Worldwide Mountain & Snow Sports Discussion 2017/18

[J10]

Moving into November and it is time to open another thread to discuss the upcoming Winter Sports Season in the Northern Hemisphere.

The Net Weather Ski Centre is here -> https://www.netweather.tv/weather-forecasts/travel/ski

This contains a massive range of Skiing related content.

Blogs - This will contain forecast blogs for this coming season, the Alps blogs will start early December to co-incide with the majority of resorts opening (hopefully). Paul will also be adding a number of blogs over the course of the season, which will also cover conditions over the the USA and Canada.

Resort Weather Forecasts - Resort Weather forecasts based on GFS, updated 4 times a day, together with current conditions. Wengen Forecast and Conditions

Destination Guides - We have a number of destination guides, and we are aiming to extend this over the coming season, so if you would like to contribute or would like your resort featured, please let us know.

Scotland Section - There is also a section dedicated to the conditions over Scotland. https://www.netweather.tv/weather-forecasts/travel/scotland-ski

This thread will now run throughout the 2017/18 season, so please give your thoughts for the season ahead, and new features you would like to see. A few thoughts :-

Will the winter season start on time this year or will we have to wait until post Christmas for proper low level snow.

Will the USA/Canada continue to have the best of the conditions.

Will the East West Alps split be an issue again this year.

How important are snow cannons to the ongoing viability of ski season.

Any winter topic of your choosing.

Over the course of the season keep bringing those Alpine related stories, whether from local papers or your skiing trips, which made this thread such a joy last year.

Edited October 31, 2017 by J10

[Blessed Weather]

1 hour ago, J10 said:

Moving into November and it is time to open another thread to discuss the upcoming Winter Sports Season in the Northern Hemisphere.

(snipped)

Great to have a new thread started for the coming season Julian!! I'm quietly optimistic that this year the Alps will benefit from reasonably frequent polar maritime incursions into Europe this side of Christmas and that resorts will be ready to greet Christmas and New Year skiers/boarders.

And to start the ball rolling, this weekend sees colder air bringing snowfall above 1500m for both the Alps and the Pyrenees. Charts for Sun 5th Nov:

GFS 850hPa and precip 

Arpege snowfall accumulation

[Blessed Weather]

The report below was published in the French media yesterday (31 Oct) and gives an insight into the impact of recent weather trends on the glaciers of the Swiss Alps. Uncomfortable reading I'm afraid. As with other Alpine countries, Switzerland offers year-round winter sports on several glaciers including the Titlis glacier at Engelberg, the Theodul glacier at Zermatt and the Allalin glacier at Saas-Fee. It would appear that even these 'ultimate' high level resorts are not immune to longer-term climate trends.

Let's hope the coming winter provides some much needed relief for all Alpine glaciers.

Swiss glaciers lost 1.5 billion cubic meters this year
1.5 billion m³ less ice on Swiss glaciers in 2016-2017. To hear the gross figure is scary. Putting it in perspective is no less so. The Swiss Academy of Sciences, which published its report yesterday, estimated that this amounted to "a quantity of water that would allow every household in the country to fill a 25-meter pool. If the Swiss are only 8.5 million, and the number of households is lower, it still describes well the annus horribilis lived by the glaciers, which globally lost 3% of volume.

This hydrological year also ranks in the three worst of the century, just after 2003 and at about the same level as 2011. The glaciers between the western part of the Bernese Oberland and the Valais (Tsanfleuron, the Plaine Morte or even the Griesgletscher) have suffered the greatest losses, a decrease in average ice thickness of 2 to 3 meters, which is huge according to scientists. Those a little less exposed, like that of the Rhone, do not escape the phenomenon with a meter less.

The cause is obviously to be found in the drought and the absence of precipitation of this last year. The volume of mass is an immediate witness of the weather conditions, unlike the length of the glaciers. If this criterion seems the most obvious sign of global warming, it is actually delayed. The effects of the very hot and very dry years will only be seen in a few decades for the average glaciers.

Full report in French: http://www.ledauphine.com/haute-savoie/2017/10/31/les-glaciers-suisses-ont-perdu-1-5-milliard-de-m3-cette-annee

[Paul]

Winter's coming

 

[Polar Maritime]

Both Caingorm and Glencoe will have snow making tackle to keep a run going year round this coming season going off reports on the net.

Hopefully something we won't need this season..

Edited November 1, 2017 by Polar Maritime

[Blessed Weather]

 

[jules216]

Can confirm, in Slovakia we had our first usual October snowfall on Monday above 600m, in the North, East and North West, this time I was lucky enough to have been there on a long weekend,got my first winter fix already.pictures taken from village called Dedinky, in Slovak Paradise nat. Park, some location around 1300-1500m already got 70cms from last 48hr snowfall, quite interesting that High Tatras seem to be among the very first locations to receive significant snow in the whole Europe last couple of years!

