The worst pinch point on the SR (clockwise) for me always seems to be the campologo bec des roces quad.
An absolute poo-poo show - made worse by the fact you have to queue uphill.
.
You should have seen what it was like when it was just a T Bar
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
sean1967 wrote:
@richb67, it looks cold for the foreseeable too. I am thinking of heading out on the 4th to ski a week from the 5th. I have a cheap flight to Venice and planned on leaving it very late to decide where to ski. Ideally Dolomites as I plan on a season pass but I could stay on the train and go to Austria if there was a big difference in snow quality.
I've been in Val Gardena the week before Christmas a few times but never as early as the first week in December.
What are the thoughts of those who have? @Mollerski, @luigi?
Given the recent cold weather facilitating snow making and the few dustings of snow, it should be ok? I only ski on the piste.
Looks very white after recent snow !
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?
@albob, looks great, staying cold and some potential few dusting over the next week.
SellaRonda should open as planned on the 4th. All going well, I'll do a live report from the 5th.
I'm actually not retired. I am however, in the very fortunate position where a can take most of January off. Two of my 'gang' are now fully retired in their late 50s. Lucky devils.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Just received an email from the Madonna tourist office - they open their local ski area tomorrow
After all it is free
After all it is free
Mollerski wrote:
melbouch wrote:
Oh to be retired!
I'm actually not retired. I am however, in the very fortunate position where a can take most of January off. Two of my 'gang' are now fully retired in their late 50s. Lucky devils.
Still very nice!
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.
albob wrote:
Just received an email from the Madonna tourist office - they open their local ski area tomorrow
And most of the rest on the 6th
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
This was just posted, but I think it was last weekend up at Col Gallina in the Cortina ski area...looking good!!
Another report of the first openings in Dolomiti Superski last weekend, mostly footage from Col Gallina again, but also at Kreuzberg Pass in Drei Zinnen too
They're saying that having an early snowfall increases interest in bookings. Anticipating a good season with Olympics boosting the area.
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.
Looks like there may be a few flurries the first week of December, staying cold too which will help with snowmaking and piste prep
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
Opening day at Kronplatz and a few other places tomorrow.
60 kms of runs and 20 lifts predicted to be open (a bit more than normal on opening day). 50cms at the top 10cms at 935m.
The forecast is good for skiing with light wind, good visibility and dry air. The temp is a bit warmer tomorrow than recently.
Expensive though at €72 for a day ticket, ouch!
The next milestone is Thursday with the opening of the Sella Ronda Last year they had about 170 lifts and 270kms open by the end of the first week in December.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Strangely Bergflex is showing that three lifts were open in Alta Badia today. Season isn't due to start until 4th December? https://www.bergfex.com/alta-badia/
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Halitosis wrote:
Strangely Bergflex is showing that three lifts were open in Alta Badia today. Season isn't due to start until 4th December? https://www.bergfex.com/alta-badia/
No pistes open and nothing showing on the official Alta Badia site though, maybe they were just running them for maintenance/preparation for the season??
Kronplatz is doing well for a non glacier low altitude resort. According to these stats it’s in joint 5th place. Ischgl and Tignes currently way out ahead
Kronplatz is doing well for a non glacier low altitude resort. According to these stats it’s in joint 5th place. Ischgl is currently way out ahead
Yeah, doing well!
I was surprised to see Baqueira-Beret in the Spanish Pyrenees in joint 10th place...mind you they have a long weekend national holiday (Immaculate Conception) next weekend, so most places that get Spanish visitors want to be open for that.
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?
I noticed on the wePowder forecast something of interest...
There won’t be much action in the northern and western Alps anytime soon, it’s mainly the disturbances over Italy that could bring precipitation. That likelihood, as things currently stand, will only increase as the week progresses. Tuesday and Wednesday will see at most some light precipitation, but from Thursday onward some forecasts indicate a significant Sudstau event. Given the timeframe and the somewhat unusual flow pattern, uncertainty remains high. So keep a close eye on WePowder as Henri and I will keep you updated.
