Altitude or intervention? Which is the better strategy for early season skiing ?

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https://www.skiresort.info/snow-reports/europe/sorted/open-slopes/

After the weekend gales quite a few of the high altitude resorts have dropped out of the top 20. Twelve of the 20 are intervention resorts. The current leader is Val Gardena with 117 kms of runs open today. The next two are altitude resorts with Livigno and the 3 Valleys sharing about 115kms of open pistes.

Other big name resorts currently in the top 20 are the 4 valleys (Verbier) with 72kms, St Moritz 60kms)and Alp d’huez 57kms.

As storm recovery work takes effect over the next couple of days we may see more of the high altitude resorts moving back up the list. Conditions also look more favourable for snow making over the next 4 days so we may see more runs opening at the snow making resorts as well.

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As the high altitude resorts recover from the weekend storm they are quickly reopening terrain. Within the top 20 resorts by open slopes Tignes and Ischgl are currently leading the high resorts with 162kms and 138kms open each. According to this site Livigno in fifth place, is now fully open which is impressive for the second week of December.
https://www.skiresort.info/snow-reports/europe/sorted/open-slopes/

In terms of snow depth Andermatt, reputedly the snowiest place in the Alps, is way out in front with a recorded 4m depth on the mountain. Solden is next with 303cms.
https://www.skiresort.info/snow-reports/europe/sorted/mountain-snow-depths/

10 of the top 20 open resorts have 80% plus, snow making strategies. Todays lead ‘intervention’ resort in terms of open slopes is Serfaus with 126 km of pistes skiable and 32 lifts operational.

Cold, dry mid day air in the region of -7c and 53% humidity, is providing good conditions for snowmaking, in low wind speeds. Serfaus, Kronplatz, Obertauren and Val Gardena are all about two thirds open.

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Sitting in my studio in Salzburg, altitude around 450m, the snow outside is around 30cm deep. The ski areas round here have had a 50cm or more covering throughout on top of the artificial snow created during the sustained low temperatures. Forecasts show a continuing trend of sub-zero temperatures with another snowfall due on Sunday-Monday. Most ski areas are now open and reporting great conditions.

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@queenie pretty please, Excellent news. A snowy Salzburg when we arrive. Happy days.

After all it is free

This was the opening day in Val d'Isere, 24th November. Last year was the same.

https://www.skiresort.info/snow-reports/europe/sorted/open-slopes/

most of the big name resorts are now in the top 20 today by kms open. Tignes/Val d’isere, Verbier, St Anton and the Portes du Soleil are now at the top with over 200kms open each. Zermatt Cervina are reporting only 106kms open today, about a third of their area and down from the weekend.

Obertauren and livigno are the only resorts reporting 100% of their runs now open.

The high altitude resorts vary in terms of the percentage of terrain open. Tignes/Val disere is the lead with two thirds open today (216kms). The 3 Valleys have about a third of their area open (192km).

In terms of networked runs the Sella Ronda has 368kms open today.

Seven out of the top 20 are ‘intervention’ resorts. These are generally running above 75% open.

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In terms of snow depth Andermatt is still right out there with 400cms. Saas Fee is next with 295cm then Solden with 261cms. Madesimo is fourth with 250cms on the mountain.

In terms of open slopes Verbier is reportedly out in front today with 284 kms open, Tignes/VDI is next with 262kms then Ischgl with 221kms open. The 3 Valleys is still apparently only showing one third open with 192kms out of a possible 600kms.

Ten of the top 20 resorts by open slopes, are high altitude resorts. Eight are high percentage snow making.

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You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Limited pre-opening here in the Grand Massif seems to have more to be about staffing than snow, as we had good cover all week and a nice top-up the other day. Sadly, the high rain/snow limit today is not good, and its been chucking it down for hours.

A snowHead

https://www.skiresort.info/snow-reports/europe/sorted/open-slopes/

Eight out of the top 20 resorts today by open runs, are high altitude resorts (runs above 2,800m). Five are ’intervention’ resorts (more than 80% snowmaking). Verbier is again out in front today with 358kms open (out of a total of 412kms).

Next is the Portes du Soleil with 325 out of 580 kms. Via Lattea has 230km out of 400km and Tignes has 218kms open out of 300kms. The 3 Valleys are still only reporting 192kms open out of 600kms, which sounds suspiciously low for Christmas Eve ?

Ischgl, Serfaus, Kitzbuel, Val Gardena, Solden, Mayrhofen and Schaldming are now nearly fully open.

Christmas perhaps marks the end of the early ski season so now may be the time to draw some conclusions about altitude versus intervention.

The received wisdom is that high altitude is the best strategy for early season skiing. The evidence from this year is that is no longer the whole picture. Improved snow making technology, modern piste management and a deliberate strategy to open runs early, mean that a number of medium size, medium altitude ‘intervention’ resorts are also able to open up from the end of November. Most of these are located in Austria or north east Italy.

