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Worldwide Mountain & Snow Sports Discussion 2016/17


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Posted
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks

re Meteo.centrale

 I found when they had data for Wengen (for some reason it stopped this year) that their forecasts tended to be a shade more accurate than the official Swiss Met forecast.

This year Swiss Met were fine but then I had 7 out of 8 days wall to wall sunshine so no great achievement.

Just to add for any forecast organisation to predict accurately in a region with mountains regularly in excess of 10,000 ft is not a job I would relish. That is true be it winter or summer. Mind you I would have loved to try when I was working!

sorry, me again, watch this video from 2015 with an airbus, yes airbus with the Swiss Patrouille display team, flying beneath the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=swiss+patrouille+suisse+lauberhorn&rls=com.microsoft:en-GB:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&gfe_rd=cr&ei=OPi3WLmVBa-n8wfJ2bqYCQ&gws_rd=ssl

sorry yet another one, a mix from 20 cameras on board the fighters and Airbus along with race shots

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2956941/Incredible-footage-shows-A320-Airbus-high-Lauberhorn-mountain-formation-six-Patrouille-Swiss-fighters.html

 

Edited by johnholmes
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Posted
  • Location: Aberdeenshire 165m ASL
  • Location: Aberdeenshire 165m ASL

Heading off to Chamonix,for the first time, next Thursday for a week snowboarding. Forecast, at this stage, looks good with significant snowfall over the next 5 days. Perfect timing for the third and probably final trip of the season after a great week in Nendaz couple of weeks ago and Bulgaria at the start of January.

Didn't make it to Austria this year, hopefully next seaon..

Edited by Norrona2015
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Posted
  • Location: Wallington, S London (now working from home)
  • Weather Preferences: hot sunny summers to ripen the veg and cold snowy winters of course
  • Location: Wallington, S London (now working from home)

Evening all,

I've been watching the posts with interest but haven't had the chance to reply. I felt sure that we'd all get some more snow in March for our various holidays and it has finally come! We booked a week in Courchevel back in early Feb, so as you can imagine, I've had my fingers crossed for a while. We arrive on 12th, so it looks like there will be fresh snow, and maybe high temps to start with, and a chance of more snow in the week (using my amateur weather knowledge). So its t shirts and thermals weather, and don't forget to waterproof the jacket. Can't wait, got a complete beginner with us, I hope she falls in love with skiing just as I did!

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Posted
  • Location: Hadleigh, Suffolk
  • Weather Preferences: An Alpine climate - snowy winters and sunny summers
  • Location: Hadleigh, Suffolk

I'm off to Val Cenis in the morning and it's a very snowy outlook through to Tuesday next week. It might be an interesting final leg up to the village on Saturday with 14 cms forecast for the village that day. Snow chains at the ready!

And when you're packed and ready for a skiing trip to the Alps, it brings a smile to your face when you watch the BBC Weather forecast and the Jay Wynne puts up a graphic for the Alps and talks about how much snow is forecast for the coming weekend! :)

58b88035093cc_AlpsSnowfallBBCWeather.thumb.jpg.9fcf25d87d9f9873ec5896481b7d84ac.jpg

But unfortunately the snowy conditions have also raised the avalanche risk. Today there was an avalanche in the Val Cenis ski area, triggered by an off-piste skier. He was saved by the air bags he inflated as he got swept down the slope and got away with leg and rib injuries. But sadly 3 people have been killed and 5 injured in another avalanche in Courmayeur this afternoon. So for anyone thinking of venturing off-piste at the moment - take great care.

Hopefully I'll post some on-the-ground reports and photos during the coming week.

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Posted
  • Location: Wallington, S London (now working from home)
  • Weather Preferences: hot sunny summers to ripen the veg and cold snowy winters of course
  • Location: Wallington, S London (now working from home)

That's a perfect pre ski holiday weather forecast! Sad news about more avalanche deaths, I've not really ventured off piste yet, but it seems you don't have to go far to be at risk, the Tignes avalanche was just behind the hotel we stayed in at Christmas not actally far from the pistes

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Posted
  • Location: Shoeburyness, SE Essex
  • Weather Preferences: Cool clear sunny weather all year.
  • Location: Shoeburyness, SE Essex

Plenty of snow forecast for the French and Swiss resorts over the next week, even lowly Les Gets looks like over 60cm.
Slightly worrying where we are going later in month in Austria hardly a few cm but coldish though.
Is it really not going to snow in Austria.

