GENEVA, Jan. 22 -- Road and rail access to the ski resort of Zermatt remained cut off on Monday due to avalanche risk from heavy snowfall while in Davos some residents were asked to evacuate their homes as snow belted the area around the upcoming global forum there.
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 Swiss news agency SDA reported.
Davos, which is hosting world leaders for the Jan. 23-26 annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), was also affected by heavy snow as the area was secured for the gathering that will draw political, business and cultural leaders from all around the world.
Authorities in Davos asked residents of around 30 properties to evacuate to a safer place.
The resort of Andermatt on the St. Gotthard plain has also been snowed and police in the canton Valais have asked that all unnecessary travel be avoided.
In the famed resort of Zermatt, some 9,000 tourists were cut off from the rest of Switzerland for the second time this year on Saturday night after heavy snow and the dangers of avalanches isolated it at the beginning of the year.
Those stranded will have to wait until Monday evening for a chance to leave, Swiss national radio RTS reported.
Helicopter services out of the resort are heavily subscribed. A ride out of town costs 70 Swiss francs (72.8 U.S. dollars) a person but poor visibility and high demand have meant a long wait for those looking to fly out.
Many tourists tried to make the best of the situation and lined up to take advantage of the airlift, but it also had to be closed.