It seems like the jetstream roller coaster has no end. The Alps are still recovering from storm Ciara / Sabine or another storm is already on the radat. Thursday afternoon and Friday this new storm passes with snow and wind for the French Northern Alps, Switzerland and the west of Austria. Immediately after the passage of the storm the current turns to the southwest and we will have to deal with a very mild weekend. But no matter how turbulent the weather may be, powder can and will be found. But nature doesn’t make it easy for you, so better read every sentence of my forecast to find the best snow. In this article:
- The balance after two days of storm in the Alps
- Wednesday and Thursday (morning) are powder days
- A new storm between Thursday afternoon and Friday evening
- A super mild weekend
- Where to go?
The balance after two days of storm in the Alps
Rain up to 2400 meters on Monday, lots of closed lifts, gusts of wind that went locally through the 200 km/h barrier, bare-blown ridges, peaks and sometimes even completee slopes, fresh snow on Tuesday, but still a gale force winds at that time . My warning / advice from last Friday to skip Monday and Tuesday was not without reason. On meteosuisse they analyzed the wind of the past few days and it is clear that so much wind has consequences for the snow cover. “In many cases, the snow has been transported entirely from ridges and peaks.” (source: SLF). @twpayne shared the photo below with us from the Jochpass in Engelberg.
Wednesday and Thursday (morning) are powder days
But no matter how bad it was in the last 48 hours, Wednesday and Thursday morning are powder days and my advice is still the same as earlier this week:
Advice: treeruns on Wednesday and Thursday. Wednesday and Thursday there is some room for the sun. But you will find the most beautiful snow among the trees. The wind has been less powerful here and the snow is therefore of a better quality. In the somewhat denser forests, the avalanche hazard will also be less marked. Either on Wednesday and Thursday you are best off with tree runs. Most snow will fall in the east of Switzerland and the west of Austria. It is this golden triangle you will find the best and safest conditions among the trees. In the other areas you can also find some nice tree runs, but less snow will fall here so that you will feel the hard bottom layer more often. Above the tree line it immediately becomes a lot more critical. Check your local avalanche message and adjust your plans accordingly.
And as forecasted: since Monday there has been a 20-40 cm fall in the Eastern Switzerland, north of Graubunden and in Vorarlberg, with locally up to 60 cm. Therefore it will be excellent powder riding here today.
A new storm between Thursday afternoon and Friday evening
Wednesday and Thursday morning there is room for the sun. Wednesday in particular in the west of the Alps, on Thursday mainly in Austria. It is getting milder as a new storm is moving in and the wind is increasing.
In the course of Thursday afternoon, storm Dennis/Tomris will enter France. The warm front is expected at the Jura around noon and will move in later into the French northern Alps and the west of Switzerland. The snow line is initially around 1500-1700 meters, but drops towards 1000 meters during Thursday afternoon and evening.
Later in the afternoon the precipitation expands to the east of Switzerland and the west of Austria. Snow line will also be here around 1500 meters at first and will drop to 1000 meters later on. The following amounts of snow are expected until Friday.
Be aware: the wind will pick up again. Particularly on Thursday. Not as destructive as the last two days but 100 km/h is still storm force. Fresh snow and wind means a lot of storm slabs, so on Friday treeruns will be the best option again.
A super mild weekend
Friday will start with snow and in Austria this may continue continue until after lunch. But from the west, mild air is flowing into the Alps. Especially north of the Alps south-westerly wind will raise the temperatures. It is certainly not inconceivable that temperatures might go up to 17 degrees (above zero!) locally.
Where to go?
- Thursday morning: treeruns in the Eastern Switzerland, the north of Graubunden and in Vorarlberg
- Friday: treeruns in Unterwallis, Eastern Switzerland, north of Graubunden, Vorarlberg and the northern Alps of the Salzburgerland.
- Saturday: same as above and carefully ride some lines above the tree line. The warming will destabilize the snow pack with extra avalanche activity as a result
- Sunday: probably too mild already
Long-term
Next week there are new storms on the program with wind, temperature yo-yos, changing snow limits and fresh snow.
A new update will be live on Friday. If you have any questions in the mean time, ask them here or via my insta or facebook channels.
Your Powfinder, Morris