Powder Alert#20: Tuesday and Wednesday are powder days!

Fluffy days are here again. Storm Louie and high-pressure area Irmelin have brought the announced snow. We have seen already accumulations up to 45 cm above 2,000 meters. Snowfall may continue during the morning, but the intensity may differ from valley to valley. Sun is expected in the afternoon since high-pressure area Irmelin is advancing slowly from the west. Precipitation will taper off in Switzerland but residue clouds may cause some extra snow in the east. Wednesday will be sunny in large parts if the Alps.

Powder Alert #20

As of Wednesday high pressure will be in charge. It will get milder and the sun will be dominant. Excellent conditions to get out for a ski or splitboard tour in the morning. But the next 48 hours, Tuesday and Wednesday, will be wonderful powder days. As already announced in my last forecast, go up high (above 1900 meters) and today and Wednesday will be Powder days in the following regions:

• Central Switzerland
• Southern Vorarlberg
• the west and north of Tyrol
• the higher parts of the Salzburgerland

In particular the resorts that have enough runs in the higher alpine with northern slopes offer excellent conditions today and tomorrow. Think of the usual suspects such as Engelberg, the Arlberg and the Kitzsteinhorn, but also areas such as Elm, Ischgl, Saalbach and the Zugspitze have received significant snow. Just like last week, the best conditions can be found in Engelberg. 30-40 cm of fresh fell here overnight.

The photo below is from Tuesday last week, but I suspect that if the sun comes through this afternoon or otherwise tomorrow the conditions will be just as good as last week in Engelberg.

Go touring during the weekend

It is low season in the Alps and therefore it is not crowded at all. The sun will certainly transform the snow on the sunny slopes during the coming days, but on steep shadow slopes it will remain fluffy. The snow cover is very stable (except for the new snow that fell on Monday and Tuesday and has caused storm slabs), which offers the opportunitie to ride very steep lines. Especiallly until Friday you can shred great lines in the lesser-known areas. The photo below was shot by @joepvanurk in Kappl last week. 96 hours after the last snowfall he and Lisa were still able to find fresh pow, even when it was really hot during the day.

But by the weekend easy access powder might be tracked out. Then it is time to venture deeper into the backcountry for some fresh lines. Put your skins under your ski or split board and go for a steep couloir. But keep in mind that it gets a milder during the weekend. Start your tour preferably as early as possible and finish it before the lunch.

Long-term

Until the weekend the sun dominates and it gets milder. After the weekend there is a chance of a new cold episode with snow coming in from the north. But timing and intensity are still question marks. For now … enjoy the fresh pow in one of the above regions.

Stay stoked
Morris