Following two days of heavy snowfall and gale-force winds, MeteoSwiss and the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF) elevated the avalanche hazard to Level 4—the second-highest alert—across much of Valais, Graubünden and central Switzerland on Sunday. Authorities immediately shut several secondary roads, including the only winter road into the Lötschental, and suspended regional PostBus services beyond Blatten. Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) imposed a 40 km/h speed cap on the Matterhorn-Gotthard line and warned it could halt traffic through the Furka Base Tunnel if the snowpack deteriorates. ([visahq.com](https://www.visahq.com/news/2026-01-11/ch/avalanche-danger-lifted-to-level-4-in-valais-triggering-road-and-rail-restrictions/))
While the closures primarily affect leisure skiers, they also carry business implications. Engineers travelling between alpine hydropower plants must now request costly helicopter transfers, and pharma-grade isotopes normally trucked from the Paul Scherrer Institute via the Rhône valley are being rerouted through Bern—adding a full day to delivery schedules. Tour operators in Crans-Montana and Verbier have issued multilingual safety briefings to international guests, urging them to stay on piste and monitor hotel noticeboards for shuttle-bus changes.
![Avalanche Danger Raised to ‘High’ in Valais, Closing Mountain Roads and Slowing Alpine Rail Freight]()
International teams needing last-minute extensions or emergency transit visas can streamline the paperwork through VisaHQ’s Switzerland portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/); the service fast-tracks electronic applications and keeps travellers informed of consulate hours or unexpected closures that often accompany severe weather events.
Companies with field staff in high-risk zones should verify that duty-of-care GPS check-ins and emergency beacons are working, and remind employees that standard accident insurance often excludes off-piste activity. HR departments may also need to extend accommodation bookings for consultants stranded in resort areas—to remain compliant with Swiss rules on employer-provided lodging during force-majeure events.
SLF forecasters believe the danger level will stay ‘high’ until at least Tuesday, when rising temperatures could trigger wet-snow slides. Global-mobility managers should therefore maintain daily contact with travellers and prepare contingency routing for any cargo or personnel transits crossing the Alpine ridge.
While the closures primarily affect leisure skiers, they also carry business implications. Engineers travelling between alpine hydropower plants must now request costly helicopter transfers, and pharma-grade isotopes normally trucked from the Paul Scherrer Institute via the Rhône valley are being rerouted through Bern—adding a full day to delivery schedules. Tour operators in Crans-Montana and Verbier have issued multilingual safety briefings to international guests, urging them to stay on piste and monitor hotel noticeboards for shuttle-bus changes.
International teams needing last-minute extensions or emergency transit visas can streamline the paperwork through VisaHQ’s Switzerland portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/); the service fast-tracks electronic applications and keeps travellers informed of consulate hours or unexpected closures that often accompany severe weather events.
Companies with field staff in high-risk zones should verify that duty-of-care GPS check-ins and emergency beacons are working, and remind employees that standard accident insurance often excludes off-piste activity. HR departments may also need to extend accommodation bookings for consultants stranded in resort areas—to remain compliant with Swiss rules on employer-provided lodging during force-majeure events.
SLF forecasters believe the danger level will stay ‘high’ until at least Tuesday, when rising temperatures could trigger wet-snow slides. Global-mobility managers should therefore maintain daily contact with travellers and prepare contingency routing for any cargo or personnel transits crossing the Alpine ridge.
