Alps & Pyrenees Snow Thread 2015/16

[Blessed Weather]

1 hour ago, J10 said:

The latest blog will be posted at noon today.

A very snowy week in prospect for higher parts of the Alps, with over 1m of snow forecast over the next 6 days over any higher resorts in Western and Central parts of the Alps.

Frustrating again for lower resorts with rain more likely here.

 

An excellent and informative blog Julian. Thank you.

Well here comes today's snowfall (probably rain below 1,200m). Not many people eating out on La Folie Douce terrace at Val D'Isere. Wimps - a bit of horizontal snow won't hurt you!!

Radar 13.00   La Folie Douce terrace 13.00

Edited February 7, 2016 by Blessed Weather

[carinthian]

3 hours ago, Daniel Williams said:

Hi guys don't really post on here much moreally of an observer. 

Anyway I'm off the chamonix on the 18th of March and although I know it's a bit far out yet I was wondering what the general trend is for the month or so ahead. 

Hi Daniel, really not possible to forecast that far out at the moment. However, by second week of March snow forecasts and conditions would be available . I did a few years ago ski in Mid March in the 4 Valleys Region based in St Martin De Belville during a warm sunny spell. The runs got slushy lower down but the upper runs were in good conditions. So its hit and miss, depending on the airmass origin at the time you planto go, could be Arctic or Tropical or something in between but I know Chamonix has some massive runs at height , so you should be fine for some excellent Spring Conditions whatever the weather. Have a good one.

[J10]

5 hours ago, Blessed Weather said:

An excellent and informative blog Julian. Thank you.

Well here comes today's snowfall (probably rain below 1,200m). Not many people eating out on La Folie Douce terrace at Val D'Isere. Wimps - a bit of horizontal snow won't hurt you!!

Radar 13.00   La Folie Douce terrace 13.00

Indeed the snow level today was a bit lower than I anticipated, but the next few days show the FL rising a little bit.

[Blessed Weather]

Judging by the Les Deux Alpes webcam it looks like around 30cm of snow fell in the village (at 1,650m) today.  For those starting their week's holiday it probably wasn't a great day's skiing/boarding with flat light & heavy snow. Nevertheless I suspect lots of people enjoyed having snow on their first day in the resort!!

14.00   20.00 

[Blessed Weather]

Well in all my years of skiing I've not experienced or heard of the following happening....  the lift staff at Les Deux Alpes are going on strike on Weds 17th February!!  Their union is demanding more pay but also more staff to cope (particularly) with 6-man chairs. They quote a recent incident as the final straw, when a British man was killed in Chatel and the courts convicted the lift staff personnel and not the operating company. I'll keep an eye on this and give an update if I hear of any developments.
Report in French: http://www.ledauphine.com/societe/2016/02/08/serieuse-menace-de-greve-aux-deux-alpes

Back to the weather and another band of precipitation swept into the Alps today. Unfortunately the 850 hPa 0C isotherm was lagging behind the front with with the result that rain fell below an elevation of around 1,800m this afternoon. But the 0C isotherm has arrived over the western Alps tonight, so the rain has been gradually turning to snow and by tomorrow the -5C isotherm will cover most of the Alps, result in freezing level dropping widely to 600 - 800m. It's expected to continue to snow overnight and through much of tomorrow, so today's hiccup thankfully short-lived.

Radar 15.00  GFS 15.00 09.00 Wed

[Blessed Weather]

A quick webcam round-up and it confirms it's snowing widely across the Alps this morning. I've thrown in a German Black Forest webcam for good measure. I don't know about you guys, but I find it difficult to ski in the conditions shown. Goggles steamed up and constantly needing wiping, and it's very hard to pick out the ups & downs and lumps & bumps of the piste, so much harder on the knees! Lots of gluhwein and heisse schokolade stops required!

Black Forest 1,320m  Les Deux Alpes 1,650m

Morzine 1,500m        Seefeld 1,195m              

St Johann 660m         St Anton 1,292m            

[carinthian]

Nice picture yesterday early morning of the cross country route at the back of my place. The sunshine gone today ,overcast conditions ,snow flurries, blowing snow and a cold wind. 

