Worst road conditions you’ve seen, or are likely to see in the Alps?

A snowHead

This might be a chance for some good stories to get shared!

Although the logistics make no sense as I’m in the north east of Scotland, I can’t shake the idea of wanting to drive to the alps one year. Although my car’s RWD I have a full set of winters plus a set of konig k-summit snow chains. Ground clearance is likely to be biggest concern although I’ve seen some tasty machinery parked up in previous years.

What’s the worst you’ve been caught out in? How deep? Are ploughs kept busy enough that it never gets ‘too’ bad?

A snowHead

Probably the "Snowmageddon" event. A few years back. People overnighting in their cars, etc.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I've had a few interesting drives into both Avoriaz and Tignes. Usually late on a Thursday when heading in for a weekends skiing. Made it with help of 4WD and winter tyres (A3 quattro or Octavia 4x4 from Geneva airport, Swiss side). Momentum needed to get through some deeper bits.

Always had pretty clear runs when driving out in my own car. They are very good at keeping the main routes in clear so it's only when it's absolutely dumping down, particularly when coinciding with a busy transfer day that it gets really problematic. Easter 24 was my first trip in a RWD (5 Series) but that coped well, on Crossclimate 2s, getting into a very snowy (for Easter) Warth in Austria.

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Couple of days stand out, both early season or pre-season. 40cm of fresh snow at 800m, in Bourg St Maurice. Chaos everywhere, constant snow, trees falling over across the main road down from Tignes, that was memorable. On a different occasion a few days before Les Arcs opened for the season, a very large dump of cold, light snow and because the resort wasn’t fully open the snowploughs hadn’t yet cleared the small access road to my place so I had the give the accelerator a bit of a prod to get up the slope. Had an actual bow wave of snow coming up the bonnet. Only time I’ve seen that.

But mostly the roads are kept clear enough that all wheel drive plus winter tyres cope without too much difficulty. If it’s snowing heavily the road surface will be a layer of compacted snow rather than cleared down to the tarmac, no matter how efficient the resort’s snow clearance team are, so something will absolutely be required to improve traction beyond regular ‘summer’ tyres.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Couple of years ago booked a cheap car hire car Chambery airport. Got there and they offered me an upgrade (just me travelling, so didn't need a big car) to a BMW M5.

Hell yeh, I'll take that for virtually no money.

It was only when I hit the lower slopes of Alpe D'Huez, with a massive smile on my face ready to blast up the mountain using all 500+ HP it suddenly dawned on me, what if it snows Shocked

Massively wide, flat, summer tyres. Rear wheel drive and a lively right foot for the fun factor...

It snowed a bit while there, but not too much. I took the car shopping once to see what is was like (B%$£y horible!) and prayed for a clear, dry drive down. Luckily I got that so lived to write about it here! I did learn a lesson though, check carefully the hire car meets your needs before accepting a very nice upgrade!

Not worst conditions, but worst car for conditions Very Happy

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I've managed to avoid being in the worst conditions, which was probably the storms of 99/Y2K, we were up in Tignes Val Claret looking down at the Y2K fireworks in le Lac while the rest of France was getting blown to pieces.

Worst I've been in was when I had to follow the snowplough all the way to Chambery. Without the plough I would have been parked up.

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This was on the way home from a SOPiBash but it wasn't in the Alps. Drove all the way back and then this was 12miles from home in the Pennines.

Video looks worse.

Another ¼mile and we passed (nearly hit) an abandoned snow plough. 2 miles later and we were marooned on a snow drift and the avy' shovels came out.

The road was officially closed for 24hrs apparently according to the farmer who turned uo just as we got the front wheels back in contact with the road. We saw no sign but it was probably blown over and buried.

After all it is free

Christmas 1991 - my first time driving to an Alp.

Set off after work on Friday 20th. Got to the Dover just after midnight, and an overnight ferry to Calais. Probably docked about 3AM. Before the days of the A26 via Reims, so had to go via Paris. Absolutely pi55ing down with rain. Round the Perifique (still pouring) and off down the A5 (still raining). Really heavy traffic, though still moving at 80+ mph with dreadful spray. Got to Lyon about noon, still thrashing it down.

