 Poster: A snowHead
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I can remember some years ago ( Thankfully before I started skiing ) probably mid 80s when there was vertually no snow in the main resorts.
Although I have been to a few areas where snow as been sparce can anyone throw any light on the worst year overall for snow fall ??.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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i think it was about 88-90 when there was a major drought - especially in Italy too. I think it was cold but just no precipitation and pre the mass snow cannon era we are in now...
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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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Went to Les Carroz in January 1993. It was completely dry. Got bussed to Flaine which had plenty though
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Lots of experience in France in 80s & early 90s have left a sour taste in my mouth - these days I wouldn't dream of booking a major holiday in Europe a long time in advance - the thought of skiing for a week on manmade all week-yuk. One memory is spending a week (circa 89/90) being bussed from Morillion to Les Saisies which was the only ski area in that part of the Alps open. I'm sure that La Rosiere had over 12m of snow that year though 
Of course North America isn't certain either - witness 04/05 in Western Canada but on average I'd say its a safer bet booking a while 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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Fatbob, i though tlike that but still went to VDI the first week of last season and despite very little natural snow indeed most runs were still open. the difference since I was last there in the early 1990s was incredible.
I'm going again this december and i am less worried than last year, unless they get a big drought and warm temperatures in late November.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Mine was either 1990 or '91 - Auffach in Austria. NOT ONE CENTIMETRE! The TO option was to bus us 3 hours each way to the only area that DID have snow - unfortunately, it also had thousands of other refugees seeking solace and err, snow. I only bothered with the trip once and then treated the week as a nice alpine break - didn't make up for the lack of skiing though 
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fatbob,
La Rosiere always has 12m of snow
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So far I have always been lucky with snow conditions. However becuase I was spoilt on my first ever trip I still get worried if conditions are not the same every year.
The first year I skied even salzburg had 1 mtr of snow with 2 mtrs in resort and new snow every day.
However on my second trip no snow on lower slopes, but as we were being bussed to resort it started to snow and by the next day although alot of ice that week we were able to ski all resort runs.
Christmas 2004 was the same in Sauze D'Oulx but the day before we arrived a big dump was made and we at least got to ski all week although it had turned rocky by the end of the week. It also turned out that that snow fall was one of the few snow falls that season in resort.
This season was better with deep snow, clear blue skies and high temperatures in January.
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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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January 2002, Livigno.
Virtually no natural snow, but about 70% open on artificial snow.
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ssnowman,
Yes, I was in Passo Tonale that year. It was grim
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| ssnowman wrote: |
January 2002, Livigno.
Virtually no natural snow, but about 70% open on artificial snow. |
70% open is only a measure of the pistes - which would equate to say 10-30% of total skiable terrain I'd guess. Its not necessarily a problem but even when resorts say they are fully open often you wouldn't want to venture off piste without your rock skis.
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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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on the antithesis of this topic .... damn March this year was good .... our week in klosters / davos had so much snow only the jacobshorn was really skiable(visibility) .... the week end after for my friend in madonna and livigno he said sun came out and the powder was superb. global warming = extreme weather conditions .... maybe less snow overall but not necessarily a lower quality of skiing
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Having watched the DVD " On the Piste " ( See thread ).
I noticed that Soll where part of the film was shot also didn't have much snow and what snow it had was affected by the morning sun as the Pistes were pretty much porridge.
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You know it makes sense.
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For me one of the most interesting observations from this thread is how easy it is to make a judgement based on a single observation...
Conditions can change dramatically - and anyway, who cares how much snow there is if the avalanche risk is so high you aren't allowed outside of your apartment block, for instance?
That said, skinutter is right, 88-90 were two bad seasons in some parts. My first two seasons in Morzine were 88-89 and 89-90. We had a fair fall before and around Xmas 88 but then nothing for, IIRC, 9 weeks (!!). Things were getting quite worn by the end of that (although 9 weeks of sunshine but very cold temperatures meant we could ski quite a lot of the area). Injury rates rose significantly due to exposed rocks and higher skier/m2 density.
89-90 was worse in that we had very little early on and then warmer temperatures for about the same length of time. The Portes du Soleil was down to 6 operating pistes at one stage (again, if my memory serves me correctly).
Oddly, and a harbinger of what seems to have become a standard pattern, the late season snow both years was allegedly excellent (and I had gone home before it arrived  )
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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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David Murdoch, "For me one of the most interesting observations from this thread is how easy it is to make a judgement based on a single observation... "
I agree absolutely. The thread is about bad snow years, not about bad snow weeks. I can't actually remember which years were particularly bad, because it always seems to me that in the end it evens out. I remember not being able to ski until the end of Feb one year when I worked on Caringorm, and I remember one Xmas here when it hadn't snowed AT ALL in the autumn so we were stuck on the glacier (freezing) and the nursery slopes (cannons)! however it snowed again before too long and IIRC the snow was fine from mid-Jan onwards......
You can always be lucky or unlucky with the snow and the weather wherever you go. Always give each resort a second chance ... 
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Poster: A snowHead
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easiski, absolutely. For example, Scotland at its best is as good as anywhere. Whistler (for instance) is often similar to Scotland in weather (allegedly) and at its worst is at least as bad. Blackcomb does at least boast a decent restaurant, which I sadly couldn't find anywhere in Glenshee at my last visit.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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January 1995 Sierra Nevada, Spain. Major drought in that region. 3 runs max open with artificial snow and a green/brown mountain.  Most of us took lessons which relieved any boredom from doing the same run again, and again, and again....... The World Championships were scheduled for a few weeks later and had to be cancelled due to lack of snow.
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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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Early 90's ... 'Where is the longest dryslope in Europe ? '
Serre Chevalier ....
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1995 and 1996 back home on Mt Ruapehu but you expect to have a bug of a season when your mountain erupts.
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