 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Tignes is due some snow according to snow-forecast, hoping it does pick up a bit though as I'll be there with inside out in Nov, and I'm beginning to wonder about the state of those runs on the Grande Motte webcam.
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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?
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mountainaddict, We are due to get some snow (no idea how much but it is going to get a lot colder and wetter in about 10 days), so I would not worry about the Tux or Stubai just yet. 
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My husband and I want to pick a glacier and open up our 2014/2015 season on Monday. We are within driving distance to Soelden, Stubai, Pitztal and Hintertux, so we have our choice of which one to go to first. I've been to all but Hintertux in the past.
Has anyone been to any in the last week or so? I'm looking for a condition report as well.
And if we go, I'll be able to give a report Monday evening.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Fri 10-10-14 16:23; edited 1 time in total
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Hoorah Samerberg Sue! That's more like it! Which weather website(s) would you recommend for my online vigil?
The worst of it is that I have recommended the wonders of Austrian glaciers in autumn so much that a workmate is off to Stubai for a week - for his honeymoon - at Oct half term. I know they will love the valley (posh hotel near Neustift) as they have never been to Austria - but he is a snowboarder with just one week under his belt and she is a total novice who has just had two lessons at Xscape.
Oo er....  Will the open terrain be ok for them? They are booking lessons and planning on two or three days on the slopes.
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mountainaddict, learning to snowboard on sheet ice is no fun. I know, I've tried it. Hope Sue the Wetterhexe is right with her forecast.
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It was a cold wet summer so I doubt if the glaciers are in particularly poor shape.
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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.
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Maybe summer was warmer over there,mountainaddict? But certainly this summer in the french alps was cold -Snowheads was full of people moaning about it. I am in the northern french alps at present and although it,s been nice for walking at lower altitude last night's rain was snow higher up and Mont Blanc doesn't look too bad. snow is forecast for Tignes glacier over the next couple of days.
But in the longer term the glaciers are shrinking, aren't they? I was shocked when an instructor in Tignes showed me where the glacier had been when he first went there 20years ago. 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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.
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I'll be skiing in Solden on Tuesday; I'll try and update this thread.
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You know it makes sense.
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| mountainaddict wrote: |
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| It was a cold wet summer so I doubt if the glaciers are in particularly poor shape |
Er, have a look at the Stubai Glacier panoramic webcam at the bottom of the slopes and be prepared to change that view....Conditions look totally shocking today - down to the bare glacial ice and rock by the look of things. It's a grey quarry and doesn't look far off being the absolute minimum cover that they could have to be open. I've skied more glacial snow in a scorching summer in Tignes.
IIRC, after visiting Stubai in September, Snowhead Clarky reported skiing the bare glacial ice and said that it wasn't far off being unskiable and closed . It looks very similar to that at the moment.
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last time I was up there was Sept 27 - and it really wasn't great. Enough snow to have fun, especially the run down fromt he top of the Wildspitz chair, but far far far worse than I've ever seen it before. Last year's season pass was still working then, but I wouldn't have paid for a lift ticket.
I saw a photo form yesterday on Instagrma that looked even worse.
Saying that, it's cold and rainy today (at least here in Schruns), so hopefully the glaciers will be getting a bit of a top-up... I need to decide whether I'm going to buy the Innsbruck season pass again this year, but if I do I'll likely be up at Stubai next weekend again...
I'm not sure this is all bad news though. Last year I skied 50cms of pow at Kuhtai on Oct 16th, and skied pow at Stubai and at Axamer Lizum all November long - and then the rest of the season was crap until the end of March. Whenever winter comes late we seem to get more snow, so fingers crossed!!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Poster: A snowHead
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mountainaddict, Hmm... I just had a look at the piste map. The run down to the Tuxer Fernerhaus is Red 3, but it seems that Red 3 is actually two different runs. One option comes from the Kaserer side and one option that comes down the front towards the restaurant. According to the interactive piste map they are both open but on Saturday it didn't look like the track coming from the Kaserer lift would be skiable. We skied down the piste you can see if you stand with your back to the restaurant looking up. Yes, it was officially open and it was possible to ski to within 10m of the restaurant. On the webcams at the moment it looks like it's snowing at the top.
I don't know why the Tuxer Fernerhaus webcam isn't online - it hasn't been on for a while. The run down is complete and skiable. I've been there other years in October when it has been broken and you had to pick your way through the narrow part, or for those with new skis for the new season, download on the gondola.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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This is from Ted Ligety comparing Soelden last year with this.
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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?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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rjs, looking over from Stubai the other week Sölden actually looked to have pretty good coverage!!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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mountainaddict, in answer to your original query: unfortunately yes you should be worried if you are going out in next week or so
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We don't travel until 1st Nov but are getting increasingly concerned - especially as tonight's BBC weather on TV showed a tropical air mass enveloping Western Europe by the weekend.
