#PA1: More snow?

Hurricane powder is coming down in the Alps from the 14th till the 16th of October. Former hurricane Joaquin finally made it to the Alps and the results are awesome. You can find around 30-80 centimeters of snow above 2200-2500 meters from the Grande Motte (Tignes) to the Monte Rosa in Italy and the Mölltaler Glacier in Austria. And this might be even more locally. The main alpine ridge just got its base for the rest of the winter. It will remain cold next week and there’s extra snow in the air. In this forecast you’ll find:

• 30-80 cm of freshies
• Images from the resorts that have their lifts running
• Even more snow?
• Finetuning
• Where to go?

30-60 cm of freshies

Around 30-60 centimeters of snow came down the last 72 hours. The storm depression was shifting in the Po-valley and that resulted in snowfall on the Austrian glaciers on one day and in snowfall in Tignes or the Monte Rosa on the other. Pretty much the whole main alpine ridge got some freshies, but it also resulted in windy conditions.

Images from the resorts that have their lifts running

The snow conditions on the glaciers are pretty good and you can make your first powder turns of the season. Some live images from west to east:

The glacier above the Stelvio Pass is still covered in clouds, you should check out this image of the Pass itself:

Both the Kitztsteinhorn and the Mölltaler glacier are still covered in clouds, but the sun will come out today. The sun already came out in the west, but it’s still snowing in Austria and Italy. Just in line with our snow maps. Some more snow today and the sun will come out on Saturday, before a new storm will come in on Sunday.

Even more snow?

A new storm is getting ready to hit the Alps just of the coast of Portugal. This storm made a deal with storm Steffen by sending some air from the southwest and north to Alps. This has the folowing results:

• It will be sunny on Saturday (above the clouds that will be stuck in the valleys). Later that the day the first snow will come down in the French southern Alps and south of the Gotthard.
• The Alps are sandwiched on Sunday and it pretty much snows everywhere. The sun will come out from the west later that day.
• It will still snow in the east on Monday, but the sun will still shine in the west.
• Tuesday is pretty far away, but it seems like we can expect some snow from the north.

Finetuning

Saturday will be a great day, but Sunday will be a tricky one. It will still snow in the east on Monday and there’s a chance on snow from the north on Tuesday. So, sunshine on Saturday, snowfall on Sunday and you can choose if you want to ride in the sun or with snowfall on Monday.

Where to go?

It’s still early in the season and there aren’t a lot of resorts that already have their lifts running. Check out the list below of the resorts that are open. Check out a resort for the latest and more detailed forecast and more information that comes in handy. Below a summary of what you can expect. Please keep in mind that the conditions will improve with the snow that still has to come down.

• Tignes: Already open. Great conditions above 3000 meter. There’s too little snow to ski down to Tignes Val Claret.
• Diavolezza: Is opening its lifts for the first time this season on Saturday. The slopes are okay, but the snow cover in the terrain is pretty thin (20-60 centimeters)
• Saas Fee: Great conditions. Saas Fee had a lot of snow.
• Zermatt: Great conditions on the slopes.
• Stelvio Pass: Open till November 1st. A great base and probably the best snow cover of the Alps at the moment. The glacier is pretty flat, so you might consider to go for a tour.
• Val Senales: 60 centimeter of freshies and some nice terrain. Maybe the place to be this week.
• Pitztaler Glacier: The snowfall today will improve the conditions even further. Great conditions on the slopes.
• Stubaier Glacier: The snowfall today will improve the conditions even further. Great conditions on the slopes.
• Sölden: The snowfall today will improve the conditions even further. Great conditions on the slopes.
• Hintertux: The snowfall today will improve the conditions even further. Great conditions on the slopes.
• Kaprun: The new lifts will open and they’re working their ass off to open more slopes. The slopes at high altitude are open.

Pay attention

And of course you can always drive a pass and go for a tour. Keep in mind that there was no snow at all at slopes below 2600 meter. This is not more than an early start of the winter. Don’t expect mid-winter conditions. King Winter painted everything in our favourite colour, but this doesn’t mean that you don’t have to deal with some hazards. Remember, it’s still October, so there are the typical early season warnings. Only some high altitude resorts and some glacier resorts have their lifts running. The glaciers had to deal with high temperatures this summer and the snowcover is still thin. If you’re riding on a glacier you should stick to the slopes. Please ride with your head and don’t let stoke take over.

• The rocks (sharks) are not covered by a thick snow layer yet and so the risk of getting injured or damage your gear is high.
• The summer was pretty warm and the crevasses will be right below the surface. If you ride on a glacier, ride on the slopes.
• The winter is still long and injuries, fractures etc. can ruin the rest of your winter. Don’t go full throttle.
• You can find a base here and there. This means that the first avalanches of the season are possible. The first avalanche forecast is available for Switzerland.

The next update will be on Monday. Enjoy the weekend!

Stay stoked!
Morris