Not seeing much to indicate a big dump on Bergfex forecasts, so I don't know if it's still a possibility or not??
Just scanned across the VG cams https://www.valgardena.it/en/webcams/. Everything is looking tip top with a little more snow forecast for the this coming week.
@Peter S, there's no need for those Kronplatians to wear out all the snow on the first day of opening!!
The latest wePowder 6-day cumulative snow maps are showing heavy snowfalls on the Italian side of the Alps, but the focus seems to be on Northern Piemonte/MonteRosa area...
Clearly the evolution of the weather system is uncertain, but it's coming in the latter half of the week and hopefully it's firming up with the Dolomites in the firing line!
The written forecast says this...
Snow likely in the south from Wednesday onwards
The northwesterly upper-level flow over Western Europe, which I mentioned in the previous forecast, will reach the Alps starting Wednesday. Both France and Italy will experience fronts moving along in this flow. In France, some weststau will occur, and Italy has chances of both sudstau and a weak retour d’est. The first precipitation area on Wednesday and Thursday is particularly interesting for the southern French Alps and Italy’s Piedmont and Aosta regions. It won’t be a massive dump, but 15-25 cm is certainly possible from about 1200-1500 meters upward.
On Thursday and Friday, we’ll be dealing with an expanding low-pressure system over Italy. The chance of sudstau will then increase in the eastern half of the southern Alps (Dolomites, Carinthia, Slovenia). There is still considerable uncertainty attached to this.
12 days until I fly - feeling like a 5 year old waiting for Christmas
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Halitosis wrote:
12 days until I fly - feeling like a 5 year old waiting for Christmas
We leave on the 10th and hope to be skiing on the 12th. (driving)
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.
Sorry for duplication - no idea how I did that
Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Mon 1-12-25 23:22; edited 1 time in total
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
Halitosis wrote:
feeling like a 5 year old waiting for Christmas
Clearly. You're repeating yourself.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@munich_irish, That looks a horrendous stage. I've driven over all those climbs and wouldn't manage quarter of one of them never mind 6 in one day. Agordo over the paso Duran to the Val di Zoldo is suprisingingly steep. The slog up to the Giau from Selva is a popular climb for many cyclists. I just do not know how they do it. It is superhuman.
That looks like a killer stage with those 4 passes and that steep uphill finish!
The finish line up at the Piani di Pezze mid-mountain area above Alleghe was also supposed to be the finishing spot for the WC Ski Cross in January, but I notice it's been cancelled again due to sponsorship issues. They held it there in 2024, but 2025 was cancelled and now 2026! I wonder if they'll bother trying again in 2027
So the wePowder forecast has updated...the focus has shifted even futher East to the Julians and into Carinthia and the Dolomites seem to miss the big snow...
In the blurb they talk about the tussle between GFS and ECM models...
Friday snow for the Southeastern Alps - or maybe not?
This front will bring some snow to the western side on Friday. Switzerland in particular seems likely to pick up around 5 to 10 centimeters. At the same time, models have hinted at snowfall for the Southeastern Alps in recent days, but the guidance remains inconsistent. GFS continues to show it, and EC also showed snowfall yesterday morning - but in the evening run it did not and kept that part of the Alps dry. This morning, EC again shows little interest, letting the precipitation area slide just to the east. GFS, however, still signals snowfall.
Whatever happens, it looks like light snow at best for the Dolomites
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Hi All,
I will be skiing at the dolomites (Kronplatz, Alta Badia, Val Gardena) this upcoming weekend beginning Sunday, December 7th. I see that the temperatures are increasing (only a little) to around low 40F/4C in the valley. Will these conditions be okay or should I expect slush at the bottom by lunchtime? Kinda bummed at the moment seeing the hotter weather coming through while the weeks before there has been a longstanding cold wave, but I guess these warmer temps are somewhat normal?
I'm guessing as long as valley temps at night are below 32F/0C, then everything will be okay?
