Alps & Pyrenees Snow Thread 2015/16

[J10]

The latest Ski Blog is out at 7.15pm, unfortunately no reprieve from the early summer weather for the Alps this weekend and early next week*, but perhaps turning somewhat colder with some snow before next weekend.

* For the Eastern Alps, some very warm sunny weather is likely this weekend, so great for non snow holidaymakers, not so good for snow conditions.

 

Edited April 1, 2016 by J10

[Blessed Weather]

2 hours ago, carinthian said:

Grab yourself one of these John. Its all kicking off right now in the Edelweisshutte, just right up your street.

Steady on. I'm not sure what you're referring to, but we wouldn't want John arrested!

Edited April 1, 2016 by Blessed Weather

[carinthian]

2 hours ago, seaside 60 said:

Love the T shirt, who sells them.

I will send a link to you .

C

[dubmuffin]

Hi all,

We had a particularly successful visit to La Rosiere in mid March with cold sunny days to start with, one day of snow, wind and virtually no visibility, when I did my first long icy red, some of it flat on my back, a short black, and traversed a narrow pass feeling like an arctic explorer, not bad for someone practically in tears on a green the next day! We went over to Italy where conditions were perfect, and at the end of the week, when it warmed up, there was more forgiving spring snow than those icy boulders that greeted us earlier in the week. What a fantastic week it was.

It was so inspiring that I decided to buy ski boots, and on the way to Snow and Rock Chertsey today we took a wrong turn and serendipitously found ourselves outside Europa Ski Lodge in Surbiton. Like an oasis in the desert, the words Ski Sale appeared in front of me. It's an independent shop of the sort I didn't know existed around here, and the owners were very helpful, and it'll be my go to ski shop from now on. Kind of weird finding yourself in suburbia, in the Spring sunshine, in a T shirt, with ski boots in your hand. A few of the customers were about to go on their end of season holiday and one guy said Zell am See was 21c today and had lost a lot of snow. Amazing how things turn round weatherwise in such a short time.

So despite my fantasy of a last minute break to try out my boots, might have to book a visit to a snodome instead, but I'll be back here looking for tips for next year - well, Christmas perhaps:)

Thanks for all the updates and pictures

Claire

 

 

[carinthian]

On ‎01‎/‎04‎/‎2016 at 6:42 PM, seaside 60 said:

Love the T shirt, who sells them.

Here you are.. try this online site  http://teespring.com/sk.man

C

[carinthian]

Not nice out here now the melt season starting, getting slushy. Thinking of coming out to the UK but looks a bit cold and windy for my liking. Will have to wait until the warmth of the winter returns to your part of the world . Strange scenario.

 C

[J10]

Latest Ski Blog out now

https://www.netweather.tv/forum/blogs/entry/4929-alps-ski-and-snow-forecast-blog-issued-8-april-2016/

Quite mild this week, but not as mild as recently, some fresh snow too, mostly above 2000m.

 

[carinthian]

On ‎06‎/‎04‎/‎2016 at 11:57 AM, carinthian said:

Not nice out here now the melt season starting, getting slushy. Thinking of coming out to the UK but looks a bit cold and windy for my liking. Will have to wait until the warmth of the winter returns to your part of the world . Strange scenario.

 C

Well that's it. Think I will call it day. Skis in shed, waxed and sharpened. Boots on shelve and skidoo serviced and locked away. Resort now looks drab and empty. Time for a spring clean. Looking for flights to Manchester, still looks cold over there, may delay for a week or two with a visit to Spain and some warmth hopefully. Been a good season after a slow start. Austria making a comeback for vintage ski-ing holidays, rustic huts, lovely hotels, nice runs and the best Apre in the world. Get over here next season and sample for yourself.. Will be back in  lateJune for the mountain hikers and bikers. That's all folks for the time being. Must check out Pendle Ski -Club when back in blighty.

 C

 

[Blessed Weather]

20 hours ago, J10 said:

Latest Ski Blog out now

https://www.netweather.tv/forum/blogs/entry/4929-alps-ski-and-snow-forecast-blog-issued-8-april-2016/

Quite mild this week, but not as mild as recently, some fresh snow too, mostly above 2000m.

 

Thanks Julian. As your blog states, resorts are starting to close now with a further 16 shutting shop tomorrow 10th April, including Mayrhofen, Schladming, Val Gardena and Bormio. But there's still plenty of resorts to chose from if anyone fancies a late holiday. And with both GFS and ECM suggesting the +15C 850 hPa isotherm may well arrive in the Alps from next weekend, what better time to try skiing in a t-shirt and enjoying a wonderful long lunch basking in the sun on a restaurant terrace!!