Off up the A43, and started to get worried. Temperature was dropping and it was still tipping down. Went into the tunnels just before Chambery, and came out to a blizzard. We didn't have snow tyres or chains, and there were people stopping all over the shop to put them on. Thankfully the road descends from there into Chambery so the snow turned back to rain, and we survived. However, it was a scare so we pulled into the supermarket at Chambery and bought some chains. Bought a MaccyD there and asked the server how long to Val D'Isere - An hour was the laughing reply.

Set off from Chambery probably around 2pm, still chucking with rain. It turned back to snow shortly after Moutiere, and we stopped to put our brans spanking new chains on my brand spanking new Cavalier GSi on the flat bit near Aime. From there it was a slog - probably 20MPh all the way to Bourg. A big old Merc slithered off the road on the downhill bit in Bourg into some parked cars. We plodded on. Just out of Bourg a Gendarme was pulling everyone over. No snow chains - you ain't going up. We were waved through, and took up position behind a snow plow also going up the hill, leaving a 50m+ gap to it so if any nutters wanted to overtake they could. No-one did.

Got up to La Daille (we were in SteveA's block I think) about 7pm. Went inside to check in and came out 20 minutes later - I swear there was 2 foot of snow on the roof of the car. Parked in the inside garage, and went to the bar for a swift one.

Later that night, they closed the road up to Val Diz by rolling a massive snowball across it. It remained closed for 3 days - didn't re-open till the Tuesday afternoon. Everyone who flew was stuck in the valley, sleeping on sports hall floors, or in army barracks. Flights had been diverted left right and centre, and the busses hadn't made it to the bottom of the hill before the police closed the road. Can't remember if they said 20 thousand or 50 thousand people, but it was a lot. When people finally made it up the hill on the Tuesday evening (Christmas eve), they weren't very happy.

Even though we did make it, we couldn't ski. Nothing was open Sunday or Monday due to avalanche danger. Tuesday some bits were open, but even the green runs were waist deep in powder. Worse, we had pre-paid Crystal for our lift pass, but the rep was stuck down in the valley with all the other flying punters, so we couldn't collect our passes. We had to buy day passes till the rep finally organised a welcome meeting on the Wednesday evening. Didn't really matter to us - we were on a 2 week holiday (Xmas and NYear) and were nowhere near fit or good enough to ski for 13 days anyway.

Since then I've had several snowy drives up and down the hill, but never anything that bad.

Not the alps in Europe, but a fair bit further south, but I've had a few days getting to work with 50-80cm on unploughed single lane 4wd tracks up the side of a mountain range - big drops off the side. I'm in a lifted proper 4wd, with snow rated off road tyres and a snorkel, and I have to get quite sendy sometimes to get through it Very Happy

It's character building. Always with diamond pattern chains on the front, V Bar ladder chains on the back, and generally low range, with front, centre and rear diffs locked, and all traction control off is the best way to approach it, take it slow and steady but floor it if that doesn't work. I don't usually take passengers for that, and I do usually take food, shelter, emergency comms and a touring setup in case I get stuck - it's quite a remote spot.

I might actually have to do that tomorrow looking at the weather forecast. Kinda excited.

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@hang11, Stories like this will scare off our European friends Toofy Grin

.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

The worst I’ve experienced was a 4-hr drive turned into an 8 hr one.

I learnt my lesson from that. I now watch the weather forecast before setting out. I’d rather leave the day after than spent a whole day in a car inching along for 8 hrs.

snow reports

The pass between Morzine and Chatel, Jan 2014. Gendarmes were not letting people in, some even with chains. I was in a jacked up, modified Land Rover Defender on narrow snow tyres, so they let me through. I suspect as they wanted a laugh.

Anyway, the snow was very deep easily getting to the bottom of my car despite its high ride height, and steaming off the exhaust), and I took it very easy. It was a slow, but really fun, drive, and i used the Defender's primitive hill descent control to great effect. In fact, it remains one of my favourite drives ever.

I also towed a local French guy's car out of a verge. It was early in the morning, and he was catastrophically drunk. On reflection, I should have left him there for his now safety.

You know it makes sense.

@Harry Flashman, yes, the discretion of the Gendarmes. I was driving home from Besançon one December evening and heavy snow was forecast for the Jura. Got to the top of the road to Ferney-Voltaire just as they were closing it ... but they'd let a "white van" thru as I approached.

