 Poster: A snowHead
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Does Admin ever move this thread to a "sticky"?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Solden definitely making snow. They will need it for the racing this weekend!
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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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| kitenski wrote: |
| @Snow&skifan, surely just testing the guns vs actively making snow? |
Maybe not using the little piste side guns?
I wonder if they are just using the big fan guns to make large piles which they can keep consolidated until it is time to spread it out? If I recall correctly the big ones can make an olympic swimming pools volume of snow in 24 hours at ideal temps. Chat GPT tells me that you could cover a cat track about 1km long with 30cm of snow from one olympic pools worth of snow.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Definite change in the weather this morning. After what has felt like weeks of typical Autumn weather, misty mornings sometimes clearing to sunny and briefly warm afternoons, the mountains not visible in the mist. This morning, not so cool, no mist, with the outline of the mountains clearly visible, even a patch of white glinting in the sun off in the distance near the Zugspitze. Much milder with some precipitation due. Clearly will be rain here but should be small amounts of snow at higher elevations.
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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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@Ghost Dog, although being on a glacier you'd maybe hope they don't need any additional?
Anyway, that's not really representative!
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How incredibly wet. 3 models here for the next week showing Rhone Alps...100 to 250mm across a wide area, and for once GFS is showing the least ppn, AIFS the heaviest.
https://meteologix.com/fr/model-charts/euro/rhone-alpes/accumulated-precipitation/20251104-0000z.html
Some mixed output still run to run for FL timing into weekend and even how long it may last. One thing that is becoming clear is that the cool down is now likely to start thursday, with some models showing a near 10c drop during the day as the flow turns SW to NW. Under those heavy thurs downpours maybe some adiabatic cooling will also help.
Another little warm bump Sat (2000m FL) before the next colder plunge into 27th. Looks the mean anomaly charts were good at picking out 21, 24, 27 as best NW days.
I was about to write mon-tues probably the end of this event as everything drifts east with high pressure returning from the west, but AIFS 06z has other ideas with another cold blast from the NE into early Nov.
AIFS 06z snow chart to next wednesday looking good, those purples are 1m plus of snow at altitude. But a growing signal for sub 1800m snow, just not clear if it will be a few cms or something you can sink your equipment into.
Ensemble link for NW alps....4 different models to flick thru (bottom left), ECMWF, AIFS, GEFS, ENSGEM, I'd ignore the others.
https://www.meteociel.fr/cartes_obs/ecmwfens_display.php?x=0&y=0&ville=Les%20Gets&lat=46.1507&lon=6.66673&type=0&mode=1
All of them showing close to 0c at 1500m for the last week of Oct, with AIFS being the snowiest, and GFS the least snowy (milder and drier). Not something we are used to seeing. Like October snow.
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I see the Iseran and Galibier passes are now being closed and not cleared following snow yesterday / today.
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| Quote: |
| AIFS 06z snow chart to next wednesday looking good, those purples are 1m plus of snow at altitude. But a growing signal for sub 1800m snow |
Great stuff @polo - two weeks today until my first (Magic Pass) turns of winter 2025/26 in Saas Fee! 
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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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From Weather to Ski
Updated: 11am Tuesday 21 October 2025 - Significant snow for some parts of the Alps this week…
The lengthy period of calm autumn weather has come to an end in the Alps, with Atlantic weather fronts having already delivered fresh snow to some higher parts of the west yesterday. The weather will now remain unsettled all week in the Alps with significant snow expected to increasingly low altitudes from Thursday.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, any snow is expected to fall above 2500-2700m and mostly in the west, with 10-20cm possible at 3000m by the end of Wednesday on the glaciers of Tignes and Les 2 Alpes (neither of which are currently open). On Thursday, much more active fronts will sweep in from the west/north-west lowering the rain/snow limit to 1500m or so.
The weather will remain cool and changeable on Friday and Saturday with further showers and snow falling to relatively low levels.
Over the next few days, the heaviest precipitation will fall in the western and north-western Alps, where 50-80cm of snow is likely above 2800m by the end of the week in parts of France and western Switzerland. However, eastern regions could also see some significant snow over the weekend and into next week.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Firming up on the first major fall for the NW Alps over the next 7 days or so. Probably 1m total in some places above 2800m. Likely to get a decent covering down to 1600 also in some places particularly on Friday and maybe also early next week.
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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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Yes, my phone has been pinging all morning with alerts for heavy snowfalls.
1m at altitude seems more than likely.
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You know it makes sense.
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Makes for better notifications on your watch than the teams ones I get @mountainaddict, 
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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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Tomorrow is going to be pretty wild....seeing 70-80kph winds here on the higher rez short term models like Arome, WRF, Arpege. ICON has up to 110kph from 10am to 3pm.
Persistent heavy showers all day with 50-70mm forecast. Really want GFS to be right and drop the snowline quickly. It's only showing a peak of 40kph though with the colder afternoon temps. I'd be cautious expecting the snowcam's at 1500m to turn white tomorrow afternoon based on GFS 06z FL of 1650m. Hope it's right but the short range models suggest more like 1850m until dropping below 1500m late in the evening (all NW). That's often my experience waiting for FL's to drop....daytime can be overstated by GFS.
Firday morning will be a scene though.