There's plenty of great resorts to choose from too including Val Thoren, Tignes, Val D'Isere, Flaine, St. Anton, Ischgl and Solden. A full list here: http://www.onthesnow.co.uk/europe/projected-closing.html

It's a bit of a drab day down in the Alpine valleys today, but above the clouds it was looking very inviting. The scene up on the Grande Motte glacier at Tignes today:

[Blessed Weather]

7 minutes ago, carinthian said:

Well that's it. Think I will call it day. Skis in shed, waxed and sharpened. Boots on shelve and skidoo serviced and locked away. Resort now looks drab and empty. Time for a spring clean. Looking for flights to Manchester, still looks cold over there, may delay for a week or two with a visit to Spain and some warmth hopefully. Been a good season after a slow start. Austria making a comeback for vintage ski-ing holidays, rustic huts, lovely hotels, nice runs and the best Apre in the world. Get over here next season and sample for yourself.. Will be back in  lateJune for the mountain hikers and bikers. That's all folks for the time being. Must check out Pendle Ski -Club when back in blighty.

 C

 

Always sad to be packing up the skis for the long wait for next season!! Thank you for your great posts this season Paul. I've especially enjoyed the wonderful photos. You've certainly convinced me that it's time to get back to Austria next season. The best atmosphere in the Alps and I reckon the best prices too! 

A week or two in Spain on the way back to blighty sounds great. Do it!!

See you in the "All things Austria" thread over the summer!

[carinthian]

22 minutes ago, Blessed Weather said:

Always sad to be packing up the skis for the long wait for next season!! Thank you for your great posts this season Paul. I've especially enjoyed the wonderful photos. You've certainly convinced me that it's time to get back to Austria next season. The best atmosphere in the Alps and I reckon the best prices too! 

A week or two in Spain on the way back to blighty sounds great. Do it!!

See you in the "All things Austria" thread over the summer!

Yes, forgot about that one. Have sent you a message.

[J10]

Thanks to all the contribution on this thread throughout the winter. In my (biased) opinion, it is one the the friendliest and informative threads on Net Weather.

[carinthian]

3 hours ago, J10 said:

Thanks to all the contribution on this thread throughout the winter. In my (biased) opinion, it is one the the friendliest and informative threads on Net Weather.

Thanks Julian. Yours is the best  Alpine Ski thread in Europe. I know quite a few travel companies watch your site . Keep up the good work and all the best for the summer and here is to  next season.

 C

[J10]

5 minutes ago, carinthian said:

Thanks Julian. Yours is the best  Alpine Ski thread in Europe. I know quite a few travel companies watch your site . Keep up the good work and all the best for the summer and here is to  next season.

 C

Thank you for that, it really is appreciated. Have a good one and I really appreciate all your input into this thread and the on the spot details from Austria, even though I so want to be there.

[seaside 60]

On 04/04/2016 at 3:33 PM, carinthian said:

Here you are.. try this online site  http://teespring.com/sk.man

C

Thank you kindly.

[carinthian]

Fresh snow falling presently to fairly low levels in the Cairngorms. Should make for a good weekends Springs ski-ing up there in the sunny Arctic air when the cloud breaks.

Picture on route to the ski-ing base from Coylumbridge.

C

[Blessed Weather]

9 hours ago, carinthian said:

Fresh snow falling presently to fairly low levels in the Cairngorms. Should make for a good weekends Springs ski-ing up there in the sunny Arctic air when the cloud breaks.

Picture on route to the ski-ing base from Coylumbridge.

C

You know what Paul? We always forget to include the Scottish Ski Resorts in the discussions on this forum. We must make amends next season! Maybe we need to call this something like the "European Snow & Wintersports" thread? You're absolutely right to flag-up that conditions up there are looking good - bearing in mind many big name European mainland resorts that have already closed. This buttetin from the Cairngorms website today:

Operations Update:

Friday 15th April end of day. Heavy snow showers until mid afternoon then bright with sunny spells. Great skiing today with fresh powder on top of firm pistes. Tomorrow's forecast is again heavy snow for most of the day, Northerly winds 30 to 40 mph with a temperature of -5C. We have postponed running our Ptarmigan Freestyle Jam this Saturday as the forecast is for more heavy snow and stronger winds we will review midweek for the weekend of the 23rd. The Zig Zags have been filled by dozing snow into the M1 cross over. Scheduled uplift for tomorrow is the Ciste Tow, Ptarmigan tow, M1 Poma, Cas tow, Polar Express and Funicular Opening from 9:30am. Should be some great top to mid mountain snowsports again tomorrow including Atomic Ski tests at the top station.

http://www.cairngormmountain.org/base-station-webcam/

[carinthian]

