 Poster: A snowHead
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Just looks like a lot of rain to me at village level, I am sure the snow up top will be fine as long as its not a white out.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hey all, currently in Meribel Mottaret with check-out tomorrow (been here for an excellent two weeks). I can stay in the Alps for two more weeks, haven’t booked anything, and find myself relatively unsure of where to go next week due to the forecast. I’ve skied most resorts of interest, so most interested in great conditions. Have a prejudice for sun & hero corn, but looks like that’s not on the table for almost everywhere next week. Anyone have an opinion on where they’d go next week if they could go anywhere?
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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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Zermatt / Verbier / Tignes. Got to go high. Looks very promising for Easter weekend. If you’re a piste skier Zermatt / Cervinia would get my vote. Stay in Zermatt if at all possible
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@the8thdimensionist, FWIW, Val/Tignes are an easy 1.5 hours drive away from where you are and as snow sure as anywhere. The weather will be the same pretty much all over the alps.
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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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Austria (Today)
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@BobinCH i thought so, wanted to sanity check & see if i was missing anything. appreciate your time.
@DrJohn yes! i spent a month last year hopping around the tarentaise valley. the density and quality of on/off-piste is remarkable.
was wondering if ANYONE was getting anything sunny, but it is clear not really. as always around this time of year or when in doubt, go high. thanks all!
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So after a month of skiing earlier this winter in Austria with no snow, I'm off to southern France on Tuesday for a month of biking. With tons of precipitation and cold temperatures predicted. Guess I got my two trips reversed! 
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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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@TOLOCOMAN, lol, gotta decide last minute these days I think
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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It snowed in Pitztal (Tyrol) this morning, I'd say around 5cm, mostly wet and getting wetter around 2600m.
Piste conditions yesterday were excellent all day long (despite the high temperatures down the valley and full on bluebird sky), this morning they felt a bit harder but still excellent with the top-up snow.
There's definitely some change in the horizon with the expected high temperatures and precipitation, but if the conditions stay similar to this, I'd say Easter will be quite good (gotta admit I was quite scared before coming).
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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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Just driven home from Chiemsee where we have been for the weekend. Yesterday was warm & sunny, hardly any snow on the mountains. Definitely bike or yacht weather. Weather forecast on Bavarian radio on the way home was suggesting 26 degrees in the Alpenvorland next weekend!
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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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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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Didn't know Morris was still on the go I'm not on social media (unless snowheads is social media? 
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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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@BobinCH, looks rubbish, get the road bike out
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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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| leggyblonde wrote: |
| @BobinCH, looks rubbish, get the road bike out |
Haha, let’s not kill the vibe just yet! There’s still time before we’re all traumatised by the horror of you in your Lycra…
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I personally think some of those accumulations and FL's are a tad optimistic, for France at least, that said, hope I'm proved wrong.
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@mountainaddict, "almost"
@Weathercam, agreed
@munich_irish, o m g
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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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| Weathercam wrote: |
| I personally think some of those accumulations and FL's are a tad optimistic, for France at least, that said, hope I'm proved wrong. |
You’ll like this mornings view then…
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It is bonkers but friday could be seriously good albeit presumably very dangerous. Doubt much will open thursday.
I'm in cervinia but chose this week as opposed to next to avoid italian school holidays! Due to fly home thursday and have had barely any viz all week and slush below 2500. Grrr!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And don't forget this is April, so if the sun does make an appearance, it will be strong and will quickly make any fresh heavy.
Plus rocks will heat up quickly and purge and will result in slides propagating below and across faces.
Hence, avy risk will be high with any accumulations into double figures.
I always remember our first trip to the Queyras with a guide where we encountered the Retour D'Est before it was known outside of the Queyras and locals telling our guide that if we travelled from where we were, Molines en Queyras to Abries we could expect 30-50 where we currently had 15.
As we skinned up so weather cleared and you could feel things warming up, and the climb took us a couple of hours, the descent the guide was hoping to do was still N facing but as we started to ski it, with one of our party having issues with the deep snow, he called a halt and said to put the skins back on to climb back out as he was not happy.
