 Poster: A snowHead
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Having been firmly of the camp that February is to be avoided because of European and UK school holidays I am thinking of heading to Austria in last week of February next year to hopefully give a chance of less slush than is often experienced in Austria in March. Just wondered if there was anything significant happening on the week of 24 Feb next year that might influence the decision e.g. School holidays, Fasching etc.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Dutch half Term! Fasching is earlier in February next year.
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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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Pretty much all of Feb is affected by holidays somewhere or other in Europe!
Choose your area wisely and you won't get much disruption or long waits!
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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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Well it's Saalbach i am thinking of, was there 4 to 11 March but was pretty slushy so thinking of hedging bets etc
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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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Ski welt was slushy in Feb half term this year. Will take a lot of convincing to go back which is a shame as it is a beautiful area.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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think Italy!
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My experience of being here in the Alps all season is that (at risk of stating the obvious) much depends on the direction of the wind, rather than your choice of resort or of precise week. If an anticyclone settles over southern Europe and there is a mild, southerly airstream, it doesn't matter whether you're in Austria or Italy, or Ski Welt or Saalbach, or the last week of February or the first week of March. In recent seasons I have seen mild, sunny weather in January; this year mid/late January was down to -20 to -30. In mid-February it can be hot, spring-like weather (as it was a couple of seasons ago) or cold and wintry with lots of fresh snow (as it was a season or two before that).
It's a natural psychological reaction to associate a particular resort with the weather conditions that were experienced on a particular visit there; however it's a shame to let the weather during your chosen week deter you from going to that particular resort again (as @skilass, has indicated), because it may well have been similar conditions across that area (or even the whole) of the Alps. Feb half term in the Ski Welt next year could just as easily be entirely different. Similarly @kb36, late February could be warmer next year than early (or even mid/late) March. It's the luck of the draw.
Having said all that, I find that there is a yin and a yang, whatever the weather and conditions. At present it's very warm and spring-like here in Saalbach (as no doubt it is across this part of the Alps generally). However the lack of crowds means good, well groomed pistes (not chopped up and mogully) and very pleasant, peaceful, laid-back, sunbathing conditions at mountain restaurants in the afternoons. In previous years I've known it to be cold with fresh snow around this time. Next year, who knows.
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Thanks Richard, we certainly haven't been put off and have pretty much decided that we are coming back to Saalbach (looks like there will be 4 of us), just trying to decide when. The slush got a bit wearing this year and less said about the bottom of 2b the better, give me 7a any day of the week over that.
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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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@skilass, it was slushy in late January too. I guess that as Tatman's Tours say, it depends on luck. The week before we went to Skiwelt it was -20C. The week we went it was about 3-7C, and slushy many days. Great place for a holiday, mind. Reasonably priced beer, friendly people. Good skiing, especially the first couple of hours in the morning (and if you don't mind slush in the afternoon....)
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Austria has SO much going for it but France definitely seems to have had better snow this season. Will be a difficult decision to make for next year's trip, if I can manage to get one with daughter having A levels. Can we justify a week away??????
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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24th Feb next year is good. We'll be there and we don't do kids holidays!
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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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France definitely seems to have had better snow this season
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@skilass, Are you sure about that? I've been here all season and have spent much of it reading comments about how lacking the snow has been in many French resorts and feeling fortunate that we're located at the north-eastern end of the Alps.
As well as wind direction, much depends on whether it's cloudy at night and whether, and at what altitude, the snow freezes. As though to illustrate the point I was making above about the variability and unpredictability of the weather, the skiing has been much better this week than the previous two or three weeks. Typical spring skiing - clear skies, so freezing hard at night right down to village level, with the pistes going through that perfect stage mid-morning, before becoming soft in the afternoons, particularly on south-facing slopes. Also a noticeable cool breeze, helping to keep the snow reasonable for longer. Yesterday I had one of the best morning's skiing of the season (36km covered) over at Leogang, which, being north-facing had good piste conditions, even in the early afternoon and low down towards the bottom of the Steinberg run (piste 93).
As previously mentioned, the lack of crowds makes a big difference, so that even runs that one expects to be bad later in the day tend to be less mogully and better than expected. (it's not uncommon to see no one else on a piste - I even took a photo of the normally busy Asitz run as I was going up in the gondola at about 2.15pm - not a soul to be seen in either direction!).
I'm not suggesting for a moment that the pistes don't get heavy and more challenging in the afternoons; however it's currently beautiful weather, and there are lots of musical extravaganzas going on ("White Pearl Days" involving musicians and international DJs) at mountain restaurants during the afternoons, so the prosecco is flowing, the deckchairs are out, and there are plenty of distractions and compensating factors.
As I mentioned above, I've found that, whether the snow conditions are good or bad during a given week, there is a tendency to give the particular resort the credit or the blame (as the case may be). The weather was particularly conducive to good skiing conditions in mid-late January; consequently you will find that many happy people who had good holidays have immediately rebooked the same resort and the same week for next year (I personally know of 36 people in four separate groups who have done so). Conversely I know of people who were unlucky with the weather/conditions, and have resolved to try a different resort and/or a different week next year, even though it is a game of chance, and the weather during any given week tends to be the same across a whole area, or even the whole, of the Alps. On a similar theme, I know of a family who have resolved to try a different week next year, because it was "too busy" during their late February holiday this season. However they took their holiday during the Fasching German/Austrian public holiday week, which (like Easter) is a different week every year, so the week they chose will undoubtedly be entirely different next season - likewise quite possibly the weather!
Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Thu 30-03-17 0:13; edited 1 time in total
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| skilass wrote: |
| Austria has SO much going for it but France definitely seems to have had better snow this season. Will be a difficult decision to make for next year's trip, if I can manage to get one with daughter having A levels. Can we justify a week away?????? |
It depends when in the season you're making the judgement. Early season Austria had better snow.
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You know it makes sense.
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Yes - but unfortunately stuck with school holidays. So it's Christmas, half term or Easter. We scooped this year due to Northumberland schools being off the week after most of the rest of the UK. But next year all counties have the same half term.
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