Thank you so much! I’ve been there a few times, just never this early, so was t sure.
Your timing is good. You need to check at this time of year when the maintenance work on the lifts is taking place. But not only is the super lift up to Klein. Matterhorn starting up again from this weekend but they have the Matterhorn Express running all the way from town up to Trockener Steg - a much nicer and quicker way to travel than the two stage old fashioned big cable cars that operate in the quiet periods.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Looks like it is snowing hard on the webcams this morning!!
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Wonderful. This has to be the best early season snow in years!
The precipitation has been snow as far down the valley as St Niklaus at 1100m. Not important in itself but a good indicator of what high quality (ie dry) the snow will be up on the slopes. GFS expecting temperatures to stay low for as far as reasonably accurately predictable. Looks like blue skies for the weekend. Cervinia have certainly chosen a good time to open up their slopes. Turin probably smells of hot wax today as the locals get their skis ready to head up Aosta.
Sorry for the multiple posting - I am just too excited. This photo is from Plan Maison on the Italian side. Great snow and the cannons are blasting in the freezing cold air to make the pistes even better. This is the LOWEST point anyone will be skiing down to on either side tomorrow. That does not look like a mid-November scene. Aaarggh. I am not back out until 2 December. I want to be there now.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
A great start. I only have to wait till March7th JohnMo Obertauern at the start of Feb though
After all it is free
After all it is free
@JohnMo, this is the snow conditions thread, no need to apologise! Only people kicking around here this time of year are degenerates anxiously awaiting their fix. I'm not even Cervinia bound, at moment at least, but love watching it develop.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
@JohnMo, ooh do keep up your excited posts John, I love reading that things are starting to get white. I hope it stays now, but as it is a high resort the chances of the snow staying are fairly good. I have never been skiing pre January before, it means I will get three trips in this season. ( If I play my cards right getting time off).
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Ski the Net with snowHeads
Agree with the above. Enjoying the updates @JohnMo
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Snow cannons blasting away this morning on the pistes leading down from Trockener Steg to Furgg. Photo taken from Schwarzsee with Klein Matterhorn in the background.
It frustrates me that they don’t open up a piste there in November. The Italians have their runs open down to the south facing Plan Maison at 2500m. It would be possible to open a run down to the north facing Furgg at 2400m. I understand that opening up other sectors would not make sense. But the Matterhorn Express bubble lift is running as planned and it actually goes through the Furgg lift station. Manpower would be diverted from other essential tasks that take place this month in preparation for the season start three weeks today. But it wouldn’t take too many. Ah well. Across both sides there is still a decent amount open for November.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Snow cover on all the webcams looks great. Super start to the season.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
It sure is nice snow from top to plan maison- super on the pista sides. Could easily ski to town! A couple of warm ground slides on s facing slopes at 2800m - not big, one skier triggered
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Wildsmith wrote:
It sure is nice snow from top to plan maison- super on the pista sides. Could easily ski to town! A couple of warm ground slides on s facing slopes at 2800m - not big, one skier triggered
Great to hear that the skiing is good. They have obviously been listening to you. From Thursday it will be possible to ski from Plan Maison down to town. You have to admire Cervinia’s desire to make the most of early season.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
The forecast shows a huge amount of snow later this week. Fingers crossed!
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
JohnMo wrote:
. From Thursday it will be possible to ski from Plan Maison down to town.
Back on topic - not quite a pea-souper today but not miso. Still good fun as long as we kept moving and didn’t look at feet! Snow cannons going merrily above and below plan maison - 1500m descent with goulash stop at Chalet etouile. Light snow only
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
We missed out on the precipitation last night as was always likely (looking for a bounce off the seam to send it our way). It came from the South West and headed over to Lugano in south east Switzerland. However Thursday night heading into Friday is now coming into the moderately reliable forecasting time and is looking very nice indeed. Plus temperatures are staying low. See the GFS ensembles below. The precipitation seems to be coming in from the Atlantic over France/Spain then pushing up from the Mediterranean. As such Cervinia should get the best of it but there seems to be plenty for everybody. Some hope of more stuff hitting us into next week in the less reliable timescale.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Bergfex is showing a whopping 78cm of snow for tomorrow with a 90% chance. Keep the photos coming! Bring on Sunday for me (though looks like it may be a white out!).
After all it is free
After all it is free
Windy up the mountain - didn’t want to risk crossing over to CH
Chalet Etoile the only bit of off piste I would dare - much wind slab many small shallow slides on shallow (30 deg) slopes
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
@Wildsmith, Thanks for the on the ground reports. Great to see.
That looks like a serious storm coming in tonight. And GFS is showing an equally big one for Sunday. Meteo Swiss has a level 4 warning for snow and the snow line down to 400m - that is almost as low down as Geneva! As well as the GFS screenshot below is a screenshot of the Meteo Swiss radar projection for early hours of Friday morning.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Thx @JohnMo, just giving you break b4 the season proper starts!
Well it snowed all day and it’s getting thicker now at 3pm - can’t wait to see it. 2morrow
The wind wasn’t that bad even up at Theodulpass - noticeably sheltered in Cervinia town. Viz was about 2 piste markers - enough with the beautiful snow under/on foot! Still... a day to be inside (if you are mad!)
