 Poster: A snowHead
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Following the violent 'foehn storm' and huge snowfall of the past 36 hours, forecasters at the Swiss national avalanche institute have raised the warning level to 5 (maximum) for some southern areas of the country, including parts of canton Valais. Up to 80cm of fresh snow fell on Monday
Swiss Hazard map (from SLF): http://www.slf.ch/lawineninfo/lawinenbulletin/gefahrenkarte/index_EN
Quote from current SLF avalanche bulletin:
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| Very large natural avalanches can be released in all aspects and reach the valley bottom if following familiar paths. Transportation routes and, in some cases, exposed buildings are endangered. The most treacherous phase is likely to occur during Monday night and Tuesday forenoon. Safety measures are to be taken. |
Very heavy snowfall has also taken place in parts of the Austrian, Italian and French Alps. An avalanche in Val d'Isere has blocked the road to the satellite village of Le Fornet.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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P.S. In terms of the evolution and threat of this storm, this report from SwissInfo last Friday shows how grave the danger may be, since so much snow has fallen since they transmitted it: Avalanche danger mounts across Alps
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| An "explosive" cocktail of warm Mediterranean moisture and cold northern air has left the Alps covered by up to three times more snow than normal. |
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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 agree it is dangerous in places, but not everywhere is like this. So let's not get too carried away. There is plenty of fun to be had as long you are careful. The large amounts of snow are very local. In Val d'Isere, loads, just down the valley in Paradiski, very little in comparision due to wind direction. Same in 3 valleys. Hope the wind changes so we get some of these big dumps as well.
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There was a 5 at Superbagneres today and the snow is still falling (day 3)
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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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We seem to be missing it this time
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Its also worth bearing in mind that the Swiss are generally less cautious than their French neighbours. So when they are saying 5 best stay inside a building, and one that is at the bottom of the town. Looking at the slf maps, which incidentally I think are superb and much better than the French equivalent, the very high risk areas are small and localised at the moment.
I was in St Anton when the Galtur avalanche happened, I think the job of the authorities in these circumstance is very difficult, rather like the mayor of the town in Jaws when the big shark turned up over the holiday..
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According to the Val d'Aosta avalanche service, the whole of that region is on maximum alert (level 5). There's been at least one metre of new snow in the Monte Rosa ski area (Gressoney, Alagna etc):
http://notes1.regione.vda.it/dbweb/bollnivometeo/bollnivometeo.nsf/vista_e/$first?OpenDocument&L=_e&
The comments on snowcover distribution and snowpack conditions are worth noting.
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| At all aspects the new snow, moistened up to 1300-1500 m, leans on a thick layer of loose snow. In the inner snowpack compact layers mainly formed by facets are present; below 2000-2100 m, a frozen layer of rounds is found close to the ground which represents a dangerous gliding surface. The large amounts of new snow make poor the bonding of the snowpack. |
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David Goldsmith, I see it also notes:
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unceasing wind-drifting of the recent snow above 2200 m make the current condition suitable for the release of surface or ground medium- and large-size avalanches that will very likely reach the valley floor. |
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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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At the time of posting this morning, Zermatt's Gornergratbahn (the famous panoramic cog railway) is completely closed - a rare event in my experience - and the great majority of the pistes above the tree-line are shut. Cervinia has 6 lifts (mainly low-altitude) open, with most pistes closed. Val d'Isere's website states that over 90% of the lifts and pistes in the Espace Killy (Tignes/Val d'Isere) are closed (8 lifts out of 89 open).
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| David Goldsmith wrote: |
| ........... Val d'Isere's website states that over 90% of the lifts and pistes in the Espace Killy (Tignes/Val d'Isere) are closed (8 lifts out of 89 open). |
Skiinfo says that winter tyres or chains are mandatory - so I guess access roads are open. I wonder if they may close due to avalanche risk.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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Excusing my ignorance on this but most winters I have been praying for enough snow and this 'too much snow' thing is new to me. Does it take long for conditions to 'settle down' after a situation like this? We are heading to Cervinia on Sunday, I'll cry if there's only a few lifts open (specially since I'm battling a bad cold and trying to sort myself out pronto).
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MissRibena, Cervinia's terrain - mainly mellow - is such that it doesn't experience much avalanche risk. The lifts probably mainly needed digging out, so they should be fine.
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You know it makes sense.
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Phew, thanks David  Hopefully we'll still be able to get over to the Zermatt side too.
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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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MissRibena, maybe we'll see you out there, we're in Zermatt, but going to go over to Cervinia on at least one of our days.
