The Alps 2012-13 Weather and Skiing Discussion Thread

[weathertoski]

Sorry for being a novice here but i dont have a clue about topography and how mountains will effect snowfall etc..

But talk of snow for next week... if its coming from the south that means a fair bit for the italian mountains but not so much for german ones? or will it intensify it? and what days could it start?

Hi Staffordshire - snow prospects for next week in the Alps are very uncertain at this stage. Certainly not much likely early in the week. When/where are you going?

[Staffordshire]

Hi Staffordshire - snow prospects for next week in the Alps are very uncertain at this stage. Certainly not much likely early in the week. When/where are you going?

my first time and im tommorow, really dont know what to expect but im going trento/italy area? cheers or any help

[weathertoski]

my first time and im tommorow, really dont know what to expect but im going trento/italy area? cheers or any help

Happy to try and help. Which resort exactly?

[Staffordshire]

Happy to try and help. Which resort exactly?

thankyou and folgaria i will be skiing till next sat

[Paul]

You can view the latest snow report and forecast for Folgaria here

http://www.netweather.tv/index.cgi?action=ski;resort=2263;sess=

[weathertoski]

thankyou and folgaria i will be skiing till next sat

Ok - my take on things is that there will be very little if any snow in the western Dolomites (Folgarida) for the forseeable future, so expect some decent weather - which is what you want if you haven't been before. Difficult to know what will happen later next week but at this stage I think it is unlikely that you will see any significant snow. For a major dump in this part of the world you ideally want a big low in the near Med (ie Gulf of Genova) with air of arctic origin wrapped in it returning north on it's eastern side. There are many variants but that's the most basic way of looking at it. Little or any snow will reach the Trentino in a northerly set up. There has to be some energy from the Med.

[Staffordshire]

Ok thankyou paul and weathertoski, and yes i was hoping for some sun, wouldnt like to ski in the snow

You can view the latest snow report and forecast for Folgaria here

http://www.netweather.tv/index.cgi?action=ski;resort=2263;sess=

oh and paul that has a 70cm snowfall total in 48 hours, surely isnt right?

[weathertoski]

Ok thankyou paul and weathertoski, and yes i was hoping for some sun, wouldnt like to ski in the snow

oh and paul that has a 70cm snowfall total in 48 hours, surely isnt right?

No way. Snowed a bit on Monday but prob only 5-10cm or so!

[Paul]

Ok thankyou paul and weathertoski, and yes i was hoping for some sun, wouldnt like to ski in the snow

oh and paul that has a 70cm snowfall total in 48 hours, surely isnt right?

It's a direct report - last snow reported by them was Tuesday with 40cm being shown, so looks like it's reasonable.

[Paul]

It's a direct report - last snow reported by them was Tuesday with 40cm being shown, so looks like it's reasonable.

And after a bit of digging found a facebook post on their page which talks about 70cm of fresh snow this week

3c0101b0f8e4d8e0b785ad4cbf14b4b8

#Folgaria#oggi nevica (scesi oltre 70 cm di neve freschissima)...pranzo leggero perchè domani scatta la mania di Free Ride

Translated

snow (down more than 70 cm of fresh snow) ... light lunch because tomorrow takes the mania of Free Ride

[Staffordshire]

3c0101b0f8e4d8e0b785ad4cbf14b4b8

Edited February 14, 2013 by Staffordshire

[Paul]

Yep that's correct - the 70cm is a measure of what's fallen - click the forecast tab on the page to see the next 7 days outlook

[Staffordshire]

Yep that's correct - the 70cm is a measure of what's fallen - click the forecast tab on the page to see the next 7 days outlook

ahh great news is that just at peak or fairly low down? and yes i have done, cheers

[Paul]

They normally show the amounts for the top, but it can vary. Seems they have a decent base across the whole mountain though so you should be good whatever - with maybe some fresh snow around from midweek.

[Staffordshire]

They normally show the amounts for the top, but it can vary. Seems they have a decent base across the whole mountain though so you should be good whatever - with maybe some fresh snow around from midweek.

ahh ok thankyou, have fun if you are going yourself Edited February 14, 2013 by Staffordshire

[ScottSnow]

Whats with the tone? I asked a simple question and no offense was intended with my second post...

Anyhow, both UKMO and ECM paint a snow scene for the alps next week (latter half) so thats good.

No tone intended I'm sorry if it came across that way I was just explaining how conditions are mainly influenced by where the air is sourced from and how the surface wind direction can sometimes be misleading..

I havn't checked the weather forecast for later next week but it would be nice to have some fresh powder to ski in when I'm in Morzine !

[weathertoski]

Sorry guys, I don't mean to be difficult, but there has not been 70cm of fresh snow in Folgarida, nor anything like it. Yes, there has been a little fresh snow and yes, conditions are good but I can assure you that 70cm of fresh is WAY off the mark. In fact that is about the base depth at resort level.

[Paul]

Sorry guys, I don't mean to be difficult, but there has not been 70cm of fresh snow in Folgarida, nor anything like it. Yes, there has been a little fresh snow and yes, conditions are good but I can assure you that 70cm of fresh is WAY off the mark. In fact that is about the base depth at resort level.