This year Cervina/Zermatt, Tignes/Val d’isere, Solden, Verbier and Ischgl have been the high altitude resorts that have regularly been out in front in terms of kms of skiing open. Ischgl is perhaps a hybrid between a high altitude snow sure resort and a high percentage snow making resort. Other big name high altitude resorts have not featured regularly in the top 20 but are now starting to get their terrain open. These include the 3 Valleys and St Anton.

Unsurprisingly the high altitude resorts have received the most natural snow fall and have held onto it better, although some fortunately placed resorts such as Madesimo, Isola 2000 and Grandvalira in the Pyrenees, have also been able to open a lot of runs because of good early season cover. The leading resorts in terms of snow depth now have over 200cm on their upper slopes.

Over the last 3 weeks skiing at the high altitude resorts have been interrupted by strong winds and heavy snowfall. Lifts and pistes have been closed sometimes for more than a day at a time.

In terms of kms of skiing available, the more sheltered and lower altitude snow making resorts have performed better with no ski days lost and fewer lift closures. These ‘intervention’ resorts have also been able to open up their terrain progressively, even in the absence of natural snowfall. Rain has been a problem in the western and some parts of the northern alps.

In conclusion, the high altitude resorts have been the place to go for early season powder and off piste skiing. The lower snow making resorts have been more reliable for early season piste skiing. Time to amend the guidebooks ?

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Hi Robarar, i'm not suggesting that the high altitude resorts have not been good for piste skiing , i'm just noting that there are other alternatives available these days and that those have tended to have less closures, partly because they are better sheltered.

Les Arcs is currently reporting 119kms of piste open out of 200km possible. However Les Arcs opened on the 15th December so its not particularly an early season resort.

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@Peter S, what low resorts open early, and what do you mean by early?

Why do those low & early resorts tend to have fewer closures?

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If you scroll back in this thread to the 1st December you can follow the evolution this season. I've defined early season as 30th November as that is the trigger date for many resorts to open up. The following low to medium altitude resorts were open from the 1st December: Madonna, Saalbach, Kronplatz, Alta Badia, Obertauren, 3 Zinnen, Kitzbuel, Mayrhofen and Alta Badia.

These resorts tend to stay open when the higher altitude centres close. Being in the eastern alps they are more sheltered from Atlantic storms. Much of their skiing is around or below the tree line which protects them from strong wind and improves visibility. Resorts south of the Alpine ridge also have fewer heavy snowfalls and are therefore less likely to be closed because of avalanche risk.

These resorts have a deliberate strategy to make snow on most if not all of their runs. They are less reliant on natural snow, which means they can open progressively in a managed way, as long as they have enough water, electricity and temperature/humidity is low enough.

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@Peter S, I've skied in the Tux valley few times in the first week of December. Not once would I have preferred to stay in Mayrhofen compared to higher up the valley, especially in years when there has been a relatively poor start to the season. I wouldn't call Madonna di Campiglio a low resort, it's at 1500m (relatively high for the Eastern Alps) with plenty of high terrain up on Groste and Cinque Laghi. While the Italian Dolomites have a good reputation for snow-making, but too often they rely on it in the near absence of the natural stuff. Skiing the white ribbon of death is an experience, but not one many of us seek out, surely?

I've skied a lot early season, late November and December, certainly for the last 10-12 years. Not once I have thought a low resort would have been a better option for the entire trip. No doubt there have been individual days when I've headed low to the trees, or wished I had more tree-lined terrain, but those have been specific days rather than an entire trip. If your advice was that early season high altitude plus some access to tree lined runs provides the best chance of early season skiing I'd have firmly agreed with you, but choosing a low resort which does not have access to high terrain I think poor advice for early season skiing. As an example, compare today's webcams at Plenay in Morzine with Val Claret in Tignes to see what a difference just over a vertical kilometre makes.

For early season skiing when there is a surfeit of accommodation, perhaps the best advice is to book late and chase the snow.

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Tignes is a reliable early season resort but it is prone to lift and piste closures because of exposure to bad weather. All the early season snow making resorts above are in the eastern alps or the Dolomites because the conditions there are reliable for snow making, as evidenced this year.

If you were seeking a 6 day on piste early season ski holiday then those resorts are less likely to have lifts or runs closed.

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It just tends to feel Icy and scratchy.

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The intervention resorts are all in the east and the south of the Alps not the west. its the difference between the western Highlands of Scotland and Kent.....with mountains snowHead

They are sheltered from the warmer and wetter Atlantic weather which is one reason why they have now become reliable early skiing destinations. The evidence above reveals where the most open terrain has been since the end of November.

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It seems like you had your conclusion when you set this thread up and have just cherry picked stats along the way to support your view.