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Posted
  • Location: Aviemore
  • Location: Aviemore

Looking great in Avoriaz today. Which incidentally is a great spot to go to - some cracking runs and access into Switzerland for some cross border ski/snowboarding - inc the famous 'wall'. For those wanting a hidden gem or two, if you like it pretty quiet but right on the slopes, there are a few chalets in Ardent, which is the best way into Avoriaz as the Gondola takes you straight up to Lindarets bowl.  For those who don't mind being a bit further out and what a few pubs/restaurants nearby, try St Jean D'Aulps, which is 10-15 mins from Morzine, Les Gets and Avoriaz (via Ardent). It's a nice village which has it's own small (unlinked) ski area which is very good for avoiding crowds on busy days, and is a lot cheaper than staying in town or in Avoriaz itself.

 

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Posted
  • Location: Hadleigh, Suffolk
  • Weather Preferences: An Alpine climate - snowy winters and sunny summers
  • Location: Hadleigh, Suffolk

I'm in Val Cenis with 3 friends and after a fabulous morning's skiing me we've just come off the slopes as the light has gone flat with the arrival of heavy snow. So far the weather seems to be doing it's own thing and ignoring the scripts from weather organisations including UK Met Office and Meteo France through to GFS and Arpege models!!

It was forecast to be snow all day Saturday with up to 17 cms, but when we arrived it was very light snow which soon stopped to leave just a dusting in the village. Overnight the forecast snow didn't arrive and this morning it was clear and frosty. Although the snow has finally arrived this afternoon, this morning provided almost perfect skiing conditions with superb snow (soft and grippy) and clear blue skies. Certainly here, any piste above around 1,650m is in great shape. But the avalanche risk is VERY high with a grading of 4 out of 5. The avalanche cannons were booming away first thing this morning.

So the current moderate to heavy snowfall is meant to continue for much of the next 24 hours giving over 50 cms at mid-mountain (2,100m) - but we shall see how accurate that is!

A few photos from this morning, and one from our apartment balcony this afternoon, looking onto the nursery slope through heavy snow.

58bc2c39325bd_ValCenisMichelJacobRedDay1.thumb.jpg.2e95c5098b7e93e28767a6aba81c2fbf.jpg58bc2c4d83516_ValCenisRefuge2Day1.thumb.jpg.695d77f8a792a346416a0819cc32af03.jpg58bc2c5fafce9_ValCenisPisteFrontDay1.thumb.jpg.903a4a19e9f8afca5eae79248fe37f33.jpg

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Posted
  • Location: Shoeburyness, SE Essex
  • Weather Preferences: Cool clear sunny weather all year.
  • Location: Shoeburyness, SE Essex
42 minutes ago, Blessed Weather said:

I'm in Val Cenis with 3 friends and after a fabulous morning's skiing me we've just come off the slopes as the light has gone flat with the arrival of heavy snow. So far the weather seems to be doing it's own thing and ignoring the scripts from weather organisations including UK Met Office and Meteo France through to GFS and Arpege models!!

It was forecast to be snow all day Saturday with up to 17 cms, but when we arrived it was very light snow which soon stopped to leave just a dusting in the village. Overnight the forecast snow didn't arrive and this morning it was clear and frosty. Although the snow has finally arrived this afternoon, this morning provided almost perfect skiing conditions with superb snow (soft and grippy) and clear blue skies. Certainly here, any piste above around 1,650m is in great shape. But the avalanche risk is VERY high with a grading of 4 out of 5. The avalanche cannons were booming away first thing this morning.

So the current moderate to heavy snowfall is meant to continue for much of the next 24 hours giving over 50 cms at mid-mountain (2,100m) - but we shall see how accurate that is!

A few photos from this morning, and one from our apartment balcony this afternoon, looking onto the nursery slope through heavy snow.

58bc2c39325bd_ValCenisMichelJacobRedDay1.thumb.jpg.2e95c5098b7e93e28767a6aba81c2fbf.jpg58bc2c4d83516_ValCenisRefuge2Day1.thumb.jpg.695d77f8a792a346416a0819cc32af03.jpg58bc2c5fafce9_ValCenisPisteFrontDay1.thumb.jpg.903a4a19e9f8afca5eae79248fe37f33.jpg

Looking pretty empty there, that 1st pic looks lovely.

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Posted
  • Location: Hadleigh, Suffolk
  • Weather Preferences: An Alpine climate - snowy winters and sunny summers
  • Location: Hadleigh, Suffolk
4 hours ago, seaside 60 said:

Looking pretty empty there, that 1st pic looks lovely.

Yes, exceptionally quiet on the pistes today. Usually it's busy on a Sunday as you get weekend skiers from local towns in France, plus a fair contingent coming over from Italy. We reckon they all read the forecasts of heavy snow and stayed in bed!!

It's still snowing very nicely this evening, so maybe the forecasts of a good fall are finally coming right! :)

A photo of Lanslevillard 'old town' this evening (where we stay). Lanslevillard at 1,450m is one of several small villages that make up the resort of Val Cenis.