That Soelden picture is shocking as well. I've been skiing Alpine glaciers in autumn practically every year since 1990 - and have never seen them as bad as this in mid October ....
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Am I right that first WC races supposed to be in Soelden on 25/26?
That must look like a concern now.
Of course Nov 1 still bones of 3 weeks away so not beyond bounds of possibilities that there may not be major improvement by then
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Fresh snow on stelvio today and tomorrow. 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I'm off to Kaprun soon, not up on the glacier until next Tuesday but if I remember I'll get some pics up. Never been up the Kitzsteinhorn before so won't be much help in providing a comparison to previous years.
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rjs, last year Soelden races were 26.-27.10, today is 14.10.. It might seem as just few days difference, but up on glaciers one day can make huge difference. Otherwise this year glaciers are in perfect condition compared to last year. And even last year, they got some snow around 20.-25. of October, while before it was basically skiing on stones. But it's true that October was unusually warm... whole 14 days of it, while rest of summer was unusually cold, so there's still a lot more snow up on glaciers then normally.
PS: There's no worries with Soelden races, as there's more then enough snow to make them.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| jogi wrote: |
rjs, last year Soelden races were 26.-27.10, today is 14.10.. It might seem as just few days difference, but up on glaciers one day can make huge difference. Otherwise this year glaciers are in perfect condition compared to last year. And even last year, they got some snow around 20.-25. of October, while before it was basically skiing on stones. But it's true that October was unusually warm... whole 14 days of it, while rest of summer was unusually cold, so there's still a lot more snow up on glaciers then normally.
PS: There's no worries with Soelden races, as there's more then enough snow to make them. |
Sorry, but that's totally wrong, for Stubai at least. This year it's right down to the glacial ice - worse than I've ever seen it. Last year it was really great from mid-September on with a good base, and plenty of fersh snow all the way through Oct and Nov (there were major snow storms around the 13th/14th Oct for a start - I skitoured at Kuhtai on 16ht Oct 2013 with more than 50cms of base!!).
You're right in that they only need one good dump for everything to be fine though, and I'm sure that'll come in the next 3-4 weeks.
Some fresh snow on the higher peaks around Schruns this morning too...
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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.
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Maybe for Stubai but in general (from Molltal, Hintertux to Zermatt and Saas Fee) conditions through the summer were really great on glaciers, and skiing was unusually good compared to last few years.
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| Samerberg Sue wrote: |
clarky999, I've seen it worse and I've seen it better than it currently is! As the race organisers are not panicking neither am I.
Each season is different, end of! We had a shitty, cold wet August with all the glaciers reporting quite heavy (for August) snowfall. Now it is a Föhn situation, also not uncommon in October (aka Altweibersommer/Indian summer/St Luke's summer, etc). Things can and will change and as you say things change very rapidly when the weather changes! |
Sorry I meant Stubai not Sölden - I've never actually been up the mountain in Sölden so can't really comment on it!
Stubai definitely didn't get heavy (even for August) snow this summer though.
Just look at the state of it the other day (photo from Lea Hartl): 
The only way it could be worse was if there was no glacier left!! Those are the two main Eisgrat pistes with literally zero snow! Give it a few weeks and it'll all be good again, but for now, well, I haven't been out here for as long as you, but it's the worst I've seen it.
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Poster: A snowHead
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clarky999, I've never seen it look quite as shitty as that 
Like I said above though, it did seem to be snowing in Hintertux yesterday so all hope is not lost.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Steilhang, yup.
Actually I'm not complaining either - I'm quite enjoying still being able to escape the office to sit outside and eat my lunch in a tshirt
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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?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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October should normally be about the worst month for snow cover being at the end of almost continual thaw since May. From here it can only improve on the Glaciers unless November and December are very dry.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Has Solden just had some fresh snow then ? Race should go ahead looking at those pics.
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ArseneWengen, The webcam pointing at the Soelden race piste doesn't look much better. The decision is on Friday.
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There's nothing much to worry with Soelden races. Few years ago, they were missing last 100 or 200m from finish line up, yet they still made races without any problems. This year it's not looking great, but still a lot better then quite few time in last years, when races always went through without issues (at least without too little snow related issues).
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Snowed overnight last night and they were also able to get the snow cannons working. More tonight, then a warm weekend before the temperatures and weather take a steep dive next week.
Peter S, totally agree - this year the snow melt has not been so bad due to the shitty August weather we had this side of the Alpine watershed. However, the general trend for retreating glaciers is still there, hence the "never seen it that bad" comments!
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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.
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FAQ
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And the webcam looking up from the Tuxer F. is offline at the moment - I was wondering if the run was so poor that that was deliberate 