"Le pass, she eez closed".

" I just want to get home. Otherwise I have to drive back to [wherever] in this. And I bet he doesn't have AWD or snow tyres (as said white van slithers - slightly sideways - off into the distance".

Looks at Geneva plates, AWD, and checks snowflakes on tyres ...

"You make a good point. Carry on but be careful".

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

I usually drive to Andorra and have decided El Tarter is the ideal base. We arrived in the dark and in heavy snow the first night, and Google Maps proved useless due to non-EU data costs. As stated, snow chains only needed for the last 50m or so; they had had a lot of snow for the last week and people were driving on it on minor roads, compressing it to ice which wasn’t cleared. Since then I have always paid attention to the location of the hotel or apartment block, and try to get one as close to the main road as possible, as that is the first to be ploughed.
Got chains, never used them, never needed to.

A snowHead

I was fortunate not to have to travel on busy and/or snowy days, for the most part. But one busy Saturday had to take son to his next cooking job, over in the Tarentaise. We were up very early, but it was obviously going to be a very bad day, weatherwise so we decided that I'd just take him down to Albertville, and dump him at the station. It was snowing heavily as we started down the mountain, but we were able to drive behind a plough, so no problem. I had winter tyres and was very familiar with the road and its requirements. I was taken aback at the snow accumulating in Albertville and realised I needed to start straight back. Driving back up into the Beaufort Valley from Albertville I was going fine, good traction, but then came across a big truck which was clearly going nowhere, on one of the uphill bends, blocking more than half the carriageway. Gendarmes were directing traffic around it and insisting on chains. It was still early in the day and traffic was thankfully quite light. I carried on, having to take to put two wheels into the deeper snow on the side of the road once or twice to pass stuck vehicles. I'd have had no chance without the chains on even though I'm sure I'd have been fine on the carriageway with my Michelin winter tyres. The police were quite right to insist on chains. There are two ways up to our place from that valley - one short and steep, one much longer and less steep, through Saisies. I decided to take the latter and had no problems BUT the traffic coming down from resort was more or less stationary and going nowhere. I made it back OK and spent the rest of the day in the warm, watching it come down. It was one of the Snowmageddon days (can't remember which one) with lots of people stuck. Once that happens it doesn't matter how heroic a driver you are, in how capable a car, you just get stuck with everybody else. It only takes one numpty. My scariest moment was driving into an aire on the autoroute in heavy snow. There was an almost imperceptible incline at one point. The big truck in front of me started sliding back. He made it, thankfully. All HGVs were ordered off the autoroute a short while later. That doesn't happen very often.

A snowHead

I was fortunate not to have to travel on busy and/or snowy days, for the most part. But one busy Saturday had to take son to his next cooking job, over in the Tarentaise. We were up very early, but it was obviously going to be a very bad day, weatherwise so we decided that I'd just take him down to Albertville, and dump him at the station. It was snowing heavily as we started down the mountain, but we were able to drive behind a plough, so no problem. I had winter tyres and was very familiar with the road and its requirements. I was taken aback at the snow accumulating in Albertville and realised I needed to start straight back. Driving back up into the Beaufort Valley from Albertville I was going fine, good traction, but then came across a big truck which was clearly going nowhere, on one of the uphill bends, blocking more than half the carriageway. Gendarmes were directing traffic around it and insisting on chains. It was still early in the day and traffic was thankfully quite light. I carried on, having to take to put two wheels into the deeper snow on the side of the road once or twice to pass stuck vehicles. I'd have had no chance without the chains on even though I'm sure I'd have been fine on the carriageway with my Michelin winter tyres. The police were quite right to insist on chains. There are two ways up to our place from that valley - one short and steep, one much longer and less steep, through Saisies. I decided to take the latter and had no problems BUT the traffic coming down from resort was more or less stationary and going nowhere. I made it back OK and spent the rest of the day in the warm, watching it come down. It was one of the Snowmageddon days (can't remember which one) with lots of people stuck. Once that happens it doesn't matter how heroic a driver you are, in how capable a car, you just get stuck with everybody else. It only takes one numpty. My scariest moment was driving into an aire on the autoroute in heavy snow. There was an almost imperceptible incline at one point. The big truck in front of me started sliding back. He made it, thankfully. All HGVs were ordered off the autoroute a short while later. That doesn't happen very often.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

1.8m fell over 4 days in Obertauren in March 2000, when the rest of the Alps appeared to miss out, we have pictures of all the cars on the main street covered and more.