Monday in the west is looking a bit dodgier, still going to be cold, but high pressure moving in quicker than previously shown.
Am not putting on the winters yet. Just the thermals for now. And a good time to dig out the touring gear.
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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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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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| kitenski wrote: |
| @Snow&skifan, surely just testing the guns vs actively making snow? |
The Hochgurgl webcam, it's been going on for a week or two. Building a base? And now in the distance above Obergurgl too, as the webcam pans to the right.
https://www.gurgl.com/en/live-information/livecams
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Wed 22-10-25 17:27; edited 2 times in total
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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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MeteoSwiss @mountainaddict, you select your mountain, village or town and the system sends alerts on severe weather events.
I must offer a correction, I think this mornings
Pinging was associated with strong wind rather than the snowfall. The weather data is definitely showing plenty of White stuff! in addition to the gales. You could be in for a real early season treat with conditions.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Rogerdodger wrote: |
MeteoSwiss @mountainaddict, you select your mountain, village or town and the system sends alerts on severe weather events.
I must offer a correction, I think this mornings
Pinging was associated with strong wind rather than the snowfall. The weather data is definitely showing plenty of White stuff! in addition to the gales. You could be in for a real early season treat with conditions. |
From Friday onwards, definitely. Meteosuisse we used them last year, are no surprise pretty accurate.
https://www.meteosuisse.admin.ch/previsions-locales/arosa/7050.html#forecast-tab=detail-view
Subject to, will one more mild and wet spell return in early November?
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Cheers @Rogerdodger
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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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Looks like its turning mild and wet early Nov flat westerly pattern and up from the Azores? Still a long way off
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@mountainaddict, Boro will choke as they always do... (I was born in Boro).
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@mountainaddict, you only just beat my lot last night. Two 35 year olds( Bannan is still brilliant though), and our under 23’s who are all we have left. I’m hoping a good season is one where we are put into administration by HMRC, Mike Ashley buys us for a knockdown price, but we survive. It’s that bad. Needless to say meaningful snow is still a fair way off.
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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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| JDL65 wrote: |
| I see the Iseran and Galibier passes are now being closed and not cleared following snow yesterday / today. |
I was stood up there 2wks ago doing the Marmotte cycle route - it was bloody cold then, can only imagine how horrendous it is up there now.
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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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Snow level dropping in Saas Fee
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Weather To Ski:
Updated: 9am Friday 24 October 2025 - Serious snow at altitude across some parts of the Alps…
There’s lots of fresh snow at altitude in the north-western Alps today, with plenty more in the forecast, and the weather in the Alps set to remain very unsettled until Tuesday. The first phase of a major autumn storm cycle may be over, but there is plenty more action to come over the next few days, especially in the north-western Alps.
Yesterday, a very active cold front swept across the Alps delivering copious precipitation to the north-western Alps and a sharp drop of temperature. The rain/limit began at around 2700m but dropped steadily later in the day to reach 1200m or lower in places overnight, as seen by the dusting of snow in Les Gets (1172m) this morning (pictured below).
In higher parts of the north-western Alps, including Tignes (pictured above), Val Thorens, the mountains above Chamonix, and the far west of Switzerland, there has already been a lot of snow – perhaps 60cm or more above 2700m. Many other parts of the Alps have also seen at least a little snow at altitude, though it is the northern French and northern and western Swiss Alps that have seen the most.
Over the next few days there will be further bands of rain or snow moving in from the north-west with a rain/snow limit mostly between 1200m and 1700m but even lower at times. Again, it will be the north-western Alps that will benefit most (roughly north of a line between Grenoble and Innsbruck) with the higher resorts of the Tarentaise (e.g. Val d’Isère, Tignes, Val Thorens) benefiting most.
The most intense of the upcoming phases of snow is likely to be on Monday, by the end of which 5-day storm totals could exceed 1m at high altitude.
Once this current storm cycle comes to an end on Tuesday, the weather in the Alps is expected to warm up significantly.
Right now, weather-permitting (which in many cases it is not) it is still mostly glaciers that are open for skiing, with Hintertux and Sölden offering the most extensive terrain, including some non-glacial runs.
However, given the significant snow that is currently falling across some parts of the Alps, more non-glacial ski areas may be tempted to open soon, albeit on a very limited basis.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Can't really see any non-glacial areas opening given it's due to warm up massively!!
Will this amount of snow hang around over 3000m into the season do people think?? Assume most below will melt unless in sheltered north facing areas??
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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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Should hang around above about 2700 i think. Wepowder said it would melt beliw that.
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@8611, looking at the 2 week projections for Val d'Isere - no more snow and plus temps - I'd agree.
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@Dr John, Is there a thread only for irrational exuberance rather than this miserable reaslism?
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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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@afterski, "irrational exuberance" only leads to a deeper trough of disappointment when it rains for a week up to 3,500m.
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| afterski wrote: |
| @Dr John, Is there a thread only for irrational exuberance rather than this miserable reaslism? |
TBF it's only miserably real if you're not 2.4km up, at the end of an Austrian valley! Though I note they're also running the snow cannons
So @afterski, to be irrationally euphoric you probably just need to be 'Going Hoch, Hoch, Hoch' 
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FAQ
lift served turns of the season 
