Weekend: Groomer Alert, where to go?

A nice Genoa-low morning causes significant snowfall in parts of the (Southern) Alps on this Friday. Snowfall that will last the whole day and bring half a meter of fresh snow locally. Outliers where they'll even get more snow can be found in the high alpine around the Ortler (Italy, Passo Stelvio and Sulden am Ortler), the Bernina (Diavolezza), the Monte Rosa and Simplon (Alagna, San Domenico and Bosco Gurin), the Gotthard (Airolo and Andermatt, the Dolomites (Cortina d'Ampezzo) and the south side of the Hohe Tauern (Mölltaler gletscher.

This snowfall was already announced in the video forecast from last Wednesday.

Today's Genoa-low is already the third storm this SNOWvember that brings significant snow. The low-pressure area above the Gulf of Genoa pushes moist and relatively cold air into the Alps from the south. The snow line is around 1200 to 1600 meters, but even much lower locally, such as on the south side of the Gotthard tunnel where traffic has to deal with some snowfall. Today it is still snowing on the south side of the Alps, with precipitation also extending over the main alpine ridge locally and providing significant snowfall in the high alpine of Engelberg and the peaks around the Swiss Sustenpass. This morning's webcam images say it all.

The sun will come out after the snowfall on Friday and Saturday (afternoon) and Sunday will be wonderful days on the glacier slopes. Without any knowledge of the backcountry, its dangers and the local terrain I would really stick to the groomers. What the video above also shows is that we are really only at the beginning of the winter. The snow cover is still on the thin side in many places. So early in the season it is not only about what is coming down from the sky, but also what is already there. Riding in the backcountry in the high alpine (even with 100 cm of fresh snow) without a base is a one-way ticket to the hospital. 30 cm on a base is a different story, but we'll have to patient before we'll get there.

Most of the snow has fallen so far mainly in the Ortler region (Passo Stelvio and [Sulden am Ortler](https:// wepowder.com/en/sulden-solda#madritsch)) this fall. Also around the Piz Bernina, Tignes and the Hohe Tauern, the snow cover is quite okay. You can find the best snow this weekend in Sulden am Ortler (they open on Saturday) and the Stelvio. Excellent conditions can also be found on the glaciers of Tignes and the Mölltaler glacier. On the north side of the main alpine ridge it is also great to ride on the glaciers of the Stubaital, Pitztal, Sölden and the Kitzsteinhorn in Kaprun. The last four areas didn't get the most snow, but the slopes were already in good shape.

Am I going myself? During this period of the year I (rarely) go out myself. I prefer to ride off the slopes. The snow cover there is still too thin, the navigation complex and therefore too much hassle and risky. But if I went, it would be the areas mentioned above, where I have a slight preference for the Stelvio, Sulden and the Mölltaler glacier. Best conditions, most fresh snow and given the wind direction less wind than on the north side of the Alps.

But again .... it's pre-season. Take it easy. The winter is still long.

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Stay stoked, Morris