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?
Tubby1147 wrote:
Hi All,
I will be skiing at the dolomites (Kronplatz, Alta Badia, Val Gardena) this upcoming weekend beginning Sunday, December 7th. I see that the temperatures are increasing (only a little) to around low 40F/4C in the valley. Will these conditions be okay or should I expect slush at the bottom by lunchtime? Kinda bummed at the moment seeing the hotter weather coming through while the weeks before there has been a longstanding cold wave, but I guess these warmer temps are somewhat normal?
I'm guessing as long as valley temps at night are below 32F/0C, then everything will be okay?
4C is the temperature of your refrigerator, so not exactly warm.
Valley around Kronplatz is only around 800m, so a daily maximum of 4C in the early afternoon down there means it will be freezing and below for most of the time over most of the mountain.
You'll be mostly skiing in the 1600-2500m range.
Also, the sun's rays are so oblique this time of year, they can't do the damage they can in the Spring months.
It looks like there's only 2 days when it's milder, then goes colder again. You get fluctuations in temp in any season as different air masses flow about, milder air originating from the Tropics and colder air from the polar regions.
I wouldn't be overly worried, there'll be plenty of nice pistes to ski on. They'll be making snow when they can and preparing the pistes every night. Besides, there's nothing you can do to change it by worrying anyway!
I will be skiing at the dolomites (Kronplatz, Alta Badia, Val Gardena) this upcoming weekend beginning Sunday, December 7th. I see that the temperatures are increasing (only a little) to around low 40F/4C in the valley. Will these conditions be okay or should I expect slush at the bottom by lunchtime? Kinda bummed at the moment seeing the hotter weather coming through while the weeks before there has been a longstanding cold wave, but I guess these warmer temps are somewhat normal?
I'm guessing as long as valley temps at night are below 32F/0C, then everything will be okay?
4C is the temperature of your refrigerator, so not exactly warm.
Valley around Kronplatz is only around 800m, so a daily maximum of 4C in the early afternoon down there means it will be freezing and below for most of the time over most of the mountain.
You'll be mostly skiing in the 1600-2500m range.
Also, the sun's rays are so oblique this time of year, they can't do the damage they can in the Spring months.
It looks like there's only 2 days when it's milder, then goes colder again. You get fluctuations in temp in any season as different air masses flow about, milder air originating from the Tropics and colder air from the polar regions.
I wouldn't be overly worried, there'll be plenty of nice pistes to ski on. They'll be making snow when they can and preparing the pistes every night. Besides, there's nothing you can do to change it by worrying anyway!
Thanks for the reply! I guess the alps just get temps like this. I will make the best of it!!! Hopefully some of the nights are not cloudy so it will freeze over at night.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@Tubby1147, it will be fine. Don’t worry about the snow conditions.
Forecast for valley is good enough to make me want to be there
4C is the temperature of your refrigerator, so not exactly warm.
:
+4 can actually feel quite warm in the mountains. Personally I find the low minuses comfortable, -4 to say -8/9 with clear skies is the absolute optimum. Staying below freezing during the day prevents freeze/thaw and keeps the snow conditions pristine.
Some sun after 10am to give the surface a little bite is just about as perfect as it can be. The ski gods are then smiling.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I'm the same @Mollerski,
Was in the Dolomites last January. It was wall to wall sunshine with no wind at about -10 and was just about perfect for me.
After all it is free
After all it is free
Forecast is looking fine, freezing level well below Santa Cristina level for the foreseeable. Not strong wind either.
Opening day tomorrow for Val Gardena and many others. It's been delightfully Baltic for a couple of weeks. Slopes should be in good shape.
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.
Local racers were out on Piz Sella yesterday -- conditions looked perfect
==================
Not sure what is going on here -- bit early for 'scavenging' snow !?!?!
Madonna's Cross country area
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Chance of some bits of snow later this week and weekend, goes a bit mild with SW flow for a couple of days early next week, then cools back down. Still freezing overnight throughout though...
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
