It started snowing in Chamonix in the afternoon yesterday. Right now we can tell how much snow has fallen. PowderAlert #13 is doing its job! It’s pretty cold snow, the temperature of the air is dropping rapidly and the wind is still pretty quiet. The next couple of days are going to be deep. But….You have to be in the right spot!
The reports on Powfinder are in line with the automized weather stations in the Alps. The resorts north of the Swiss northern alpine ridge (see the map below), Vorarlberg (including the Kleinwalsertal, Bregenzerwald and the Arlberg), the Tiroler northern Alps, the Kitzbüheler Alps, the Aravis, Chablais, the Haute Savoie, the Bauges, Beaufortain and Tarentaise, the Savoie, Chartreuse, Belledone and the Isère, they are all reporting freshies between 20 and 37 centimeters. And it’s still snowing! The snow is focusing (as forecasted) on the first mountains in the western Alps and northern Alps. If you go deeper into the Alps, the amount of freshies will become less and less. Same thing when you’re heading east (Salzburgerland and Steiermark) or south (French southern Alps). They got either nothing or a maximum of ten centimeters. The southern Alps got nothing, due to the föhn.
Short term
It’s snowing heavily today in the first resorts of the western Alps central, western Alps north, northern Alps west and the northern Alps central. Expect another 20-35 centimeters, reaching around 50 centimeters of freshies on Saturday morning. Fifty centimeters of dry powder. Time for faceshots!
Saturday
Saturday Freshies and sun! Saturday will start sunny everywhere and in most parts of the Alps it will be sunny most of the day. The first clouds are coming in in the French Alps during the afternoon. And that’s an indication that PowderAlert #13 isn’t over yet!
Advice for Saturday
It will be sunny, so you can pick your favourite resort in the pre-Alps of the:
Don’t go too deep into the Alps. The closer you get to the main alpine ridge, the less freshies you will get.
Sunday
Expect more snow in the French southern Alps during the night from Saturday to Sunday. A Genua-layer is developing and that will bring snow to the southern Alps. Expect 10-25 centimeters in the southern Alps, but the real dump will follow on Monday and Tuesday.
PowderAlert #14 is starting Monday
The PowderAlert for the southern Alps is starting on Monday. An update will be published on Sunday with all the details. But first it’s time to enjoy this powder! Ride safe!
Stay stoked
Morris