Yes, this picture is from this morning!
We’ll proceed in this article where we ended yesterday and the day before yesterday. The storm isn’t that strong anymore in the Alps and it’s time to have a look at the conditions at the moment. How much snow came down? Are the any lifts open? Where can you find the best conditions? We’ll post updates all day! And your help is more than welcome. Post you pictures, live reports, links, powdersprays and everything else you think is relevant in the comments of this article. This will give you a good overview of the dump and we’re helping the riders that are on their way to the Alps with relevant information. Thanks!
24/10 16.44 Powder images
Slowly but surely the first videos of the season are getting in. Like the one Mitch Tölderer shot yesterday. Or the one that Markus Hahn shot in Lech. It’s deep!
24/10 15.42 The first powder turns of the season are coming in!
The first powder shots are coming in. And man, we are jealous! What a nice shots! And in our office? Rain is coming down…Grrrrr… @RP Thanks for the stoke!
24/10 14.04 A fairtytale in Tirol
Check out the images below. Unreal conditions and views at the end of October at the Höttinger Alm!
24/10 11.51 snow in Mayrhofen
Open the lifts! It’s winter in Mayrhofen!
24/10 10.47 The glaciers in Austria are open!
Wow! Have a look at the images below! What a difference with the beginning of this week when we were looking at blue ice! The powder is deep and it is cold. Perfect conditions in the northern Alps. If we take a look at the southern Alps you can spot easily what the wind has done on the Mölltaler Glacier (last image).
24/10 8.31 wePowder riders are ready!
wePowder community members Roelaano and Tim are ready to rock 'n roll in Hintertux. It’s still cloudy in the valley, but the sun is shining in the higher alpine. They’ll have to be quick, before all the slopes will be groomed!
24/10 8.30 More lifts will open this weekend
After Kitzbühel and Planai, Loser will open a lift as well this weekend. That’s already the third area without a glacier to open. How about Obertauern and Tauplitz? Will they open as well?
24/10 7.59 Webcams in the Alps
The webcams below say it all. The sun comes out in the Vorarlberg.
A look at the snowmaps in Austria show that there’s more snow in Austria at the moment than the entire winter of 13/14. A chat with some friends from the southern Alps lead to the following conclusion: ‘It’s wonderful to see the season kick off with some words that almost left our vocabulary last time around, “Nordstau” ….unbelievable’ When you live north of the Alps, a northern Stau has simply more impact than a southern Stau. Pronounce the word a couple of times…Nordstau, Northern Stau. It’s impressive, adventurous and intimidating.
Will this snow last?
Is this snow too early? Ask this to anyone who works in the snow business and the answer is ‘no’, but if you ask me, the answer is yes. It’s only October the 24th. Last season the first snow came down only twelve days earlier and that resulted in this video from Hintertux and the Kaunertal.
Snow in October, or OcPowber, as we tend to call it, is not a guarantee for lots of snow with the start of the season. We’re only one month in Autumn and the days before the dump were too warm. Too warm to let the snow from this dump last till winter in the lower and mid-alpine. Don’t forget that the temperatures were as high as 15-20 degrees the days (even the hours) before the dump. There’s a huge difference between the temperature of the snow and the temperature of the surface. The warm surface will affect the snow from below.
The next two weeks will be warm in the Alps again. The jet stream will be around Scandinavia and drop warm air in the Alps. The freezing level will go up to 2800 meters this weekend and even higher after the weekend. Warm air from above and below. Not. Good.
Especially because the sun can radiate right into the snow cover. The angle in which the sun rays are hitting the snow is the same as the beginning of March. We’ll have to deal with this weather the next two weeks.
Let’s stay positive
Let’s stay positive. Warm dry air doesn’t affect the snow as much as warm wet air. Which is pretty good news for the north faces (that don’t have to suffer from direct radiation from the sun). And the other good thing is that we’ll have clear nights. The snow cover is able to loose its heat during the night. That combination of dry air and clear night will probably make sure that the snow that’s now at northern faces above 2000 meters will make it to winter. Let’s hope for freshies as soon as it gets colder again, otherwise this might be a very bad base to start the winter. But hey, let’s enjoy the snowfall for now! Winter has started!
Up to the glaciers?
Yes, the sun is out today and the temperature will rise fast. This is the time for your first powder turns. But watch out. The powder is appealing, but crevasses are waiting for you just next to the groomers. Don’t leave the marked runs! If you want to ride in a resort without a glacier, than Planai, Kitzbühel and Loser will have some lifts open this weekend.
Crevasses are waiting for you next to the marked runs
Stay stoked
Morris