Let's hope so, will be off to alpe d'huez on the 14th Dec for a boys trip subject to an important meeting I have planned on Monday going well.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Where to ski in the FNA/FSA:
Les 7 Laux (partial opening)
Chamrousse (partial opening)
Alpe d'Huez (season opening)
Les Deux Alpes (season opening)
Tignes/Val d'Isere (season opening)
Val Thorens (opened for season last weekend)
Montgenvre (pre-opening)
Chamonix - Grands Montets (but remember the cable car issues to Grands Montets/Lognan for the season)
Avoriaz (pre-opening)
Les Crosets / Champery (pre-opening)
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
The snowfall totals for Madonna di Campiglio appear to be an indicator of the exceptional amount of snow the central Italian Alps have had this autumn. I think the following total accumulations (i.e. not depths) are from 2250 metres:
2019/20 (up until 29th Nov) - 3.56 metres or 3.93 metres (depending on source - I believe the first figure omits the most recent snowfall)
2018/19 (season) - 3.00 m
2017/18 - 3.18 m
2016/17 - 2.43 m
2015/16 - 3.83 m
2014/15 - 2.12 m
2013/14 - 4.87 m
i.e. more snow in November alone than the area receives in many entire seasons.
Where to ski in the FNA/FSA:
Les 7 Laux (partial opening)
Chamrousse (partial opening)
Alpe d'Huez (season opening)
Les Deux Alpes (season opening)
Tignes/Val d'Isere (season opening)
Val Thorens (opened for season last weekend)
Montgenvre (pre-opening)
Chamonix - Grands Montets (but remember the cable car issues to Grands Montets/Lognan for the season)
Thanks davidof for all the info here and in the blog.
What about Austria? Do you think that's a less good bet? We're looking specifically at a short trip in 2 weeks time, say three days of skiing Thurs 12th - Sat 14th Dec. We were thinking of Ischgl or Obergurgl. The French possibilities also look interesting but mostly transfer times are rather longer which makes a short trip less practical.... Anyone's thoughts about prospects very gratefully received!
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@parigi, officially, Chamonix opens nearly fully next weekend (7th December) so if you want short transfers (albeit it’s not Austria!) that’s a good bet. Verbier is another good bet with reasonable transfer time.
I’d have thought obergurgl would struggle to meet the “short transfer” requirement, particularly if there’s much more snow.
After all it is free
After all it is free
parigi wrote:
What about Austria? Do you think that's a less good bet?
I thought they were having a really good start to the season? Maybe someone else can help.
Off piste was a lot lighter than a couple of weeks ago and the snow has a wintery feel to it now - but still rocks around not far below the surface below 2000 meters.
The 7 Laux was empty today, very odd, I wondered where everyone was, then I remembered l'Alpe d'Huez was open and everyone had probably gone there instead. Result.
Last edited by After all it is free on Sat 30-11-19 18:27; edited 2 times in total
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
If you'll book your flights to Innsbruck, everything should be relatively short transfer. Ischgl/Obergurgl are snowsure. Check the maps to decide what you'd like more, they are both relevant.
BTW there is a parallel post regarding Obergurgl for a week.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Was rather sweet in Serre today and we saw no-one
Weather now closing in but as ever the amounts forecast for tomorrow have been ever decreasing, I now think we'll be lucky to see 25cm in the valley.
More pics in the Serre thread, and of course a vid
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Weathercam wrote:
Was rather sweet in Serre today and we saw no-one
They should build some ski lifts !
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.
Weathercam wrote:
Was rather sweet in Serre today and we saw no-one
Weather now closing in but as ever the amounts forecast for tomorrow have been ever decreasing, I now think we'll be lucky to see 25cm in the valley.
So depressing eh?
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
davidof wrote:
Weathercam wrote:
Was rather sweet in Serre today and we saw no-one
They should build some ski lifts !
They do, just that sector is not open for a couple more weeks, so we'll have that playground hopefully to ourselves.
And @peanuthead, I just want to be proved wrong
Last edited by 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 on Sat 30-11-19 19:23; edited 1 time in total
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Meteo Alpes take fit the Northern French Alps...
“La limite pluie-neige sera majoritairement voisine des 900/1200 mètres mais, par effet d'isothermie, de la neige humide et collante est possible dès 500/600 mètres entre l'avant-pays savoyard, le Genevois (très localement 400 mètres sur ce secteur) l'Albanais, l'extrême Ouest du Chablais et Ouest du Léman. Pour les massifs : Bauges, Nord-Chartreuse, Aravis, et Ouest-Chablais donc.
QUANTITÉS ATTENDUES :
Les cumuls de neige sous ce passage perturbé atteindront au-dessus de 1600 mètres :
- 30 à 40 cm côté Isère (localement 50-60 cm proche des Ecrins au-dessus de 2000 mètres).
- 20 à 30 cm en Bauges, Lauzière.