 C

[J10]

12 hours ago, Blessed Weather said:

A quick webcam round-up and it confirms it's snowing widely across the Alps this morning. I've thrown in a German Black Forest webcam for good measure. I don't know about you guys, but I find it difficult to ski in the conditions shown. Goggles steamed up and constantly needing wiping, and it's very hard to pick out the ups & downs and lumps & bumps of the piste, so much harder on the knees! Lots of gluhwein and heisse schokolade stops required!

  

I was going to post the SkiClub update, however your photos really paint the picture for the Alps this week.

To answer your question, I would find it difficult to ski in those conditions, well in any conditions but that is another matter.

Edited February 10, 2016 by J10

[J10]

Blog to be uploaded 7.15

 

Another snowy week in prospect, however generally not quite as snowy as last week, but better news with more in the way of snow to medium level resorts this week.

Edited February 12, 2016 by J10

[carinthian]

Love Sunny Saturdays. My favourite type of ski-ing day, snow flurries and sunshine, plus added bonus of empty slopes. Plenty of Brits arriving today, may see some in the pub later !

 

C

[Blessed Weather]

A gloomy prediction from Meteo-France today about the impact of climate change on snow in the French Alps by 2100. They have released a video showing the  changes France can expect to see on such measures as soil moisture, droughts, max temps etc,. But it was the "mean depth of snow in winter" for the Alps that caught my attention. They used the resort of Col de Porte at 1,325m to illustrate their projections. Their 'headline' - considerably less snow depth at altitudes below 2,000m.

A still from the video:

You can see the entire video at this link, in French of course!
http://www.ledauphine.com/isere-sud/2016/02/13/quelle-meteo-au-col-de-porte-en-2100-decouvrez-la-simulation-de-meteo-france

[J10]

4 hours ago, Blessed Weather said:

A gloomy prediction from Meteo-France today about the impact of climate change on snow in the French Alps by 2100. They have released a video showing the  changes France can expect to see on such measures as soil moisture, droughts, max temps etc,. But it was the "mean depth of snow in winter" for the Alps that caught my attention. They used the resort of Col de Porte at 1,325m to illustrate their projections. Their 'headline' - considerably less snow depth at altitudes below 2,000m.

A still from the video:

You can see the entire video at this link, in French of course!
http://www.ledauphine.com/isere-sud/2016/02/13/quelle-meteo-au-col-de-porte-en-2100-decouvrez-la-simulation-de-meteo-france

It is indeed worrying, there is no doubt that winters are getting less cold over the Alps, more especially over the Western side with a more of a Maritime influence.

It would be very interesting if the charts for Col de Porte at 1,325m were repeated at a variety of slopes and heights to see what the effects would be.

It could be interesting to see if snowfalls amounts are down, which actually they may not be. But I would expect that rainfall rates are up, it has always been possible to see rain over the Alps in winter, but it is appears this is more widespread than was once the case. While snow cannons can mitigate against the loss of real snow, will some lower resorts continue to exist in 20-30 years time, as they may become unprofitable.

As much as I like to highlight the snow over the Alps, this concern is real and ongoing.

[J10]

The latest copy and paste from me in relation to the Ski Club GB update.

http://www.snow-forecast.com/overviews/tips_full

http://www.skiclub.co.uk/skiclub/snowreports/overview/default.aspx#.Vm9A1l4vAsU

SNOW NEWS UPDATED 15 FEBRUARY 2016

INTRODUCTION Conditions across the Alps are excellent to start the half-term holidays, with fresh snow reported across the mountain range. Some great on piste skiing has been reported in recent days, but it has been the deep powder that has been grabbing the headlines. Further spells of snow are expected for the week ahead and with temperatures set to remain well below freezing, snow conditions should remain soft, dry and fresh.