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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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| Weathercam wrote: |
And don't forget this is April, so if the sun does make an appearance, it will be strong and will quickly make any fresh heavy.
Plus rocks will heat up quickly and purge and will result in slides propagating below and across faces.
Hence, avy risk will be high with any accumulations into double figures...... |
Exhibit A, as the cloud lifted after 5cm or so today - this is La Balme a sector I know a lot of SH's have skied on the Off-Piste bashes.
It's also this time of year when wet, heavy slides can come down from altitude over the pistes, as we've seen on numerous occasions.
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Lol, black marks on the wepowder maps. And another 30cms possible on Saturday.
@Weathercam, true, its not going to be optimal but there will be fun even side-piste, the pistes in the high altitude resorts will be replenished to the end of the season and everything will look a lot whiter higher up
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You know it makes sense.
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Janvril (at least 2nd half)
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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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Unbelievable snowfall in cervinia today. I've done a fair few last minute trips for storms but not sure i've ever seen this sustained intense snowfall. Was topping up at about 10 cm per hour.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@8611, what sort of altitude is it not falling as wet snow?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Weathercam wrote: |
| @8611, what sort of altitude is it not falling as wet snow? |
It’s been snowing in Verbier village for the last hour and is now starting to settle at 1500m. Wasn’t expecting it at this altitude until tonight…
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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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I'm guessing when this storm has passed that the avi risk is going to be monumental
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Tl,dr Avi level 4= announced in Valais, 4+ around Zermatt, Simplon pass etc
Snowpack and weather
Snowpack
After mild weather, overcast nights and rain in some regions, the snowpack has become increasingly water-saturated in recent days. On southern slopes, the snowpack is water-saturated up into the high Alpine regions, while on eastern and western slopes, the majority is water-saturated up to around 2800 m. On northern slopes, water saturation is under way up to altitudes of around 2400 m.
With large volumes of fresh snow and southeasterly winds, large snowdrift accumulations are forming above around 2500 m. This overlying snow can be expected to cause fractures in the old snowpack, in particular on northern slopes. This is especially the case in southern Valais, Ticino and in some regions of Grisons, where there are faceted layers deeper in the snowpack, but also in isolated cases in other regions.
Precipitation will be exceptionally heavy from Wednesday to Thursday midday in those regions most exposed to precipitation, causing a rapid increase in avalanche risk, especially overnight to Thursday.
Weather review for Wednesday
Precipitation became heavier in the south overnight to Wednesday, and then increasingly extended into the Bernese Oberland over the course of the day. The snowfall level was between 2200 and 2400 m on the central part of the southern flank of the Alps and between 2000 and 2200 m elsewhere. In the northeast, conditions were dry with sunny intervals.
Fresh snow
Snowfall above 2400 m from Tuesday to Wednesday afternoon:
Mattmark, Simplon region, Binntal, southern Goms, Val Bedretto, Valle Maggia: 50 to 100 cm.
rest of the Main Alpine Ridge from the Great St. Bernard to the San Bernardino Pass as well as the rest of Ticino, Lötschental, the Aletsch region and the rest of the Gotthard region: 30 to 50 cm.
as much as 20 cm in adjacent areas to the north, mostly dry further north
Temperature
At midday at 2000 m between +1 °C in the northwest, +3 °C in the south and +7 °C in the east
Wind
Strong to storm force south to southeasterly at high altitudes
Strong foehn wind in the north overnight to Wednesday
Weather forecast to Thursday
Precipitation in the south and west will remain very heavy until midday on Thursday. The snowfall level will be between 1400 and 1600 m on the western part of the northern flank of the Alps and in Lower Valais, between 1600 and 2000 m on the central part of the northern flank of the Alps and in Upper Valais, and between 2000 and 2400 m on the central part of the southern flank of the Alps and in central and southern Grisons. In the northeast, conditions will remain mostly dry and there will be clear spells, both overnight and during the day.
