PA#9: the Nordstau is coming!

Wednesday and Thursday were powder days. Like the old days. It was old-fashioned cold, the snow fluffy and my social lines on facebook and insta got filled with jealous making powder shots. I could enjoy your thick powder sprays while I was returning from Canada. Unfortunatelt the upcoming weekend will be mild, but from Tuesday the cold smoke powder machine will start up again so that PA#9 will even be better than #8. In this article:

• PA#8: the balance
• Mild weekend
• Sunday very mild with snow line temporarily > 2300 meters
• Monday high alpine powder day
• From Tuesday: the Nordstau
• Wednesday and Thursday deep powder days

PA # 8: the balance

Wednesday and Thursday were wonderful powder days. The planned 70-100 cm fell in the hotspots, while other parts of the Northern and Western Alps got up to 50 cm. Wednesday was old-fashioned cold with wonderful treeruns and ditto cliffs. Finally a powder day as you may expect in January.

On Thursday the sun came through and the early birds were rewarded with fresh powder, blue bird and undisturbed slopes. But during the afternoon it quickly became milder.

In the night to Friday it started snowing in the northwest with the snow line in the northwest of the Alps going towards the 1900-2200 meters. The prelude to a mild weekend.

Mild weekend

During the next 48 hours, two fronts will pass that will immediately get us out of our winter rush. Saturday will start sunny, but soon a front will follow from the west. Above 2,000 meters there will be 2-15 cm. Extremer is the front that follows Sunday. Below the snow map for Sunday.

Only the higher peaks are colored wich means that it will rain on low and mid mountain level. Snow will only fall above 2000 meters and the snow line in western Switzerland and the French Northern Alps can even go up temporarily to 2400 meters. You may expect 10-30 cm of snow above 2000 meters and locally 40-60 cm of fresh above 2400 meters.

High alpine powder day on Monday

On Monday the sun returns under the influence of a temporary ridge of high pressure. With fresh snow above 2400 meters it will be a fun powder day on the highest peaks. Consider the highest lifts in areas such as Val Thorens, Tignes-Val d’Isère, Courmayuer, Chamonix, Vebier, Engelberg, Andermatt and Zermatt. Watch out for the sun! Monday is unprecedentedly mild and the combination of sun and high temperatures will cause avalanches.

From Tuesday: the Noordstau

rom Tuesday the cold smoke powder machine will start up again. The upper air flow becomes north-west to north and Polar air finds its way to the Alps. The snow line then drops rapidly from 2000 meters to deep in the valley and it starts snowing heavily. On Tuesday most snow in the northwest (count on 40-70 cm in the hotspots), on Wednesday in the northern stau of Austria (count here also on 40-70 cm in the hotspots). In short, it’s going to get deep. (Check our snow maps for all details)

PA#9: Deep powder days on Wednesdays and Thursdays

It will be on as of Tuesday in the northwest. From the early morning hours (timing of the front can still change) the powder snorkel can be set up and during the day the snow spreads to the east. On Wednesday it continues to snow nice in Austria and eastern Switzerland. Thursday, according to current calculations, the sun should come through again with an increase in temperature.

PA#9: where to go?

In my next update I will give you all the details about where to go. You may expect it around lunch time on Sunday, but you can already block space in your agenda for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. It’s going to be some deep days. Do you want to miss anything? Then follow me on facebook and insta and you will be the first to know where to go!

Sunday my new update! Questions already? Shoot!
Morris