I was walking on the beach this morning and you could feel that summer was on its way. Sun, some nice temperatures and some surf. This is the moment for me that marks my transition from winter to the beginning of spring. Moving from tree runs to couloirs and big mountain lines. I’ve had a fair share of pillow lines, found waist-deep powder in the southern Alps and didn’t see that much sun in all the storms.
PowderAlert #19…it’s snowing
As expected, PowderAlert #19 is bringing snow to the Alps right now. It’s not really deep, but you can still manage to ride some powder in the western and northwestern regions of the Alps. Every flake counts and does it get any better than to get out there and find your own line?
The picture above came in through the PowderQuest app and is showing why this time of the year is so nice. The sun is coming out more often and you can still find plenty of powder everywhere, if you’re willing to search and hike for it. It’s for a reason that ski touring and split boarding are growing and growing. Pretty much all the PowderAlerts had some disclaimers, like high winds, snowfall, unstable snow cover and that’s pretty much the case this weekend. The complete Alps can expect some snow. But first, let’s enjoy the freshies from today and the sunshine tomorrow. A new front is kicking in on Friday.
Powder advice for the weekend
-
Western Alps central (especially the first Alps)
-
Northern Alps west(everything west of Engelberg and Andermatt)
-
Southern Alps central (between San Bernadino and Sulden am Ortler)
PowderAlert #20
I was already writing on Monday ‘But a Genua-low has the tradition to move back and forth before it reaches its exact location’. Sometimes, weather models have a lot in common with stock exchanges and then it’s a good decision to just see what will happen. The weather models are more consistent right now, so hereby a forecast. More details tomorrow.
This is the scenario: a new low pressure area is passing on Friday from the west of the Alps. You can expect lots of snow in the French Alps and the west of Switzerland. This snowfall will expand to the southern Alps in the night from Friday to Saturday. More snow from the northwest from Grenoble to Dachstein on Sunday. It’s hard to predict the centimeters, but I see a scenario happening where it will snow in the entire Alps.
More details tomorrow,
Morris