[Paul]

Looks like Banff is off to a similar start, just shy of 60cm. That'll do!

 

[johnholmes]

21 hours ago, Blessed Weather said:

 

the link to see if this does occur

http://www.lauberhorn.ch/en/?langId=2

 

Edited November 2, 2017 by johnholmes
adding data

[johnholmes]

21 hours ago, Blessed Weather said:

 

Not sure why it stopped me entering this on the same past but also note how far on they are with the viewing for the Lauberhorn Downhill and Slalom races

[Blessed Weather]

Precipitation has been pushing into the Alps from the NW this Sunday morning, starting as rain but freezing level slowly falling as the colder air also moves in, so snow now falling down to around 1,700m. Overnight into Monday should see freezing level fall further to around 1,200m with precipitation continuing through Monday, pushing east into Austria whilst slowly dying out in the western Alps.

Here's how this morning has progressed at Courchevel (La Croisette) at 1,750m in the French Alps this morning. Webcam grabs from 08.26 through to midday:

Additionally, during late Sunday into Monday a vigorous  'Genoa Low' develops which on its northern flank helps to ensure the southern Alps (particularly Italian Alps) also join in the fun with a period of potentially heavy snow. Here's a BBC Weather tweet about this:

 

[Reefseeker]

Following on from @Blessed Weather Les Arcs 2000 is now nice and snowy, but lower down at 1800 it is just a grey day currently.

EDIT, 1800 is now getting a covering - not much playing at Le Golf today I imagine!

 

Edited November 5, 2017 by Reefseeker

[johnholmes]

53 minutes ago, Blessed Weather said:

Precipitation has been pushing into the Alps from the NW this Sunday morning, starting as rain but freezing level slowly falling as the colder air also moves in, so snow now falling down to around 1,700m. Overnight into Monday should see freezing level fall further to around 1,200m with precipitation continuing through Monday, pushing east into Austria whilst slowly dying out in the western Alps.

Here's how this morning has progressed at Courchevel (La Croisette) at 1,750m in the French Alps this morning. Webcam grabs from 08.26 through to midday:

Additionally, during late Sunday into Monday a vigorous  'Genoa Low' develops which on its northern flank helps to ensure the southern Alps (particularly Italian Alps) also join in the fun with a period of potentially heavy snow. Here's a BBC Weather tweet about this:

 

I tried to show the Wengen area but the video cam for the Lauberhorn and Mannlichen is flagged as not to be used!

Anyway it is snowing down in the village, 4000 ft and looks on one cam as if it is snowing lower down. Predicted to snow into Tuesday by Swiss Met.

[Betleyblizud]

 Just a quickie to support Johns comments above. Spoke to my sister in law tonight. She says it has been snowing steadily in Zermatt all day and has recently become quite heavy. The village centre is “a little slushy” but around the village it’s “white over” and “quite a bit of snow has fallen in the mountains”. Local forecasts are indicating a coldish week with further snowfall predicted down to village level (1600m).

[seaside 60]

Wow winter has arrived in force.

Total white right through the Alps, fantastic.

[johnholmes]

10 cm in Wengen village, still snowing, and I am still unable to access the Lauberhorn site, in fact most links into the Jungfrau!

 

[Blessed Weather]

34 minutes ago, johnholmes said:

10 cm in Wengen village, still snowing, and I am still unable to access the Lauberhorn site, in fact most links into the Jungfrau!

 

It's looking blooming marvelous up there John!! Here's the Jungfraujoch this morning (6th Nov):

And here's the snowy scene on the famous Hahnenkamm at Kitzbuhel. Great first widespread snowfall.

I use the Bergfex site for webcams. Click on "Ski Resorts" for a list of countries and resorts. https://www.bergfex.com/schweiz/

 

Edited November 6, 2017 by Blessed Weather
Added link

[Reefseeker]

Wengen village indeed looking all nice and snowy this morning. Edelweisspitze and Lauberhorn both looking thick with the white stuff and a bit of fog too:

https://edelweissspitze.panomax.com

https://panocam.skiline.cc/lauberhorn

[carinthian]

Snow in Alpbach.

[johnholmes]

Snow blowers in action around start area for the Lauberhorn, 10-12 inches reported about that height from yesterday. Staying on the cold side at altitude all week, more snow predicted for later in the week.

https://panocam.skiline.cc/lauberhorn

 

Edited November 7, 2017 by johnholmes

[carinthian]

Morning scene from Katschberg.

[Reefseeker]

Really sorry, couldn't resist a screen shot of Edelweisspitze in the sunshine and snow:)

[Paul]

Flight to Canada anyone?

 

[Daniel*]

It’s looking great a good early base and there looks to be longevity to it going by the model output rare in recent years.  

 

[carinthian]

Piste preparation in full flow early today. Looking good for the season opening on 8th December.

C