A new storm will hit the Alps on Wednesday!

A new storm will hit the Alps on Wednesday!

Around 10-30 cm of freshies came down in the French Alps on Thursday. It stopped snowing locally in the northern Alps. It was the prelude to a northern Stau that started on Friday. The sun came out in France on Friday (check out the amazing pictures), but it started snowing again in the northern Alps. This northern Stau will last until Sunday. The sun will come out again on Monday, but a new storm will kick in on Wednesday. We can get ready for PowderAlert #6. It’s time to hit the Alps! In this forecast:

  • Northern Stau until Sunday
  • Powder advice until Tuesday
  • A new storm will hit the Alps on Wednesday

Northern Stau until Sunday

It’s been a while since there’s been a northern current on the maps. It’s quite unique so far this winter and it took me some time to realise it was actually going to happen!

Sunshine and freshies in Paradiski on Friday
Sunshine and freshies in Paradiski on Friday
Lots of freshies in Lech
Lots of freshies in Lech
and in the Bregenzerwald
and in the Bregenzerwald
the sun came out in Gargellen on Friday
the sun came out in Gargellen on Friday

It will start snowing again in the northern Alps in the night to Saturday and it will keep on snowing until Sunday. The Arlberg, the resorts in the east of Switzerland and regions close to Germany like the Tannheimertal will hit the jackpot. The wind will mainly come from the north and the will result in a lot of fresh snow in typical powder magnets like St. Anton am Arlberg. And it will probably be more than our snow maps indicate. I expect half a meter of freshies and locally even more in the ‘Schneelochs’ as they call powder magnets in German. The more to the main alpine ridge, the less snow will come down. The air is pretty cold, so most of the moisture already came down as snow the moment they hit the Alps. The sun will come out on Monday everywhere, but it will start snowing again on Tuesday afternoon.

Powder advice until Tuesday

Happy hunting! The powder advice doesn’t differ from yesterday. Choose resorts with trees between 1200 and 2100 meters and with a decent base and you’ll have some great days. And if you’d ask me, I would avoid the steep slopes and big faces above the 2200 meter. Leave those slopes to the avalanche dummies. This is the powder chase the next couple of days:

A new storm will hit the Alps on Wednesday

A new storm will hit the Alps on Wednesday. And a new storm means new opportunities. It’s already visible on the snow maps. It’s too early for details. Sometimes the low pressure area bursts through the high pressure blockage in the Alps, it’s less powerful in the next run. We’ll see what happens the next couple of days.

Test your knowledge about avalanches and snow safety for free!

The avalanche danger in the Alps is ‘Considerale’ (3 on a scale of 5) or ‘High’ (4 on a scale of 5) at the moment. More and more people venture off-piste, but not everybody has the right knowledge and the right gear. Already 15 people died because of avalanches this winter. Do you have the right knowledge to ride off-piste? Test it yourself and start with the first capital of the Mountain Academy for free! No knowledge? Stay on the marked slopes or hire a mountain guide!

Stay stoked, Morris

meteomorris

Replies

Tourist
AnonymousAuthor15 January 2016 · 18:31

hey @@meteomorris, this is my second season out here but just found this site, it’s great! So useful but I don’t know too much of the lingo/spots yet… what are some good swiss places with “trees between 1200 and 2100 meters and with a decent base” for this weekend? I’m going out of Zurich and aiming for max ~2 hours train, currently debating between Engelberg/Mürren/Laax/Andermatt.
Thanks!

Expert
meteomorrisAuthor15 January 2016 · 19:33

@@peterski Thank you.
The base in Andermatt and Laax isn’t that good yet
Basicly all resorts west of Engelberg are okay. Some ideas:
Haldigrat: http://wepowder.com/playgrounds/haldigrat\
Les Marecottes: http://wepowder.com/playgrounds/les-marecottes\
Hasliberg: http://wepowder.com/playgrounds/meiringen-hasliberg

powfinder.com
Tourist
AnonymousAuthor15 January 2016 · 20:33

Awesome, thanks for the tips!

Advanced
DWFAuthor15 January 2016 · 21:14

Serre Chevalier got some nice snow on Thursday but the skiing today was medioker due to most aspects being badly wind affected. It was all about avoiding hard packed snow and slab avalanches so it was tricky with the aspect management. I ended up skiing about 6000 vertical meters of fresh tracks today but I did take some calculated risk. Not every ones cup of tee. I dugg out two pits at east / NE facing aspects.

DWF
Tourist
AnonymousAuthor16 January 2016 · 22:27

Hi,
I’m from the united states. I’m coming out from January 23rd to the 31st. How is conditions looking for that week? Will we have very nice conditions?
Thanks
Ryan

Tourist
AnonymousAuthor16 January 2016 · 22:28

Forget to put going to chamonix

Reply
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