomenon in which violent gusts of wind occur.
Shortly after 8 a.m., however, the race organizers gave the all-clear: “The Guggiföhn has weakened,” they reported on Instagram. “The railways have started operating and the fans have begun to arrive.”
It goes on to say that there will be no adjustments to the racing program. The start of the Lauberhorn descent is still scheduled for 12.30 p.m. However, fans must expect delays throughout the morning due to the foehn storm. And the riders also had to be patient at first because the Wixi lift was closed due to the strong wind. Shortly before 10:30 a.m. the all-clear comes: the lift opens and the drivers can begin the inspection.
Hundreds of fans are waiting to go to Wengen.
Photo: 20min/Thomas Sennhauser
In Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen, from where the cable cars take ski fans to Wengen and to the Kleine Scheidegg downhill slopes, the waiting time at 9.30 a.m. was up to three hours, according to loudspeaker announcements.
Training took place earlier because of “Guggiföhn”.
The “Guggiföhn” was already an issue in Wengen in the run-up to the Lauberhorn races: Since strong winds were forecast for Thursday, those responsible decided to bring forward the second downhill training, originally planned for Thursday, to Wednesday.
Meteorologists originally expected only light winds on the Lauberhorn for the race weekend – but noted that the wind speeds at the “Guggiföhn” are very difficult to predict.
Wind strength has weakened
A look at the Meteo Switzerland website shows: The wind speeds in the Kleine Scheidegg area have actually weakened noticeably since the early hours of the morning. At 6 a.m. wind speeds of 67 kilometers per hour were recorded. At 9 a.m. the values were still just over 40 kilometers per hour.
-The change is also visible on the wind forecast graphics. The forecast for the early afternoon shows that the wind strength is no longer as much in the red zone as it was early this morning.
In the morning the gust graph (gusts ten meters above ground) still showed continuous red areas.
Screenshot: Meteo Switzerland
The gust forecast for 1 p.m. shows a relaxation compared to the morning.
Screenshot: Meteo Switzerland
The “Guggiföhn” – a local weather phenomenon
If the wind in the Jungfrau region comes from the southeast, i.e. from the Aletsch glacier, it is pushed over the Guggigletscher, which gives it its name, and through the gap between Mönch and Jungfrau over the Jungfraujoch – the so-called “Guggiföhn” then occurs.
View from the Lauberhorn shoulder of the Föhnmauer that falls over the Jungfraujoch, taken last winter.
Photo: Stefan Geissbühler
“The air is accelerated on the windward side of the Jungfrau massif, resulting in so-called downdrafts that can trigger very strong gusts of wind,” explains meteorologist Michael Eichmann from Meteonews.
How exposed the starting area of the Lauberhorn downhill run can be was shown in November 2019: At that time, the so-called start bar, which is located at the level of the race start, was badly damaged by the Guggiföhner. The storm tore the entire roof off the hut and carried it 20 meters away.
The week in the Jungfrau region
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