58bc7d6c6cd9a_ValCenisLanslevillardDay1.thumb.jpg.3707e6d990a9e962de62d6c46756b5ab.jpg

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Posted
  • Location: Machen, Caerphilly, 80m asl.
  • Location: Machen, Caerphilly, 80m asl.
On ‎05‎/‎03‎/‎2017 at 21:08, Blessed Weather said:

Yes, exceptionally quiet on the pistes today. Usually it's busy on a Sunday as you get weekend skiers from local towns in France, plus a fair contingent coming over from Italy. We reckon they all read the forecasts of heavy snow and stayed in bed!!

It's still snowing very nicely this evening, so maybe the forecasts of a good fall are finally coming right! :)

A photo of Lanslevillard 'old town' this evening (where we stay). Lanslevillard at 1,450m is one of several small villages that make up the resort of Val Cenis.

58bc7d6c6cd9a_ValCenisLanslevillardDay1.thumb.jpg.3707e6d990a9e962de62d6c46756b5ab.jpg

How's today's storm developing there Malcolm? My friend who is living in Les Arcs has reported an almighty dumping with thunder snow! Radar looks interesting!

 

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Posted
  • Location: Hadleigh, Suffolk
  • Weather Preferences: An Alpine climate - snowy winters and sunny summers
  • Location: Hadleigh, Suffolk

It's been an absolute incredible day in this part of the Alps @gareth moo. A real treat for a weather loving, mountain loving addict like me!! It's now 24 hours since my last post and this evening (Monday) it's still snowing heavily. It has eased from time to time, but the totals predicted of 50 cms to 100 cms are now looking spot-on. I would estimate depths this evening of 20 cms plus in the village and at least 50 cms plus at mid-mountain (2,100m). No idea about the top (2,800m) as that's been closed all day with none of the higher chair lifts running. And the snow isn't forecast to stop until tomorrow morning.

From lunch-time through to late afternoon the wind became gusty and the snow lying on all the trees kept getting blown off in great clouds of swirling snow. We even watched a mini whirlwind blowing across the piste this afternoon. The temp in the village (1,450m) rose slightly above freezing around the middle of the day, but this evening is down to -3C and the wind is now howling outside, drifting the snow. Temps tomorrow are set to stay sub-zero. The locals this evening described the avalanche risk as "dangerous".

Skiing wasn't very enjoyable though, as it was a constant job to wipe the snow off of goggles and see where you were going. So we gave up, had a long lunch and didn't bother trying again this afternoon.

Here's a selection of photos. A couple from the village, including a coach that skidded on a horseshoe bend and blocked the road. If it had left the road the river was a 100m drop below! One from the telecabin window and a lovely touch from the lift operators at the top who had built two little snowmen to stand and greet each car as it arrived. :) Next, one of the telecabin arrival station with deep snow on the left of the pic. Then a race 'finish line' hut on one of the red runs, and lastly a squall hitting the mountain restaurant terrace with blowing snow.

58bdd12aeca77_ValCenisvillageDay2.thumb.jpg.7643f3d0e3372c1a3cc2a6b36f6c09c4.jpg58bdd143e6165_ValCenisCoachDay2.thumb.jpg.dec564bb164f0f472b9d20f394677b9b.jpg58bdd24b74ac4_ValCenispomaDay2.thumb.jpg.c8aa94cb3f03e885f1dded613ed5f03d.jpg58bdd2780160c_ValCenissnowmenDay2.thumb.jpg.e3999557413c1c0e0a53079b12445867.jpg58bdd2827f11e_ValCenispomastationDay2.thumb.jpg.69862109106b2e35c4e2654139e662bb.jpg58bdd29171ec5_ValCenisracehutDay2.thumb.jpg.3018eee7e52405a53f0405dfa3b85cb3.jpg58bdd2e9efec7_ValCenisLaFemaDay2.thumb.jpg.2b89ea202948ae32fda6898d9a98aee8.jpg

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Posted
  • Location: Machen, Caerphilly, 80m asl.
  • Location: Machen, Caerphilly, 80m asl.

Thanks for the update. Looks amazing. Hope the sun shines for you later in the week but stay safe. I would expect avalanche warning upgrades to level 5 tomorrow!!

 

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Posted
  • Location: Shoeburyness, SE Essex
  • Weather Preferences: Cool clear sunny weather all year.
  • Location: Shoeburyness, SE Essex

Well this morning the temp forecast has well change for Austria this week coming.

No where near as warm as expected well it could change back...

Good to see it wrong over there as well as here...

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Another great post by Blessed Weather. It's days like those that make up for the plus 10 degrees and not a snow flake weeks we all have encountered from time to time on our trips to the Alps over the years ( decades). Of course the downside can be the terrible news coming through from Tignes again. It appears this avalanche may have hit ' on piste'. Truely dreadful.

it looks like a number of areas have had a lot of snow thus increasing the avalanche danger.

