I lived in New York City for 17 years, and I know snow. But this is different.
Clearing the snow in front of the main entrance of the Davos Congress Centre, venue of the upcoming Annual Meeting 2012 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2012.
Davos is covered in snow, giant heaps of it, and it's still coming down. It lies mountainous on the sides of the road, it blocks the entrances to villas still awaiting their arrivals (all the villas, and all the hotel rooms, will be occupied this week), it's blasted into the sky by an impressively large fleet of snow-clearing machinery at every corner. This morning, it came down so thick and white that I couldn't make out the massive peaks in the distance.
I've joined my CNBC colleagues to cover World Economic Forum 2012, and you can check back on this blog for updates on all the inside developments. And go to our Davos 2012 Special Report page for coverage of major speeches, events and other news developments.
I talked to the local workman who was tasked with clearing the snow from the roof of the reinforced tent outside Congress Centre that is my new office. When was the last time, I asked, that this much has come down?
He raised his brows and tilted his head back, registering his exasperation.
"Oh, I don't know. Seven years? Eight years?"
Then he climbed back onto the tent.
Davos has gotten meters of the stuff since the New Year. The good news? Only 4 centimeters of powder are forecast over the next 48 hours.