11 minutes ago, Blessed Weather said:

You know what Paul? We always forget to include the Scottish Ski Resorts in the discussions on this forum. We must make amends next season! Maybe we need to call this something like the "European Snow & Wintersports" thread? You're absolutely right to flag-up that conditions up there are looking good - bearing in mind many big name European mainland resorts that have already closed. This buttetin from the Cairngorms website today:

Operations Update:

Friday 15th April end of day. Heavy snow showers until mid afternoon then bright with sunny spells. Great skiing today with fresh powder on top of firm pistes. Tomorrow's forecast is again heavy snow for most of the day, Northerly winds 30 to 40 mph with a temperature of -5C. We have postponed running our Ptarmigan Freestyle Jam this Saturday as the forecast is for more heavy snow and stronger winds we will review midweek for the weekend of the 23rd. The Zig Zags have been filled by dozing snow into the M1 cross over. Scheduled uplift for tomorrow is the Ciste Tow, Ptarmigan tow, M1 Poma, Cas tow, Polar Express and Funicular Opening from 9:30am. Should be some great top to mid mountain snowsports again tomorrow including Atomic Ski tests at the top station.

http://www.cairngormmountain.org/base-station-webcam/

Yes , Malcolm, the ski-ing season in the Scottish Mountains can be the most prolonged as any in Europe. Amazing when most of the runs are located at 1000m or below. I remember early last June flying back from Canada and was stunned to see how much snow there was still in the mountains of NW Scotland. Seemed to be more than in the Alps at the time ! Certainly, Arctic outbreaks in April produce the best ski-ing condition of the season up there with the increased sunshine hours.

 C

Edited April 15, 2016 by carinthian

[Blessed Weather]

Back in December I posted about the little known practice in the Jura Mountains of stockpiling and storing snow under a layer of wood chips, ready to get the following season off to a start if the weather hadn't delivered. Here's an extract of my post:

Until the first winter offensive in the Jura, one discovers the snow from last season kept under wood chips. This is a process used for some years in the Jura, near the stadium of Tuffes. Snow that fell last season is preserved under the wood chips. Thanks to the insulating properties of the wood, only 20% of the initial volume would be lost.

Well the practice seems to have caught the attention of the FIS. This article appearing in the French media today:

La Clusaz going into snow farming
At the request of the FIS, the Aravis (mountain) station has stored snow for the next stage of World Cup to be held on 17 and 18 December 2016.
No less than 5,000 m3 of snow have been stored on the Confins plateau. This week, the snow pile was covered with sawdust. This stored snow allows the organization of the World Cup, if the snow is missing in December as two years ago, to take the risk of starting (the competition) and not be forced to cancel.

http://www.ledauphine.com/skichrono/2016/04/15/la-clusaz-passe-au-snow-farming

[carinthian]

Well that's it for another season. Fridge Festival another success ,all going home now.  Some of the higher resorts keeping lifts open for a few more weeks. Me, off to seek some warm sunshine in Spain and then its back in Blighty for a couple of months .

C

[Blessed Weather]

The great and the good involved in the French Ski Industry met today in Val D'Isere to review results from the season now ending. Present were leading figures representing lift operators, resorts, tourism and government.

Some of the headlines:

• 5% decline in the turnover of lift operators. The meeting was concerned that France could lose its position as No. 1 skiing destination to Austria.
• 44% of skiers have been skiing for more than 20 years. There is concern that insufficient youngsters are coming through to replace older skiers.
• 33% of French pistes have artificial snow making compared with 66% in Italy and 80% in Austria.
• 47% of skiing breaks are for short stays and this type of holiday is gaining ground.
• 4% of overnight stays are in resorts of altitude above 1,800m and this figure is growing, whilst the number of overnight stays in resorts below 1,800m is down 3%.

To me there seems to be two clear messages from the above.

First, the number of people visiting French resorts and the length of time they stay is falling. Has the cost of skiing in France risen too much in recent years? Particularly the cost of lift passes and eating out?

Second, climate change and the increasingly unpredictable snow cover, particularly at lower altitude, is resulting in people playing safe and booking higher resorts. France needs to invest more in artificial snow making facilities, particularly in lower resorts. They appear to be way behind Italy and Austria on this. 

Media report in French: http://www.ledauphine.com/skichrono/2016/04/18/ski-debrief-en-chiffres

[carinthian]

On ‎18‎/‎04‎/‎2016 at 7:33 PM, Blessed Weather said:

The great and the good involved in the French Ski Industry met today in Val D'Isere to review results from the season now ending. Present were leading figures representing lift operators, resorts, tourism and government.