Latest from Zermatt is that there has been some 30-40 cms of new snow in the village in the last few days and around 60-70cms plus further up the mountain. I had a look on the webcams this morning and it does look very snowy. One thing I find impressive in Zermatt is how quickly they clear up after a heavy snowfall in the town. I've been there when the main centre has been totally cleared but 100m out of the town centre it's knee deep!

Edited by Betleyblizud
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Posted
  • Location: Wallington, S London (now working from home)
  • Weather Preferences: hot sunny summers to ripen the veg and cold snowy winters of course
  • Location: Wallington, S London (now working from home)

Those pics from Val Cenis are fantastic , love the snowmen but not keen on the coach story, I was a bit concerned about arriving at Chambéry on Sunday to a snowstorm, and a tricky transfer, but in the latest forecasts, it seems to have disappeared. The current snow is great for all the resorts and will hopefully last until Easter and beyond

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Posted
  • Location: Aviemore
  • Location: Aviemore

Our first set of ski resort guides are online:

Whistler, Canada
Bansko, Bulgaria
Grandvalira, Andorra

Hopefully they're a good and useful read!

Next up we have La Plagne, St. Anton and Verbier, please shout if there's a resort you'd like to see given a guide - or if you'd like to write a guide for a resort you know well. 

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Posted
  • Location: Surbiton, Surrey (home), Uxbridge, Middx (work)
  • Location: Surbiton, Surrey (home), Uxbridge, Middx (work)
15 hours ago, gareth moo said:

How's today's storm developing there Malcolm? My friend who is living in Les Arcs has reported an almighty dumping with thunder snow! Radar looks interesting!

 

When I looked at the Les Arcs webcam yesterday, I thought my laptop screen was broken or the camera in the resort! As Malcolm described at his location, there were clouds of swirly snow everywhere dragging big puffs of the white stuff from the roofs and trees; not much of a day for skiing though by the looks and sounds of it. It is still snowing there this afternoon. Out of interest, is Les Arcs worth visiting out of season do you know? Was thinking of taking the train from London when it is a little less busy but not sure if it closes down completely.

Edited by Reefseeker
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Posted
  • Location: Hadleigh, Suffolk
  • Weather Preferences: An Alpine climate - snowy winters and sunny summers
  • Location: Hadleigh, Suffolk

Another day of almost constant snowfall, albeit mainly light, occasionally moderate, that has finally stopped this evening with the moon poking through the fragmenting cloud.  But what a frustrating day for skiing!! Overnight last night there was an avalanche that swept down and into the top of a key six-man chair up the mountain - one of the 3 main ways to get above the tree line here for onward lifts to the higher slopes. As a consequence they didn't open the other key six-man chair today (or indeed any higher lifts) no doubt as the risk was too high. This left only the small telecabin (6 person) as the only way up to mid-mountain, so there were very long queues. Choice of pistes was very limited too, with (at a guess) only 20% open.  

But of course, moans aside, the good news was that the avalanche that's taken out the six-man chair happened at night, so no-one was hurt. I'm told it's unlikely the chairlift will be back in action tomorrow as they need to dig out the arrival point and check no damage was incurred. However the resort hopes to open most other lifts.

And it was very good to hear that no-one was injured by the avalanche at Tignes.

Happily, despite the frustrations of the day, there was a great atmosphere in the main bar on the piste front this evening, and tonight was the flood-lit luge tobogganing down the nursery slope and inner tube 'ski-jumping' down a shute onto an inflatable landing bag - great fun for the families and kids. :)

Flood-lit tobagganing kicking off this evening: 58bf2ee86c09a_ValCenisLugeNight1.thumb.jpg.614d5f16f4e705f930a7e9fed212dbe8.jpg

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Posted
  • Location: Hadleigh, Suffolk
  • Weather Preferences: An Alpine climate - snowy winters and sunny summers
  • Location: Hadleigh, Suffolk

Blue sky this morning!!! :yahoo:

Avalanche cannons have been booming away from first light and clearly the resort is taking no chances as we've been watching a helicopter flying around the mountain also dropping explosives onto any area that might pose an avalanche risk. But it's looking promising - hopefully most areas of the mountain will be open today. 

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Posted
  • Location: Machen, Caerphilly, 80m asl.
  • Location: Machen, Caerphilly, 80m asl.
3 hours ago, Blessed Weather said:

Blue sky this morning!!! :yahoo:

Avalanche cannons have been booming away from first light and clearly the resort is taking no chances as we've been watching a helicopter flying around the mountain also dropping explosives onto any area that might pose an avalanche risk. But it's looking promising - hopefully most areas of the mountain will be open today. 

Jealous! x100.

Remember what's always socially acceptable -  "No friends on a powder day!"

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