White lights over Lake Leman on New Year's Eve

Summary

On January 1, 2009, around 8:00 PM, several people in Montreux observed unusual white lights on the other side of Lake Leman. Intrigued, the witnesses took photos and used binoculars to observe more closely. The lights disappeared around 9:45 PM. The next day, with the help of photographs, the witnesses identified the exact location of the observation: the PIC de Bore, specifically near a ski slope. Initially, the GEIPAN considered the possibility that the lights were the headlights of a snow grooming machine. However, the witnesses later revealed that the lights were actually luminous balloons used to illuminate the slope during the New Year's Eve celebrations. Although the event took place in Switzerland, near the French department of Haute-Savoie, and the testimony is well documented, it was decided to publish it for informational purposes.