EUROPEAN WEATHER OUTLOOK A changeable and cold week is forecast for the Alps, especially in the north and the west. Fresh snow is possible here on most days, although what falls is set to be showery in nature so totals could vary widely over very short distances. A further 10-30cm is possible in places by the end of the week, but there will also be some decent sunny spells. More snow is predicted for the Pyrenees over the coming days, with 10-20cm possible on Monday and again on Thursday. Between this however expect some good spells of sunshine in which to enjoy the new snow, accompanied by cold temperatures.

Edited February 16, 2016 by J10

[carinthian]

Morning all. Fancy waking up to this up to this. Was not expecting 35cm of fresh snowfall. Still snowing.

 

C

[J10]

The latest copy and paste from me in relation to the Ski Club GB update. This weeks blog will be published early tomorrow afternoon.

http://www.snow-forecast.com/overviews/tips_full

http://www.skiclub.co.uk/skiclub/snowreports/overview/default.aspx#.Vm9A1l4vAsU

SNOW NEWS UPDATED 18 FEBRUARY 2016

INTRODUCTION It has been an excellent half-term week so far in the Alps, although sadly sunshine has been at a bit of a premium as further snowfall has been recorded. The conditions both on and off piste were mostly excellent, although a few harder patches have been reported by Ski Club Leaders from busier sections and on resort return runs. Clouds were moving in from the west during the course of Thursday and further snowfall is expected on Friday in places before the sun returns at the weekend.

EUROPEAN WEATHER OUTLOOK Thursday's afternoon clouds were the precursor to Friday's weather, which was looking cloudy for most of the Alps. 10-20cm of snowfall is possible, with the heaviest falls reserved for the western Alps. The clouds then look set to clear through quickly and a mostly sunny weekend is expected, accompanied by rising temperatures to as high as +5C at 2,000m. Snowfall is once again never far away as a further storm sweeps in on Monday, with 10-40cm possible by Wednesday.

The outlook for the Pyrenees is a very settled one once Thursday's light snow clears through. Temperatures look set to rise to around 5C through into Saturday morning so expect some spring-like conditions on south facing and low slopes. A drop in temperature is then forecast for Monday and through the rest of the start of the week, with mid-mountain temperatures set to hover around 0C.

Edited February 19, 2016 by J10

[J10]

Latest Alps Blog, a mixed week, some snow at times, but rather mild at least to start, and it is looking a lot milder than yesterdays models, however still a chance of some snow for midweek,

[Blessed Weather]

1 hour ago, J10 said:

Latest Alps Blog, a mixed week, some snow at times, but rather mild at least to start, and it is looking a lot milder than yesterdays models, however still a chance of some snow for midweek,

Thanks Julian. As you have highlighted, the coming week brings a dividing line between mild and cold across Europe. It's frustrating to run the GFS charts through and see the 850 hPa -5C isotherm get sooo close to the Alps, but never quite making it far enough South. Oh well, I guess you can't expect perfect weather conditions every week!  

[Blessed Weather]

Sad to see the end of Ski Sunday for this season. Don't know about anyone else, but I've quite enjoyed the mix of the programme this year - the intro; Graham doing the course; the race itself; some incredible off-piste feature or another; and finally the 'home movie' clips. Makes my day!

This final weekend was the Kandahar downhill from Chamonix on Saturday. Not a brilliant day, with grey skies and some snowfall (which wasn't settling in the town). Totally different day today, with clear skies and lovely sunshine. Can't wait for 2 weeks time when I'm off to Val Cenis in the French Alps for my final trip of the season.

'Still' from Saturday's race 

Today's beautiful sunset at Les Houches, Chamonix

Edited February 21, 2016 by Blessed Weather

[WINTRY WALES]

Hi all

 

I am thinking of booking a short 4 day ski break late ish march (21st to 26th). This is around a month later than I usually go on a ski trip so was thinking should I look for an elevated resort to help ensure good skiing with plentiful snow?

What are the ski conditions like generally mid to late march? Am I worrying about nothing?

Anyone know of a good ski resort with elevation that's on the cheap side?

Thanks for any help to this?