- 20 à 25 cm en Ouest-Vanoise, Aravis, Maurienne (localement + sur l'extrême Sud) Chablais, Beaufortain.
(sur tous ces secteurs une couche de 10 à 15 cm de neige est possible dès 1100/1300 mètres).
- 15 à 20 cm en Haute-Maurienne, Est-Vanoise, Mont-Blanc.
- 10 à 15 cm en Est-Vanoise et Haute-Tarentaise.”
Entre ARPEGE et AROME la neige balance ! Les deux modèles sont sensiblement en accord (en moyenne) sur de bons cumuls de précipitations, ou l'un surestime, l'autre compense en sous-estimant par rapport au premier. AROME est plus raisonnable en matière de quantité de neige, ARPEGE fait péter le compteur des cm entre le Haut-Champsaur, les Ecrins et Briançon. Le bon casse tête de la limite pluie/neige pointe le bout de son nez. Elle sera très fluctuante entre le nord et le sud, l'est et l'ouest. Influence du vent du sud d'un coté, lombarde de l'autre. Ce sera plutôt au plus haut,1700/1900 sur le sud du massif (sud 04), 1700 m à 1500/1400 de l'ouest des Hautes-Alpes à l'Embrunais et l'Ubaye. Dans le Briançonnais c'est une autre histoire, la lombarde jouera la différence si elle se maintient en faisant rentrer le froid par l'Italie. Dans ce cas la Guisane, la Haute-Durance, la Clarée et le Queyras verront les flocons tomber dès 1000 à 1200 m. GFS voit au plus doux de la journée remonter l'iso 0° vers 1600 m en début d'après-midi dans le Briançonnais. Sinon il la maintient entre 1100 à 1300 m le matin et en seconde partie d'après-midi. Ailleurs cette iso fluctuera entre 1800 à 2400 m. Cet air un plus froid va-t-il couler jusqu'à l'Argentièrois, la Roche-Rame ou s'approcher du Guillestrois ? That is the question ! De l'autre coté du col du Lautaret, en Haute-Romanche on pourrait également rester sous l'influence du vent de sud avec une LPN remontant à 1700/1800 par moments. Je sens qu'on va bien s'amuser ! Dans tous les cas que ce mauvais temps ne vous gâche pas l'apero ! On y verra peut-être plus clair après quelques verres finalement ! bonne soirée ...
What I find interesting is the two winds from the South and the Lombard wind NE'ly / E'ly and how they'll impact the potential snow accumulation.
Worth putting through Google Translate, even then I suspect many a nuance will be lost
Last edited by Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name: on Sat 30-11-19 21:13; edited 1 time in total
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
BobinCH wrote:
According to SLF, snow depths are around average for Western Swiss Alps. Météo France report said similar. What is your source? Austria, Italy and Swiss border got battered but that’s not Western Alps
Italy has seen more snowfall in November than it normally sees in an entire season.
Parts of the Pyrenees are 100% open, a month earlier than normal.
Parts of Austria saw a month's snow in a weekend.
Saas Fee was closed down for a weekend due to snow.
Andermatt already has 350cm on the upper trails.
Isola in France has over 1m of snow in the valley.
Southern parts have done better than Northern parts, of course.
Germany, for example, is largely snowfree for now.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
And to think you dismiss the lower resorts in the eastern and southern Alps For early season skiing and yet once every 5 years or so a blocked southerly tacking jetstream delivers for the south.
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?
@Whitegold, bore on with your half cooked facts. Andermatt 350cm on upper trails . Someone who skied there today reported it was sharky. And I know European geography isn’t your strong point but Italy, Pyrenees, Austria, Saas Fee, Andermatt, Isola are not the Western alps. You’re welcome
Between ARPEGE and AROME the snow swings! The two models are appreciably in agreement (on average) on good accumulations of precipitations, or one overestimates, the other compensates by underestimating compared to the first one. AROME is more reasonable in terms of quantity of snow, ARPEGE fills the meter of cm between Haut-Champsaur, Ecrins and Briançon. The right head of the rain / snow limit is the tip of his nose. It will be very fluctuating between north and south, east and west. Influence of the south wind on one side, Lombardy on the other. It will be rather higher, 1700/1900 on the south of the massif (south 04), 1700 m 1500/1400 from the west of the Hautes-Alpes to Embrun and Ubaye. In the Brianconnais it is another story, the Lombard will play the difference if it is maintained by bringing the cold by Italy. In this case Guisane, Haute-Durance, Clarée and Queyras will see the flakes fall from 1000 to 1200 m. GFS sees at the mildest of the day to go up iso 0 ° around 1600 m in the early afternoon in Briançonnais. Otherwise, he keeps it between 1100 and 1300 m in the morning and in the second half of the afternoon. Elsewhere this iso will fluctuate between 1800 and 2400 m. Will this colder air flow down to the Argentièrois, La Roche-Rame or approach the Guillestrois? That's the question! On the other side of the Lautaret pass, in Haute-Romanche one could also stay under the influence of the south wind with an LPN dating back to 1700/1800 at times. I feel we are having fun! In any case that bad weather does not spoil the apero! We will see maybe more clear after a few drinks finally! good night ...