Fresh snow
Snowfall above around 2400 m by Thursday afternoon:
Main Alpine Ridge of Valais, Visp valleys, Aletsch region, Val Bedretto: 100 to 150 cm, and from the Monte Rosa region via the Saas valley and the Simplon region into Binntal up to 200 cm
rest of Valais, rest of Northern Alpine Ridge west of the Reuss, Valle Maggia, Valle Leventina: 50 to 100 cm.
adjacent regions to the north from Leysin via Gstaad, Adelboden, Lake Brienz, Hasliberg, Titlis, Schächental and along the Main Alpine Ridge from the Lukmanier Pass to Lower Engadine: 30 to 50 cm.
as much as 10 to 30 cm in adjacent areas to the north, mostly dry in the far northeast
Temperature
At midday at 2000 m between -2 °C in the northwest, +2 °C in the south and +5 °C in the east
Wind
Main Alpine Ridge, Upper Valais, eastern Bernese Oberland, central and eastern parts of the northern flank of the Alps, Grisons: strong southeasterly at high altitudes
Central and northern Lower Valais, Vaud and Fribourg Alps, western Bernese Oberland: light to moderate southeasterly
Outlook
Temperatures will fall on Good Friday and there will be little precipitation. There will be sunny intervals in the west and still mostly cloudy conditions in the east. Winds will drop significantly. The risk of dry avalanches will decrease. However, the situation is likely to remain critical for snow sports participants. The risk of wet avalanches will also decrease, although moist and wet avalanches from the fresh snow are to be expected, especially in the west, with higher daytime temperatures and sunshine.
On Easter Saturday, conditions will be mainly overcast in the south, but there will be little precipitation. In the north, conditions will be mostly sunny and milder again. There will be light to moderate winds from southerly directions. Avalanche risk will decrease further and will be increasingly subject to daytime changes, especially in the north.
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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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@Weathercam, hard to say, but forecast was very accurate in that it was snowing all day but only snow in resort (2000m) from early afternoon.
Prior to that frost line was creeping down from maybe 2200. Snow wasn't really wet at 2500 but definitely not light powder. Light to medium heavy I'd describe it as. Fun but you slow down a bit trying to turn.
I skied to maybe 2900 at 3 pm and still not that light but improved. Hard to tell what actual off piste like though as very flat light so more or less everything I did was piste or just off side which could have been affected by others skiing it first.
As you said, it's april at end of day so was unlikely to be champagne, particularly with a dropping snowline.
Giant flocons in resort later but it was persistent little flakes up high, which I think is indicative of moisture difference.
Just the volume I was blown away by.
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@BobinCH, Avi 4+ in Zermatt means lifts closed?
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I’m not in the Alps at the moment but these springs storms can produced some really big snow falls and looking at the cams plenty are experiencing already with big falls promised overnight . Won’t be surprised to hear of reports of half a metre of concrete at resort level in some places .
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@Le Grand Renard, another factor is melt, I've seen 40cm on my terrace (1400m) after big Spring storms at 08:00 and by 13:00 it's nigh on all gone, hence flooding is another issue to contend with as some of the small torrents can't handle that volume of melt-water.
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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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| munich_irish wrote: |
| @BobinCH, Avi 4+ in Zermatt means lifts closed? |
I don’t know if Zermatt has safer terrain low down. In Verbier they will open up to Ruinettes at 2200m and then usually a bit later to Fontanet at 2450 and then later in the day to Ruinettes at 2700. But if it’s puking all day as forecast they probably err on side of caution. For sure everything higher stays closed on a 4 day.
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| Weathercam wrote: |
| @Le Grand Renard, another factor is melt, I've seen 40cm on my terrace (1400m) after big Spring storms at 08:00 and by 13:00 it's nigh on all gone, hence flooding is another issue to contend with as some of the small torrents can't handle that volume of melt-water. |
If there’s 40cm at 08:00 there will be 80cm at 13:00 tomorrow 
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FAQ
, shoot me.....but at least one more dump might keep the bike in the garage a bit longer. Austria is going to melt but the west is somewhat spared as that colder north atlantic air just about reaches the west end on the 16/17th, pretty close to the best case scenarios that some models were showing last week.
The season is still young - especially with my 6 nights in France (Tignes) to come from 23rd April 