WW

[NorthYorksWeather]

8 minutes ago, WINTRY WALES said:

Hi all

 

I am thinking of booking a short 4 day ski break late ish march (21st to 26th). This is around a month later than I usually go on a ski trip so was thinking should I look for an elevated resort to help ensure good skiing with plentiful snow?

What are the ski conditions like generally mid to late march? Am I worrying about nothing?

Anyone know of a good ski resort with elevation that's on the cheap side?

Thanks for any help to this?

WW

I'm heading to Chatel, France 21st-26th so also hoping for some good conditions.

I went at a similar time in March 2008 and timed it wonderfully as there was a cold Northerly throughout most of central Europe and there was around 50cm of fresh snow that week. Not sure i'l be so lucky this time as Chatel isnt the highest of resorts, somewhere like Tignes above 2000m would be a good bet, but Im sure there are many other high resorts to choose from.

[Paul]

Chatel's a great place, and as you can get into Avoriaz easily you always have the option of getting up higher there. Usually by that point though there's a decent base even if it is pretty mild, although looking at the current stats, it'd be nice to see them getting a dump or two in the next couple of weeks to get the base up to 1m+ at the bottom and 2m+ at the top. 

[WINTRY WALES]

Was thinking chamonix...anyone been there??

[Blessed Weather]

4 hours ago, WINTRY WALES said:

Hi all

I am thinking of booking a short 4 day ski break late ish march (21st to 26th). This is around a month later than I usually go on a ski trip so was thinking should I look for an elevated resort to help ensure good skiing with plentiful snow?

What are the ski conditions like generally mid to late march? Am I worrying about nothing?

Anyone know of a good ski resort with elevation that's on the cheap side?

Thanks for any help to this?

WW

Hi WW. Obviously seasons vary, but in late March it probably is sensible to go to a resort with a bit of height. I would aim for a resort at a minimum altitude of 1,400m to 1,500m with pistes offering skiing to at least 1,000m above that. There's lots of resorts to choose from, but for good value whilst having access to lots of great skiing, my list would include Les Meniures (1,850m) which is part of the 3-Valleys circus and with easy access in particular to Val Thorens (highest resort in the French Alps at 2,300m - also a good option); Arc 1800 with lots of good skiing in Les Arcs and (via the transarc gondola option on your lift pass) La Plagne (2,000m +); and Tignes (2,100m) with a glacier and easy access to all the Val D'Isere pistes (1,850m +).

Austria has some fabulous high altitude resorts such as Obergurgl, Solden, Ischgl and St. Anton, but they are likely to be more expensive than the French resorts I've mentioned.

Good luck with your search!

[Blessed Weather]

Heading to the Pyrenees this coming Saturday? It could be a very snowy scene when you get there! It's looking like a decent dump of snow for the Pyrenees this weekend, particularly on Saturday. GFS and Arpege precipitation charts:

[WINTRY WALES]

14 hours ago, Blessed Weather said:

Hi WW. Obviously seasons vary, but in late March it probably is sensible to go to a resort with a bit of height. I would aim for a resort at a minimum altitude of 1,400m to 1,500m with pistes offering skiing to at least 1,000m above that. There's lots of resorts to choose from, but for good value whilst having access to lots of great skiing, my list would include Les Meniures (1,850m) which is part of the 3-Valleys circus and with easy access in particular to Val Thorens (highest resort in the French Alps at 2,300m - also a good option); Arc 1800 with lots of good skiing in Les Arcs and (via the transarc gondola option on your lift pass) La Plagne (2,000m +); and Tignes (2,100m) with a glacier and easy access to all the Val D'Isere pistes (1,850m +).

Austria has some fabulous high altitude resorts such as Obergurgl, Solden, Ischgl and St. Anton, but they are likely to be more expensive than the French resorts I've mentioned.

Good luck with your search!

Hi Blessed Weather

 

I have taken a look at those suggested destinations. The elevation is great. Only thing is that most are around 230 km's from Geneva airport and I can only find transfers for myself and my daughter for a cost of £400 return!! I cannot find a site that does a shared shuttle?? Is this because of the distance?? Or am I searching wrong?? So frustrating ha!!!