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

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Yes @rob@rar, @boarder2020,

I agree. I am just making the point
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
It’s a difference between west and east, not just high and low altitude.

The rain has mainly affected the western alps. In the east, snow making resorts such as saalbach have good conditions down to 1000m.
https://www.bergfex.com/saalbach-hinterglemm-leogang/webcams/c734/

Further south Kronplatz is good down to 935m.
https://www.kronplatz.com/en/kronplatz/planning-booking/webcams

Snow making has enabled a good start and reliable conditions in the east.


You are all probably a lot nearer to skiable snow than I am. Enjoy it whether high or low. Man made or natural.
Merry Christmas by the way snowHead
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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?
https://www.skiresort.info/snow-reports/europe/sorted/open-slopes/

Most runs are now open at most resorts although still a few closed at some of the big names such as the 3 valleys.
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Quote:

Most runs are now open at most resorts although still a few closed at some of the big names such as the 3 valleys.


Yes, 2 out of 140 rolling eyes which I think we can safely say is not due to lack of snow and still gives them more km of pistes open than anywhere else...
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
https://live.lumiplan.pro/live.php?resort=3v&module=ouvertures#

Well a few more than two, but mostly open.
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 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
Many other reasons why runs may be closed in the 3 Valleys (and elsewhere) other than lack of snow. High wind, poor visibility, icy snow, avalanche risk, lack of demand, reserved for competition...

About 20 runs closed in Megeve today (one of the lowest big resorts in the western Alps), but probably only 1 or 2 (or fewer) due to lack of snow.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
In your skiresort.info webpage link it said 2/140 were closed. Bearing in mind all your analysis for this thread has been using that site and your now saying it's not accurate? Very Happy
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Yes reliability of open runs is about a lot more than snow depth.
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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.
@Peter S, moretta blanche the red down to La Tania was closed all week, looked in the most part like good snow cover, skied over runs with far less cover, really not sure why not open.
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Peter S wrote:
It’s a difference between west and east, not just high and low altitude.

The rain has mainly affected the western alps. In the east, snow making resorts such as saalbach have good conditions down to 1000m.
https://www.bergfex.com/saalbach-hinterglemm-leogang/webcams/c734/


I'm curious about how you have decided resorts are 'snowfall' or 'intervention'.

Do you have good historical snowfall stats for Saalbach (and the other resorts you categorise so), or do you base that on the number of snow cannons, or other criteria?
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
clarky999, its purely just a theory I have that resorts with approaching 100% snow making capability have a deliberate strategy of 'intervening' to ensure that they have a good proportion of pistes open early doors. The Dolomite resorts have had to go down that route out of necessity but there also seems to be plenty of Austrian resorts with 90% plus snow making, particularly in the drier more sheltered east which also pursue it.

Resorts in the western alps or or at altitude eg. Portes du soliel, Tarantaise, Valais, Voralburg etc are more exposed and tend to get much greater natural coverage, most years. This thread is just an attempt to monitor progress and see how both strategies deliver.

My 'hypothesis' is that 'intervention' is actually proving quite reliable for early season piste skiing, partly because of the shelter of these resorts from the most common snow directions. Saalbach has done very well this year because of snowmaking and then the huge Stau a couple of weeks ago, although that will have temporarily reduced the number of slopes open during the storm recovery phase.
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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.
@Peter S, fair enough, though I'm not sure many of those resorts in the east are actually drier or more sheltered - still first mountains in line for storms from the north etc (unlike the Dolomites). Obertauern for example, is about the next snowy place in the Alps after the Arlberg area, and pretty much every time I've been in the Salzkammergut the valleys have had more snow than Tirol, and they're famously pretty rainy in the summer. I do think (annecdotally, I have no data) that they generally thaw quicker/earlier in spring, but seem to be more snowy during the early winter.
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 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
Quote:

Saalbach has done very well this year because of snowmaking

Also because of the heavy snowfall that arrived around 10th December - from then on the snowmaking was just the icing on the cake.
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