PowderAlert #22 is ON for the southern Alps. There’s fresh blower pow in the southern Alps, while it’s more and more searching (or actually hiking) for powder in the west and the north. The low pressure area Thomas is loosing its grip on the Italians Alps, but dropped another 20-40 centimeters in the stau regions of the Monte Rosa, Gran Paradiso and Mt. Viso during the night of Monday to Tuesday. PowderAlert #22 is for the southern Alps and this might just be one of the best alerts for the southern Alps this winter!
Considerable to high avalanche danger
The southern Alps got around 50-120 centimeters since the beginning of this PowderAlert and that causes the avalanches danger to rise to 3 (considerable) of even 4 (high). The situation still is pretty tense (especially above the treeline). But finally there’s a lot of powder and with all the larches the riding will be just mind-blowing the next couple of days. It was deep again on Monday and not crowded at all in the family resorts.
The situation is quite different in the western and northern Alps. They only got 5-20 centimeters. This snow is already tracked, especially close to the slopes. It’s getting harder and harder to find powder in the well-known freeride temples such as St. Anton, Chamonix and Verbier. Time to say your prayers somewhere else! The smaller resorts that are focussing on families, still have enough powder that you can reach with only a twenty minute hike (well, fifteen if you’re in good shape), as you could see on the Powfinder reports.
The south will be on the next couple of days!
Thomas is moving east and the snowfall is leaving with him, but the south will still be on like Donkey Kong the next couple of days. And this is just the right time to add some powderdays to your season total! Another 70 days and winter is over, so don’t forget to go out there! And what is better than larches, deep powder, less powderstress and good food?
Some centimeters in the north east
You can expect around 2-15 centimeters in the northstau regions of the Steiermark. There will be some freshies for the south and winter is losing its grip on the Alps after that.
Powder advice
Tuesday: Piemonte (southern Alps west), southern Alps central and southern Alps east
Wednesday: Piemonte (southern Alps west), southern Alps central and southern Alps east
Thursday: Piemonte (southern Alps west), southern Alps central and southern Alps east
Friday: Piemonte (southern Alps west), southern Alps central and southern Alps east
Long term
The first weekend of March wil be pretty important. It will probably mark the change from winter to spring. February was cold with lots of snowfall, but March just might be warm. The distribution of pressure that determines the weather in the Alps is about to change. This weekend might be cold in the far east of the Alps with possibly some snow, but warmer air is waiting in the west to move into the Alps This will mean that the temperatures will rise around 10-15 degrees the next ten days and that the cold air will disappear in the first mountains of the Alps for sure. Winter will hold in the inneralpine areas, because the colder air just can’t be moved like that in those regions! I expect the most snow in the week of 5-11 March in the southwestern stau regions, while the föhn will kick in in the rest of the Alps. It will be over with cold temperatures in the Alps by then!
If you want to enjoy cold smoke blower pow deep into the valleys, go out there the next couple of days! You’ll have to prepare yourself for the last part of the winter by next week. This will mean that we’ll have to ride more and more powder in the higher alpine areas and less and less in the trees. This doesn’t mean that the treeruns are over (there’s a solid base and the snow will stay in good condition on slopes with a northern exposure), but time is ticking! Enjoy winter when you can and prepare for the final part of winter with couloirs, steeper terrain and different kinds of snow!
Stay stoked
Morris