On the Saturday our Thomson's coach tried to get us out, but turned back due to avalanche danger.

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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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I've told this story before, driving to Andorra in an old 405 estate, snow chains on at Ax Les Thermes, barely even starting to climb the mountain, engine started to overheat due to a partially clogged radiator, only apparent when climbing at slow speed in traffic, having to stop at every chainage area to pack the engine with snow, nearly wiped off the road by a snowplugh, heater motor failed too, door locks froze open, mice in the firewood bags chewed the seats. We had a fantastic holiday

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

We've been lucky driving to, and around, the Alps and never had an horrendous journeys...we can avoid half term, take it easy, practice putting on the snow chains on the driveway before we go etc.

However, the worst experience I have had was a couple of years ago when our village was snowed in. It was very pretty but a nightmare to get in and out of due to a few hills but mainly due to abandoned Chelsea Tractors that were half in and half out of ditches, crashed on their sides, sliding back down hills etc.

Once you got over the frustration of other people's incredibly stupid driving (following far too close etc) I quite enjoyed poodling along in my winter tyre equipped Peugeot 108 past posh idiots who were stuck. Almost gutted that I didn't need to get the shovel out...

After all it is free

Must be said it’s often not the conditions but other unprepared drivers who are the problem rolling eyes

Have needed snow chains a few times and some poor visibility in heavy snow but cross fingers nothing horrendous

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It wasn't the Alps, but it once took me 12 hours to drive from Croydon to Crawley during a snow event around 15 years ago.

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On the Christmas 1991 transfer, I was working in Meribel and we had 3 of the 4 first charter flights into Geneva each Saturday morning. I was lucky, one of the first back to resort. We had a local coach company so were able to take all the back roads and avoid the newly fully opened main road up from Albertville which was chocca.
One of our minibus drivers had an horrendous day, and lost chains.
I believe Crystal didn't get anyone up to resort and went through a season's supply of complaint / compensation forms that weeked.
We were told that it was the heaviest pre-Christmas snowfall since 1945.

Worst road conditions? Probably the Zillertaler Höhenstraße, in summer, I might add (they close it in winter, I believe. I guess it becomes part of the Hochzillertal ski area). Single lane, a sheer drop off the side, passing places with bits of road crumbled away, the occasional abandoned mini-digger, and loads of blind bends and hairpins. To top it all, you have to pay a toll as well. To keep the road in good condition Laughing

That said, it's fine on a bike, which is the less terrifying way to tackle it.

In winter... well, we had to put the chains on to go to the supermarket once...

You know it makes sense.

Driving to Tremblant from Ottawa after flight was delayed by c8 hours. Snowing heavily, roads deserted, normal tyres. So tired I was hallucinating. Made it into resort but probably should have found a hotel for the evening….

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@damanpunk, the worst I have seen is when you can see nothing 2meters in front of you when driving. Terrifying.

A snowHead

Had an exciting one on the A9 in 2021 winter about 1am when I was heading home, absolute whiteout, blowing a hoolie, cars stuck all over the place, trucks as well, stuff coming towards me in middle of the road, took me forever I think 5 hours from Perth to Carrbridge. Stopped to help. Few times and had to persuade Police I was fine with full winters and 4wd plus being MR probably swung it. Got home to a power cut, lit the fire and had whisky !

A snowHead

You are unlikely to have much of a problem unless you are driving up at night or late in the day to a resort, and it hasn't been ploughed or there is no plough to follow.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Spray. I hate spray...

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The most snow I've seen was 1999, last week of Feb, in St Anton. This was same time as the terrible avalanche in Galtur in the Paznaun valley not that far away where many people died and buildings destroyed.

We arrived by car on Saturday, no problems, skied on Sunday, then it started Snowing heavily on Sunday night and continued for 3 more days almost non-stop. The lifts were closed for 3 days which was annoying but fortunately we were there for 2 weeks and the fantastic conditions after the snow made up for that.

