Beware! The avalanche danger in most parts of the western and southern Alps is HIGH on Tuesday. We’re talking about the resorts in the following regions:
-
the French Haute savoie
-
parts of the Aosta and Piemonte
-
almost every resort in the southern Alps central
-
almost every resort in the southern Alps east
The resorts above got around 60-100 centimeters of freshies since Sunday night. Locally this has been even more and the locals in the south are talking about historic snowfall. The Serre Chevalier is experiencing a record snowfall. Lots of roads in the French southern Alps, Aosta and the Piemonte are closed, just like many lifts in the resorts. This heavy weather is moving to the southern Alps east on Monday evening.
Please keep in mind that lifts will be closed temporarily and that ski patrol will need more time than normal to secure the ski area. The avalanche danger will probably drop to ‘considerable (3 out of 5) on Wednesday and I expect more lifts to open by then. The treeruns will be really good. Anyway, ride safe and check the local avalanche bulletin daily on wePowder.com!
Some reports through powfinder on Monday
The snowfall moved into the other regions of the French Alps and the complete southern Alps (as forecasted). You’ll have to patient for the snowcover to stabilize in the western Alps and southern Alps. More lifts will open and than it’s time to rock and roll!
What’s happening in the northern Alps?
The föhn was around till Monday morning (as expected) and dropped completely after that, due to a cold front that entered from the west. I’m in Gargellen in the Austrian Montafon right now and it’s snowing here since nine o’clock in the morning. I slayed some drift snow in gullies on Sunday, everything else was wind-blown. Today we had around 5-10 centimeters of freshies in the valley and around 20 centimeters on the mountain. I avoided those gullies today, because I know they were unstable because of the drift snow from the days before.
The coming night
A cold front is passing between Monday night and Tuesday morning and that will bring around 15-35 centimeters of freshies in the French northern Alps, the Berner Oberland, Central Switzerland, the north of Graubünden and the weststau regions of the Silvretta-Arlberg. Further east they can expect 5-15 centimeters.
Conclusion: freshies for everybody!
Of course there’s kind of a difference between the 125 centimeters of freshies in the French southern Alps and the 10 centimeters of freshies in the Steiermark. But on the other hand: PowderAlert #25 deliverd freshies everywhere! And the good thing is….another 10-25 centimeters of freshies on Wednesday.
Powder Advice
Western Alps: the sun will come out on Tuesday. Snow again in the north on Wednesday.
-
_French southern Alps:_Check if the lifts are open. Stay out of the high alpine. If you chose to go out there, go for not too steep forests that aren’t below steep faces. Stay on the slopes! Avoid couloirs, gullies and open fields. If you don’t have enough knowledge, wait till Wednesday when the snow is stabilizing a bit. The best period: till Friday.
-
Western Alps central: Tuesday - Friday: Freshies till Wednesday. Go for resorts with trees.
-
Western Alps north: Tuesday - Friday: Freshies till Wednesday. Go for resorts with trees.
-
Northern Alps west: Tuesday - Friday: Freshies till Wednesday. Go for resorts with trees.
Southern Alps: the sun will come out on Tuesday. Some sun and some snow on Wednesday.
-
Southern Alps west: Tuesday - Thursday.
-
Southern Alps central: Tuesday - Thursday.
-
Southern Alps east: Tuesday - Thursday.
Northern Alps: More snow in the night of Tuesday to Wednesday. The sun will come out on Tuesday, more snow on Wednesday. Go for the Berner Oberland, Glanerland and, even better, the weststau regions of the Silvretta-Arlberg. More freshies on Wednesday!
Long term
The temperatures will go up on Thursday, but….more snow is expected for the western Alps during the weekend!
Stay stoked and ride safe!
Morris
Replies
Don’t forget the Eastern Alps. Kärnten got up to 80cm since Sunday.
@@vauban08 of course we don’t forget them. They are part of the Southern Alps East since they are south of the main Alpine Ridge. Thanks for mentioning though. Enjoy the powder today.