So the conclusion is, it’ll look better after a few beers.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
NeddySkiGoon wrote:
....So the conclusion is, it’ll look better after a few beers......
In essence exactly my type of forecast, "Wait and See"
50cm of fresh this week and off piste conditions much improved after the Foehn damage of last weekend. A small topup tomorrow and the week ahead (first of weekday opening) should be très bon. Alas not much in the forecast...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Been snowing for 2-3hrs and we have around 10-12cm on the bird table.
So hopefully we could see 30+ in the valley today.
No need to go up the hill today in this as the viz is dire.
You can check out the snow on the bird table (I've turned the panning off as you can't see anything across the valley), and I'm going out to clear half of it off in a few mins, so you can compare throughout the day if bored
@BobinCH, and I thought you'd lost your headcam... damn.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
@zzz, just you wait till all the "Pups" get GoPros for Xmas
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Weathercam wrote:
......So hopefully we could see 30+ in the valley today.........
So we already have circa 30cm, probably more as the snow is consolidating with the depth & weight brought about by the +1 temp
Meant to carry on till around 19:00 think we can call this a dump now
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Any sign of snow in your Crystal Ball for Eastern Alps in Austria, very jealous of all those in the west.
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.
@2waterford, there are suggestions of some snow around the 9th but it is really a bit far away to be certain, anything between blizzards and a heatwave is possible! There is snow in more the easterly alps (I am guessing you are asking about the eastern Tirol and Salzburgerland) some skiing already in many of the larger places but conditions are a bit thin. Western Austria looks better and those places along the main ridge like Obergurgl have lots of snow.
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
Two Irish folk having a discussion on snowHeads. That must be a first.....not many of us on this site over the years but recently I’ve noticed a few user names that could only be ‘as eireann’.....eg ‘langer zug’, Munich Irish, 2waterford. Probably more Out there also
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Two Irish folk having a discussion on snowHeads. That must be a first.....not many of us on this site over the years but recently I’ve noticed a few user names that could only be ‘as eireann’.....eg ‘langer zug’, Munich Irish, 2waterford. Probably more Out there also
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
BobinCH wrote:
Andermatt 350cm on upper trails... Someone who skied there today reported it was sharky.
Nice try, son. But no cigar
Andermatt has the most upper snow in the entire Alps.
@Sneachta2013, when Borris finally gets his bus through they'll all be confined to Scotland
(If Scotland will have them)
But then who will post snow updates for us?
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Borris and bus....a bit too cryptic
For me....is it Borris Becker ya mean...? Didn’t realize he was a skier
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?
Sneachta2013 wrote:
Two Irish folk having a discussion on snowHeads. That must be a first.....not many of us on this site over the years but recently I’ve noticed a few user names that could only be ‘as eireann’.....eg ‘langer zug’, Munich Irish, 2waterford. Probably more Out there also
The Weather Outlook winter forecast is out for the UK , it’s an independent site and Brian Gaze the founder knows his beans . Although for the UK I’d say good for the higher resorts in Western Alps not so for Scotland I’d suggest .
Two Irish folk having a discussion on snowHeads. That must be a first.....not many of us on this site over the years but recently I’ve noticed a few user names that could only be ‘as eireann’.....eg ‘langer zug’, Munich Irish, 2waterford. Probably more Out there also
Two Irish folk having a discussion on snowHeads. That must be a first.....not many of us on this site over the years but recently I’ve noticed a few user names that could only be ‘as eireann’.....eg ‘langer zug’, Munich Irish, 2waterford. Probably more Out there also
Love the user name
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
An bhfuil tú as port lairge......?
After all it is free
After all it is free
Whitegold wrote:
BobinCH wrote:
Andermatt 350cm on upper trails... Someone who skied there today reported it was sharky.
Nice try, son. But no cigar
Andermatt has the most upper snow in the entire Alps.
Planetski.eu
While you are yanking your chain in your basement churning out resort cowdoo stats, actual skiers are sharing the real story. Here’s your 350cm of shark infested nonsense from yesterday ...
Try swapping your keyboard for some skis and a camera
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Lot of rubbish on here lately which just gets in the way of the long standing and deeply respected Weather Gods giving us their valued views.
Regional dialects - not interested
Petty spats about snow depths - not interested
Take it outside.
Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Sun 1-12-19 21:38; edited 1 time in total
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Looks like a great start to the season and anyone planning a Christmas ski break will not be disappointed.....there have been years in the past decade where it was the first or second week of January before a decent fall of snow had occurred.......the gloom and doom merchants had everyone convienced that this would continue and get worse even and that every year would be like 1963 ( I think it was) when the alps remained green for full season....maybe ‘da Donald’ is correct after all.....climate change:global warming etc is all a hoax...?
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Poster: A snowHead
