| Pilatus | |
|---|---|
 Pilatus in winter |
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  Pilatus
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| Elevation | 2,120 m (7,000 ft) |
| Location | Lucerne,  Switzerland |
| Range | Urner Alps |
| Prominence | 585 m |
| Coordinates | 46°58′44.7″N 8°15′22.2″E / 46.979083°N 8.256167°ECoordinates: 46°58′44.7″N 8°15′22.2″E / 46.979083°N 8.256167°E |
| First ascent | 14th century |
| Easiest route | Pilatus Railway (world's steepest cogwheel railway) |
Pilatus is a mountain near Lucerne, Switzerland. Jurisdiction over the mountain is divided between the cantons of Obwalden, Nidwalden, and Lucerne. The peak is in Obwalden right on the border with Nidwalden.
The top can be reached with the Pilatus Railway, the world’s steepest cogwheel railway from Alpnachstad, operating from May to November (depending on snow conditions), and the whole year with the aerial panorama gondolas and aerial cableways from Kriens. Pilatus has the longest summer toboggan track in Switzerland (0.88 miles or 1,350 m) and the biggest suspension rope park in Central Switzerland.
During the summer, the "Golden Round Trip" - a popular route for tourists - involves taking a boat from Lucerne across Lake Lucerne to Alpnachstad, going up on the cogwheel railway, coming down on the aerial cableways and panorama gondolas, and taking a bus back to Lucerne.
Pilatus was named after a local legend which alleges that Pontius Pilate was buried there.
Numbered amongst those who have reached its summit are Conrad Gessner, Queen Victoria, Steven Callister and Vladimir Lenin.
 Pilatus and Lake Lucerne |
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 A view from the mountain |
 A view from the cog-wheel train |
Weather
 Weather averages for Pilatus  |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | -2 (28) |
-2.3 (28) |
-1 (30) |
0.7 (33) |
4.8 (41) |
8.5 (47) |
11.3 (52) |
10.8 (51) |
9 (48) |
6.4 (44) |
1.3 (34) |
-0.7 (31) |
3.9 (39) |
| Daily Mean °C (°F) | -4.7 (24) |
-5 (23) |
-3.9 (25) |
-1.9 (29) |
2.2 (36) |
5.3 (42) |
8.1 (47) |
7.8 (46) |
6.2 (43) |
3.8 (39) |
-1.4 (29) |
-3.5 (26) |
1.1 (34) |
| Average low °C (°F) | -7.5 (19) |
-7.6 (18) |
-6.4 (20) |
-4.4 (24) |
-0.1 (32) |
2.8 (37) |
5.4 (42) |
5.2 (41) |
3.5 (38) |
1.2 (34) |
-4.1 (25) |
-6.4 (20) |
-1.5 (29) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 200 (7.87) |
170 (6.69) |
180 (7.09) |
202 (7.95) |
168 (6.61) |
155 (6.1) |
159 (6.26) |
183 (7.2) |
109 (4.29) |
87 (3.43) |
157 (6.18) |
183 (7.2) |
1,953 (76.89) |
| Avg. precipitation days | 14.3 | 11.9 | 15.2 | 14.8 | 15.8 | 16 | 14.3 | 14.7 | 10.6 | 9.3 | 12 | 14.2 | 163.1 |
| Source: MeteoSchweiz [1] 8 May 2009 | |||||||||||||
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pilatus |
References
- ^ "Temperature and Percipitation Average Values-Table, 1961-1990" (in German, French, Italian). Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology MeteoSwiss. http://www.meteoswiss.admin.ch/web/de/klima/klima_schweiz/tabellen.html. Retrieved on 8 May 2009.
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