Double surnames to be permitted again from 2027; skiing in the Swiss Alps will become more expensive this winter; and more news in our Thursday roundup.
Double surnames to make a comeback from 2027
No longer authorised in Switzerland since 2013, married couples will once again be permitted – as of January 1st, 2027- to use a double surname, the Federal Council announced on Wednesday.
“Starting next year, spouses will once again be able to use a double-barrelled surname, with or without a hyphen,” the government said.
However, such surnames will not be allowed for children, who will bear the name of one of the parents.
READ MORE: Can you have a double surname after marriage in Switzerland?
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Skiing in the Swiss Alps will become more expensive this winter
With the opening of first Swiss slopes just days away, the prices of ski passes will increase, on average, by between 3 and 5 percent in the 2026/2027 season.
According to Berno Stoffel, director of the Swiss Cable Cars Association, the higher prices are due to rising personnel and energy costs, as well as ongoing improvements of facilities and infrastructure.
The good news is that not all resorts are increasing their prices – they remain the same in, for instance, the Jungfrau and Arosa-Lenzerheide region.
Also relating to winter…
Some Alpine passes already closed to traffic due to snowfall
The Grimsel Pass had to close on Wednesday afternoon, closely following the closure of the Furka and Nufenen passes earlier in the week,
The Susten Pass has also been inaccessible to traffic since Wednesday morning due to the first snowfall.
According to MeteoSwiss meteorological institute, the snow line will continue to drop in the mountains over the coming days, falling, in some locations, below an altitude of 1,000 metres.
The Great St. Bernard Pass and the Grosse Scheidegg passes have closed for the winter as well..
People driving to ski resorts should take alternate routes.
Some drivers, however, are not afraid of speeding through the mountain passes:
Britons turn Swiss Alps into a racetrack and post their feat online
This is how Swiss media related the recent incident: “With smoking brakes and flames shooting from their exhausts, a group of UK citizens in supercars raced across the Susten and Furka passes. The police eventually caught up with them and stopped the convoy – but British YouTuber “Jay P” remained unfazed and posted the video online.”
The officer who pulled the group over reportedly told them they were “driving like madmen. This is Switzerland, not bloody Britain!”
The YouTuber’s response: “The Swiss police don’t have a sense of humour. But then again, that’s exactly why we came here.”
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