There was about 1 meter of snow on the road near the Shell garage, nothing could move in or out of town until Friday when they sent in a load of snow clearing equipment and cleared it all in a few hours.

For anyone who was staying in the town at that time it was a memorable experience and I've not seen anything like it since.

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Snomageddon for us. Took best part of the day departing from Plagne Centre and we did not make it down to Aime. Spotted an emergency shelter in a school at about 1700 and along with the family managed to secure a large crash mat for the night.
The locals provided us with wine, bread and cheese - so not all bad.

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There’s probably one day every 2 seasons in The Tarentaise when it goes completely pear shaped- by that 12 hour delays or more.
I think it was just before NY14 when I flew back to Grenoble and aborted into a hotel at Montmelian after a 80 minute journey took 5 hours. Luckily I knew a couple of transfer drivers to get updates. I walked into the hotel at 2 pm - and the receptionist was surprised when I asked if they had any spare rooms. I pointed at the Motorway through the window. Ahhhh - merde!
At 7pm they were fighting over the last rooms, literally.

The issue had a few causes but an ice storm in Albertville was the clincher.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

The last Snowageddon was one of the occasions when I was very grateful I'd driven to the Alps for that trip. We were due to return home on Snowmageddon Saturday but saw from a few days out that the forecast was indicating road chaos, so we left late afternoon on the Friday avoiding all of the disruption. Mightily glad we had the flexibility to change travel plans.

On the other hand, last season I arrived on the day of The Great Rockfall when traffic in and out of the Tarentaise was massively disrupted for anyone passing through Moutiers from midday onwards. Fortunately I was on the train on that occasion, so able to look out of the window at the stationary traffic, so it's not always best to have the flexibility of your own transport. As @chocksaway said, the logistics of getting to and from the mountains can easily go massively astray, for weather and other reasons.

Many years ago I got stuck in Courchevel overnight due to an avalanche which blocked the D915 below Bride-le-Bains. Happened at midday on the Saturday at the end of half-term, so no traffic in or out of Courchevel, Meribel, Bozel, Champagny or Pralognan on one of the busiest days of the year. The road re-opened early hours of the Sunday morning, so we were able to to get to our Eurotunnel more or less on time, but it was a less than comfortable experience for those who were due to arrive and had to spend the night in sports halls or cars/buses.

After all it is free

@chocksaway, RE: and the receptionist was surprised when I asked if they had any spare rooms. I pointed at the Motorway through the window. Ahhhh - merde!

I think I'd have waited till I'd agreed a price and got the keys to my room before pointing at the Motorway, otherwise the price might have suddenly and inexplicedly increased rolling eyes

What the people who were stuck in school halls and army baracks for 3 nights in my 1991 story were most pee-ed of about was that they basically knew they weren't going to get to their resorts that night before they'd even left the airports. The main complaint was that it would have been much easier to find hotel rooms, resturaunts and even supermarkets (for emergency Pot Noodles/Cuppa Soups) around Geneva/Chambery/Grenoble than anywhere past Albertville or Moutiere.

We once drove door to door from Serre Chevalier back to Durham in constant snow fall, apart from a short spell between Dijon and Troyes where we had freezing rain. Followed ploughs on the autoroute from hotel Val Moret almost all of the way to Eurotunnel. We left SC at 8am Saturday morning, arrived home at 11pm on Sunday, with work the following morning.
It is probably one of the reasons I am not keen on the Val Moret, as the rooms were freezing, and the car park was just sheet ice. Trying to get to the restaurant for dinner was a dangerous operation.

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We came through the MB Tunnel oncee, en route to Champoluc (a New Year trip I think) and at the Italian end it was truly chucking done snow and there was a roadblock where they were checking everyone's tyres.

No snow tyres or chains and you were sent straight back (at your expense) to France to find some.

We then stopped at the big Carrefour just beyond Aosta and as we got out the car and there was a terrible noise. Looked at the motorway and a (rental I assume) BMW full of young gents with a viking like aspect screamed past, chains having partially broken and working like flails on their wheel arches Shocked

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Worst road conditions you’ve seen, or are likely to see in the Alps?

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