 Poster: A snowHead
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I’m planning a 2 week trip to Zermatt & Verbier but I don’t know when to book it for. I was in France & Switzerland in Feb & Mar/23 for 3 weeks but never received a significant amount of snow. Is there anyone that has been there several times that can help me come up with the best 2 weeks from Jan - March?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Based on the past 15 years of snowfall history...
Jan 5th to Mar 15th is their snowiest window of the season.
Narrowing it down further...
Second week of January is the snowiest week for Zermatt.
First week of February is the snowiest week for Verbier.
Early March is my favorite time in those stations. Lots of sun, maybe some flake.
But it's a myth that Europe gets lots of snowfall. It doesn't. Zermatt and Verbier, for example, typically get only 200-600cm a season.
If you want guaranteed powda on a 2- or 3-week trip, you gotta go to Northern Japan or Western US, where they routinely get over 1000cm a season.
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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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Anyone want to get their magic eight ball out for the OP?
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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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Thanks so much. I appreciate it.
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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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@djaramillo, welcome to SHs.
It’s impossible to predict.
If you’re really chasing knee+ deep powder, January is a little more likely. But you need to be kind of packed and ready to travel.
Avoiding school holiday weeks (10/2-09/3) generally improves the experience. (I don’t think 4 vallees as badly affected as e.g. Grand Massif (FR) but still.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@djaramillo, Verbier and especially Zermatt are not the best for snowfall. They are both very inner-alpine, meaning many mountains between them and the Atlantic Ocean/North Sea (where most snow comes from). Their climate hence is relatively dry (and sunny!  )
In the Alps, for regular snowfall ánd big dumps, Ski Arlberg (St.Anton/Lech/Warth) is best, they get 7-11 meters snow per season.
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@Langerzug, yeah, Verbier is absolutely dreadful, usually. That's why it's got such a poor off piste reputation.
Wait, what?
Err, anyway, according to this source - onthsnow.co.uk - I'm not sure you're correct,
Verbier Average 425cm
St Anton Average 358cm
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@djaramillo, as you experienced, very hard to put a definitive answer to it. March, those mid weeks have often been good for me over the years, but recently all season can show considerable shift in snow accumulation.
To pin down date for your question though, last week of Jan & first week of Feb would be my pick in those location. Strong odds I feel, as above though it's getting more difficult to read in respect of when snow will be falling in significant quantities. These week allow for previous accumulation, cold temperatures usually, less people there to use the snow ( in comparison to traditional school holidays immediately following this period) there's a reasonable stack of enhanced odds on for them.
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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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@Langerzug, Hilarious!
@djaramillo, sadly it's impossible to predict, recent seasons have seen significant fresh snow later and later in the season.
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@under a new name, it's quite simple, those are not cumulative quantities, but average snow depth...And I'm not saying that Verbier is a poor off piste destination
@kitenski, nothing hilarious, just facts.
Wallis/Valais is sheltered from northern depressions by the Berner Oberland (4000m!), and hence relatively sunny and dry. Ski Arlberg is at the northern edge of the Alps, and on top of that right east of huge Lake Konstanz and the Rhine-Valley. Which also explains that within Arlberg, most snow falls at Warth (at the far north end), which is only at 1500-2000 meters, and not at Valluga (2811 m.) Warth gets totals of 11 meters snow per season
It's widely known that the Arlberg and Vorarlberg region are the wettest/snowiest of the Alps. (and Salzburg-Dachstein almost equal, sometimes even wetter)
Explaining those averages, Verbier reaches 3300 meter where that 425 cm probably is measured . In St.Anton they measure at Galzig, at 2200 meters. Verbier reaches its max average much earlier in season....it used to be a summer-ski-destination> remainders of summer snow, and better conservation at lower temps. In other words: Mont Fort (still) probably stays white throughout summer, Valluga and definitely Galzig are not white in summer.
I've been to both very often by the way. And am watching snowheights for over 30 years....
Q4 is a great off-piste destination, but talking snowfall, Q4 is no match for Arlberg, sorry
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@under a new name and @kitenski, @Langerzug is actually correct about the Arlberg being one of the snowiest regions - for equivalent heights - in the Alps. Warth in particular usually tops the Alpine list for snow accumulation each season. Average snowfall drops off appreciably as you move south (further into the Alps) through the Arlberg though - Lech / Zurs get less then Warth, and St Anton less than both.
They are also correct about Zermatt being one of the driest resorts in the Alps due to the inner Alpine location, along with places like Saas Fee and St Moritz). Cold, dry and sunny means snow retention is good, but not as much fresh snow falls.
Buut... I suspect Verbier is significantly snowier than Zermatt, because it's less inneralpine and the ski area is somewhat exposed to northwesterly storms.
Taking into account all of the above, the Arlberg gets much more snow than Verbier but I'm not sure that St Anton (specifically) gets lots more than Verbier. The figures listed by @under a new name sound like they are taken at resort level - remember that Verbier is ~200m higher than St Anton.
@djaramillo, as others have said, the best week is impossible to predict in advance, though I think January tends to be more unsettled (= snowier) than later in the season. It also tends to be windier, which can shut lifts.
My favourite times for skiing (more generally) are just before and after the February half term.
Edit: this was a response to Langerzug's earlier post, not the one directly above which I hadn't seen.
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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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@Langerzug, the official Verbier measuring station is around 2000m from memory (The webcam link doesn't seem to be valid currently, this is the one from last year)
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@kitenski, you're a Stuben regular. Just think about the thick snow on the roofs in Stuben. You don't get that in Q4, at least not on a regular basis like in Arlberg. And Stuben is at just 1400 meters...
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You know it makes sense.
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@Langerzug, yes I love Stuben and the area, I also like the skiing and snow around Verbier!
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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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@denfinella, thanks for that. Makes me less "hilarious" I hope....
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Langerzug, Q4? Fully electric?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@under a new name,  , no; a XC70 4wd, an oldie
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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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We usually go out across the last weeks of January/First week of February for 2½-3 weeks. The snow is usually OK to good then. Out of the last twenty years we've cancelled once (poor snow) and it's been pretty bad once and we'd not have gone out if we'd known. The rest of the time the concern is more around short days and poor visibility (snowing or foggy). The coldest we've skied in is -19°C.
Aside from being colder and more snow-sure, the end of Jan through the beginning of Feb is the quietest time for school (non) holidays. Although obviously, the days are at their shortest. After the various half-terms there are 'sports weeks' in many of the Swiss Cantons and so you can get more school groups than you'd expect in term time. Albeit they usually ski much better than me.
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