KM of piste and percentage of pistes open do not necessarily correlate with snow conditions. As said above some of the big resorts have plenty of coverage but have just not opened up terrain as it's not needed for low season. Quality is far more important - who cares if 100% of pistes are open if there's rocks sticking out an its man made wrod.

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@Peter S has been pretty consistent from the beginning. He is only reading the stats and making comments based on what he sees. Like any stats all sorts of variables are lost. I don’t think he has said that snow conditions will be better or worse just that you may get more skiing days early season in xxxxx type of resort.

You know it makes sense.

This is a good thread.

Keep it going.

Looks like a 50-50 result so far.

Intervention resorts, like Italy, have plenty open. But it's on cr*ppy manmade (icy).

Altitude resorts, like France, have slightly less open. But more is on real snow (soft).

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Yes I have a hypothesis. I think the advice to go high in December has been overtaken by technology and strategy and that there are now reasonably reliable alternatives. I’ve set out this year to test that by monitoring the kms of piste open since the end of November.

Kms of runs and lifts open seems a reasonable metric for piste skiers comparing the choice available Puzzled

I’m not saying that snow making is only limited to the eastern alps, just that the particularly favourable circumstances there support a strategy of early opening. Indeed the very factors that make heavy snowfall rare in the Dolomites make them ideal for early snow making. Natural snow is a bonus Laughing

I haven’t read any reports yet about icy artificial snow in Austria or north east Italy. snowHead

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A snowHead

The problem is you don't know what constitutes an open piste without being there. It could be wrod slush with some rocks and mud, or it could be perfectly groomed snow. Also as said you are looking at a single year sample. Snowmaking is only good if temperatures are low enough, which they are more likely to be at altitude - where they also have snow cannons. I don't really see anything you've put forward to suggest the lower altitude resorts with a focus on snowmaking are going to be consistently a better option for early season than higher resorts.

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Of course we know that the alps are not a homogeneous area with the same climate.

Drier air, lower temperatures and grassy slopes in some Austrian and eastern Italian resorts make 100% snow making a viable early season strategy.

The southern alps have been sheltered from the worst of the rain this year. They are not of course immune from rain but it tends to come from the Mediterranean and the Adriatic which seems to be a less common direction in winter.

In the western alps the prevailing Atlantic air mass is still saturated by the time it reaches the French, Swiss and western Austrian alps. The terrain there also tends to be more rocky at altitude and the runs are more exposed to wind. Snow making has to work alongside natural snow fall to be effective. Consequently resorts in the western alps do not have early opening strategies based on 100% snow making. Instead they rely on their altitude to catch and retain snow cover.

In the eastern and southern alps where early season snow making is a viable strategy, the uncertainty of nature can be taken out of the equation. Certain resorts are able to offer skiing at the end of November and then progressively open up all their runs, irrespective of natural snowfall.

I’m not saying that resorts in the east are better for early season skiing. I’m just questioning the received wisdom that high altitude is the only reliable early season choice.

We can run this thread next year to test the hypothesis again.

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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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As said above without a measure of quality it's rather pointless

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

I think it’s great that some resorts can provide pretty much assured skiing in the absence of natural snowfall but yesterday I was lucky enough to ski 15 to 30cm of powder snow that fell the night before and throughout the morning.
Absolute great fun - and the machines just can’t replicate that.

After all it is free

Yes @rob@rar, @clarky999,

These are both your personal opinions and they matter. But:

A) some people / families don’t have the luxury of doing the sensible thing of booking last min

B) some people do want to ski max km so the number of open of km matters over the quality of the snow.

It’s only a flawed analysis of what you are trying to ascertain is different to what Peter wanted to work out.

Suggest a different analysis.....

@Bennyboy1, it's a false dichotomy: altitude or snow cannon network. And when the challenge to good snow conditions is because it's unseasonable warm it is the high altitude resorts who normally have the advantage of colder temperatures.

The last few days have been unseasonable warm, and we've seen rain to higher altitudes than is ideal. Lower pistes (and lower resorts) will have been adversely affected more than higher pistes (and resorts), meaning less enjoyable skiing conditions even if resorts are reporting lots of kilometres of open runs.

No doubt there are occasions when going lower allows you to find better conditions, principally because of too much weather. But I think at the start and the end of the season going higher is the best advice if you are booking in advance. In an ideal world we'd have access to high altitude terrain to make the most of any marginal snow conditions [I]and[/] access to some tree-lined terrain to escape to if the weather is bad.

As for analysis, first hand reports of skiing conditions in resort will always, for me, beat an arbitrary metric like available kilometres of piste. Apparently Les Arcs was 'only' about 50% open last week. Do you think that was because of poor snow conditions, or a phased opening because the first week of the season is very quiet? Some of the best runs I had last week were on pistes which hadn't yet been opened but had boot deep powder on a smooth, firm base. Hero skiing of the highest order for mid-December Happy

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Altitude or intervention? Which is the better strategy for early season skiing ?

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