Their own website is showing a base of 160cm, and it's their own facebook page I quoted above

http://www.folgariaski.com/en/

Edit, and now I see the problem - we're at cross purposes as you're looking at Folgarida whereas Staffordshire is going to Folgaria

[weathertoski]

Their own website is showing a base of 160cm, and it's their own facebook page I quoted above

http://www.folgariaski.com/en/

Edit, and now I see the problem - you're talking about Folgarida whereas Staffordshire is going to Folgaria

Aha! Well spotted - yes that could explain a lot! Folgaria is right in the southern foothills and would have got more snow than Folgarida! I was in Madesimo earlier in the week and there was actually more fresh snow in Milan and around Como than in resort, which is set quite deeply in the mountains. Problem solved. Apologies for the confusion!

[J10]

The latest ski blog is now out.

http://forum.netweat...-february-2013/

A mostly dry week.

Edited February 15, 2013 by Jackone

[weathertoski]

A cracking start to the busy half term week. A bit of cloud and the odd flurry in the eastern Alps but generally speaking lots of sun, lots of snow and still fairly low temperatures. Great news for the industry, as this week also sees the highest number of newcomers to the sport, and good/bad weather/snow can make or break their experience.

[J10]

Time to update those snow depths.

Wengen (Switzerland) 80cm/185cm [65cm/160cm], 30cm on 2 Feb, 65cm (L7), Excellent, Tracked (10 Feb)
Avoriaz (France) 285/325cm [230/270cm], 2cm on 9 Feb, 50cm (L7), Excellent, Powder (10 Feb)
Kitzbuhel (Austria) 80cm/175cm [40cm/145cm], 5cm on 10 Feb, 65cm (L7), Excellent, Tracked (10 Feb)
Borovets (Bulgaria) 129cm/170cm [110cm/160cm], 15cm on 7 Feb,, 15cm (L7), Excellent, Fresh (8 Feb)
Couchavel (France) 153/220cm [130cm/220cm], 0cm [L3], Snow Type : Machine Groomed (10 Feb)
Cauterets (France) 450/560cm [n/a], 25cm [L3], Snow Type: Packed Powder (10 Feb)
Livigno (Italy) 65cm/198cm [65cm/192cm], 0cm [L3], Snow Type : n/a (10 Feb)
Westendorf (Austria) 90cm/160cm [55cm/135cm], 15cm [L3], Snow Type Powder/Powder (10 Feb)

Large amounts of new snow at all resorts, with possible exception of Borovets, and indeed huge snowfall generally at Cauterets.

Time to update the figures again.

Wengen (Switzerland) 75cm/175cm [80cm/185cm], 15cm on 15 Feb, 33cm (L7), Excellent, Tracked (17 Feb)
Avoriaz (France) 280cm/320cm [285/325cm], 10cm on 15 Feb, 43cm (L7), Excellent, Tracked (17 Feb)
Kitzbuhel (Austria) 65cm/165cm [80cm/175cm], 15cm on 15 Feb, 21cm (L7), Excellent, Powder (17 Feb)
Borovets (Bulgaria) 150cm/190cm [129cm/170cm], 5cm on 14 Feb, 54cm (L7), Excellent, Fresh (15 Feb)
Couchavel (France) 153/224cm [153/220cmcm], 0cm [L3], Snow Type : Machine Groomed (17 Feb)
Cauterets (France) 465/590cm [450/560cm] 30cm [L3], Snow Type: Packed Powder (17 Feb)
Livigno (Italy) 63cm/202cm [65cm/198cm], 0cm [L3], Snow Type : Machine Groomed (17 Feb)
Westendorf (Austria) 95cm/165cm [90cm/160cm], 15cm [L3], Snow Type Powder/Powder (17 Feb)

Since last week, a lot of the powder has been packed down somewhat and as a result, snow levels are generally slightly less than last week.

Since the blog was written on Friday, there have been some changes in the expected weather pattern, more especially towards the end of the week.

The above showed the expected pattern as of Friday's charts.

In comparison these are current synoptics.

Everything further south, and the looking colder into the weekend over the Alps.

Edited February 17, 2013 by Jackone

[Pipine]

Just 12 days til we go to Westendorf.. just been looking on the webcams and it looks beautiful.. seriously excited!...

thanks for the forecasts Jackone much appreciated.

[carinthian]

Fantastic conditions this morning. Perfect snow and weather . This has to be one of the best seasons I can remember since first visiting the alps back in 1976 ( Alpbach ) The Speireck Mountain in the picture is one of my favourite runs, just across the valley from Katchchberg in the Lungau region. Further on is the massive Obertauren ski circuit, about 1/2 hour drive away.

[J10]

As I am away over the weekend, I thought I will do this early in readiness

http://forum.netweat...-february-2013/

Very cold to start, with decent precipitation about, more especially towards the east, tuning a bit milder into next week.

Edited February 21, 2013 by Jackone