Some of the headlines:

• 5% decline in the turnover of lift operators. The meeting was concerned that France could lose its position as No. 1 skiing destination to Austria.
• 44% of skiers have been skiing for more than 20 years. There is concern that insufficient youngsters are coming through to replace older skiers.
• 33% of French pistes have artificial snow making compared with 66% in Italy and 80% in Austria.
• 47% of skiing breaks are for short stays and this type of holiday is gaining ground.
• 4% of overnight stays are in resorts of altitude above 1,800m and this figure is growing, whilst the number of overnight stays in resorts below 1,800m is down 3%.

To me there seems to be two clear messages from the above.

First, the number of people visiting French resorts and the length of time they stay is falling. Has the cost of skiing in France risen too much in recent years? Particularly the cost of lift passes and eating out?

Second, climate change and the increasingly unpredictable snow cover, particularly at lower altitude, is resulting in people playing safe and booking higher resorts. France needs to invest more in artificial snow making facilities, particularly in lower resorts. They appear to be way behind Italy and Austria on this. 

Media report in French: http://www.ledauphine.com/skichrono/2016/04/18/ski-debrief-en-chiffres

Interesting post season analysis there for French Resorts Malcolm. I have no idea on comparison between France and Austria as regards numbers of visitors, but I can confirm many resorts in Austria held there lift prices and in some cases reduced the cost. Food in Austrian Mountain Huts offer great value with many meals offered at around 10 euro  ( £7 .50 )  Beers about the same as the UK. Certainly Austria is upping its game with its investment in modern lift systems and snow making fascilities. I have certainly seen a big change of the past 10 years and at a affordable price. I think next year Austria will offer the best value for money for a great all round ski package that provides good ski-ing and great Apre scene.

 C

[J10]

On 18/04/2016 at 7:33 PM, Blessed Weather said:

The great and the good involved in the French Ski Industry met today in Val D'Isere to review results from the season now ending. Present were leading figures representing lift operators, resorts, tourism and government.

Some of the headlines:

• 5% decline in the turnover of lift operators. The meeting was concerned that France could lose its position as No. 1 skiing destination to Austria.
• 44% of skiers have been skiing for more than 20 years. There is concern that insufficient youngsters are coming through to replace older skiers.
• 33% of French pistes have artificial snow making compared with 66% in Italy and 80% in Austria.
• 47% of skiing breaks are for short stays and this type of holiday is gaining ground.
• 4% of overnight stays are in resorts of altitude above 1,800m and this figure is growing, whilst the number of overnight stays in resorts below 1,800m is down 3%.

To me there seems to be two clear messages from the above.

First, the number of people visiting French resorts and the length of time they stay is falling. Has the cost of skiing in France risen too much in recent years? Particularly the cost of lift passes and eating out?

Second, climate change and the increasingly unpredictable snow cover, particularly at lower altitude, is resulting in people playing safe and booking higher resorts. France needs to invest more in artificial snow making facilities, particularly in lower resorts. They appear to be way behind Italy and Austria on this. 

Media report in French: http://www.ledauphine.com/skichrono/2016/04/18/ski-debrief-en-chiffres

Very sobering comments in there, looking from a weather perspective. Generally temperatures are lower over Austria than in France, partly of course due to the maritime influence further west. and with the trend of warmer temperatures, there are concerns for lower resorts.

Edited April 19, 2016 by J10

[Blessed Weather]

After a poor start to the skiing/boarding season back in December it’s looking like it will end with a bang, or should I say dump! Ironically a swathe of resorts will close this weekend, leaving just a couple of dozen high altitude resorts open to enjoy a late-season snow bonanza and some sub-zero temperatures over the coming 5 days!

No doubt many people booked their late-season holiday looking forward to warm sunshine and long lunches on restaurant terraces, but it’s looking like a warm fleece and poor vis goggles will be required rather than sun cream.

Here’s a few resorts to illustrate the expected conditions. Normally, based on their long-term snow records they usually achieve maximum snow depth in March. But will it be April this season? Here are the Snowforecast.com forecasts for mid-mountain snowfall and temperatures between this evening and next Weds evening, based (I believe) on GFS data:

Engelberg (2,085m) 69cm

Ischgl (2,126m) 92cm

Chamonix (2,440m) 101cm

This evening’s Arpege chart for cumulative snowfall up to next Tues evening looks to support the figures:

If only I could persuade Mrs Blessed to let me go just once more this season! But I fear there’s more chance of my skis ending up bent around my neck!

[Paul]

It's not the Alps I know, but I've went out to Whistler for 10 days just recently, and what a place! Would highly recommend it for both the mountains/snow and the resort itself - by far the best mountain resort I've ever been to.