Runs open from Teodulpas down to town - looked like Zermatt wasn’t open
Better than telly
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Wildsmith wrote:
looked like Zermatt wasn’t open
They have a level 3 northerly wind warning from 9 this morning until 12 noon tomorrow. It looked like everything was closed (except the Zermatt to Furi lift) even the Gornergrat train. That is unusual. Even when the wind is bad they usually run the train up to Riffelberg. I guess with not many tourists around it makes it an easier decision just to shut it.
Not sure how the warning is for a northerly wind (which affects Zermatt more than Cervinia). The snow mainly seems to be coming in from the South. Weather is complicated.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
I cant remember this much snow this early! Going to Obertauern first, and that is snowmaggedon.
Making me think of a sneaky couple of pre xmas days though.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Morning!
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Holy snowly - 80 cm in town over a metre up top - no turning on blue runs
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Ok 1 more, sorry - it was epic today 1300m vert of empty pistes soft light snow good viz no wind 2 speak of - my wife’s skis met a mate outside Bontadini - white dot Executives - & it took 6 tries to get to Ch. Etoile!
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Superb - but is it good? As in is the powder light I'm hearing a lot of talk of rain lower down and heavy snow? In effect all the slopes down to Cervinia would from my memory be tricky in very deep snow
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
ah lads! I am drooling here, I just got new skis and can't wait to try them out, Only 9 days to wait. Thanks @Wildsmith, for the photos it makes the waiting a bit more fun.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
8611 wrote:
Superb - but is it good? As in is the powder light I'm hearing a lot of talk of rain lower down and heavy snow? In effect all the slopes down to Cervinia would from my memory be tricky in very deep snow
Light as in fluffy yes in the v small stretches I ploughed through! No clag even at the bottom. Cervinia is on the right side of the man for this type of storm. But there is a lot of cm to mow through - avi 4 and you need speed or angle & route knowledge even a m from the piste imho - maybe 2morrow with a guide would be epic but the pistes were/ are good enough for me!
Stick to the pistes I'd say, particularly if not much traffic. That said I did a great days guiding there once out of the mountain guide's office, I think the airbag was 10 euro! But I suspect avi risk is very high from some of the material I've seen on line
Superb - but is it good? As in is the powder light I'm hearing a lot of talk of rain lower down and heavy snow? In effect all the slopes down to Cervinia would from my memory be tricky in very deep snow
I don’t think this is a worry. The picture below is the webcam from my home from home in Täsch just north of Zermatt. This is at about 1400 m. Almost all skiing is above 2000m. We often have no snow this low down in November. Our rule of thumb is that if there is snow outside our apartment it is going to be great up top. All of the recent stuff has been snow at ours and a long way down the valley. The stuff coming on Sunday might be rain further higher - but certainly not up at piste level. Temperatures are only forecast to rise to average for this time of year.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Cervinia coming up early season trumps again - they have opened up the Pancheron lift today. That is the far left one as you look at the piste map. It takes you right under the south face of the Matterhorn. Tends to be a bit quieter there than the main routes down to Plan Maison. Some great pistes - and some nice opportunities for a bit of side piste.
After all it is free
After all it is free
I think my favourite individual run of my skiing life was down there! Last lift up then waited for a bit, Alpenglow sunset and earphones in - superb!
So is Cervinia open 7 days at the moment? Can you ski right down to the town yet or is it Plan Maison up? Valtourneche? Very few there, the Austrian places that have opened seem to be busy but maybe thats only at weekends
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
8611 wrote:
I think my favourite individual run of my skiing life was down there! Last lift up then waited for a bit, Alpenglow sunset and earphones in - superb!
So is Cervinia open 7 days at the moment? Can you ski right down to the town yet or is it Plan Maison up? Valtourneche? Very few there, the Austrian places that have opened seem to be busy but maybe thats only at weekends
Slightly strangely while the Pancheron lift is open, you have to follow skiers left and head over to the main Plan Maison pistes. Can only be a matter of time before they open the main pistes under Pancheron. Great opportunities for off piste mind.
Cervinia is open 7 days a week and yes you can ski down into town. Valtournenche opens next Saturday.
Zermatt letting the side down by not opening any further areas earlier. Still a nice bit of skiing available but nowhere near as good as the Italian side. Full opening in two weeks so not long.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
My last day - not complaining - 7 days skiing in these immense mountains. Lucky me. Maybe 10 cm snow overnight and cloudy all day - at some points it really closed in - down to 20m viz at the worst point. When the odd bit of sun poked through the snow at the side of piste was sooo soft (and maybe not as deep as yesterday, so seemed more doable imv). Th closed red under the pancheron chair looked great- loads going down it - definitely some lost skis - I didn’t,try it though mostly due to viz and there was plenty of fun beside the open blue. I saw Zermatt opened down to Furgg but the link was closed - glad in a way as I was too busy practicing my deep snow face plant!
Am looking forward to all the reports coming up before I come back - what special area this is!
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
Obertauern at the start of Feb though 