I was in Val d'Isere in 87 (I think) when we had a massive storm like this - and almost everything was closed for 4-5 days. There was so much snow the natives were diving from balconies into snow drifts! All we could do was play around on the nursery slopes with toboggans, fortunately we were out for 10 days so we still got some skiing. 
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Poster: A snowHead
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RachelQ, I can remember a similar fortnight about '93, I think. Holed up overnight at Brides Les Bains, then got through (with chains). A combination of further snow dumps and avalanche clearance, and persistent fog mean there was little skiing except low down for the first week - then it was party time. Glad I was out there for the fortnight.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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MissRibena, having skied Zermatt and Cervinia since the mid-1960s I'd say you've a very safe bet of enjoying the connection. What you need to be aware of (if you've never skied up there) is that it can be brutally cold on the glacier in Dec/Jan. Hopefully it won't be, but ensure that you have the best insulation possible. And check that there will be clear conditions for the duration of the day. The Plateau Rosa is not a place to be in a white-out.
On balance you've a great chance of a great day making the connection. I'd advise skiing to Furgg, taking the short bubble lift up to Schwarzsee (fantastic close view of Matterhorn face) and taking the beautiful easy run around the mountain via Stafelalp (lovely little cafe/restaurant) to Furi. You can then repeat that experience on the Weisse Perle run, which is a red piste and also a great experience. Have a superb time!
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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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Wow, thanks David! You've cheered me right up again. We definitely wanted to head over to the Zermatt side but are a bit clueless, so the pointers are really appreciated I've been glued to the webcams and there seems to have been a lot of foggy/cloudy weather over the past week, which does give some concern. There's clear weather forecast towards the end of the week though, so hopefully we'll get some blueskies. Thanks for the tip for the insulation. One thing I definitely want to get is a balaclava type mask because my chin and nose really feel it and MrRibena has one and reckons they are the way forward.
RachelQ - would be really cool to meet up with other snowheads!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| eng_ch wrote: |
| We seem to be missing it this time |
Scratch that - snowing heavily here near Zurich
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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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Just finished the basi off piste module and there is another side to the "risk". The powder was brilliant in Zermatt last week
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Wayne, I'm doing that course in March. Would love to hear what you thought of it.
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It was "brill". Mind you in March don't think you'll get the same powder.
I think only 2 people failed from 2 groups - mind you neither of them really failed as they didn't complete the course (so technical fail only).
Ben hit a small rock hidden just under the snow then flew into another bigger rock BANG - SNAP - helicopter off
Nigel also hit a (armchair size) rock just under the snow and went into it knee first. As we were at the top of a gully we had to skin out and Nigel couldn't continue with the course.
Main thing that most people had problems with was map reading - the guides will point out something on the mountains and say - show me that on your map - my mate Giovani (who works in the same ski school as me) has to do a 1 day re-assess on map reading. So best advice is get some practice. "Show me where we are now" is asked loads of time (every day)
Next get the basi manual and read up on the snowpack – hoar, metamorphism, gruople, kinetic stuff, etc. You’ll need to know this. It's in the written test and also the guides will ask you about all the time so you need to know.
Take an altimeter watch and "make sure" you re-calibrate it whenever possible (that’s whenever you know your height - top of lifts, cafes, etc)
I messed up the 1st transceiver search  – got it 2nd time though . It’s easy when you’re practicing BUT when you HAVE to get it 4 mins and you only get 2 chances, the pressure is on, so extend your avalanche probe “before” you set off (like you would in a real avalanche). Follow the signal towards the approximate area then start to hone in (like you would in a real avalanche). Don’t waste time.
Top Tip get some practice skiing off piste. Sorry to say (if they read this) but the some of the mountain guides on-piste technique is “really” bad. But they are brill at skiing off-piste. You need to ski with em – not just keep up, if you get my meaning.
Don't worry though, everything that is assessed is covered on the course - but best to study up before you go.
You get instructed for 4 days by a mountain guide then the guides swop groups and do 2 days assessing what you have learned on the past 4 days.
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Wayne, many thanks, all helpful comments. Must get a map of Courchevel and spend some time getting to know it.
Just out of interest, did you stay on your skis when doing the transceiver search or take your skis off? I've only ever done this in avalanche parks and opted to take skis off as I was searching up hill.
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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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1st Time - I kept ski on - messed it up - took 6mins
2nd Time - Took skis off - got it just over 2mins
Top tip - (like if for real) your transceiver will go down to something if the searched for stuff is on the surface but if the rucksack is about 1m under the snow it will never go down so low - so look for the lowest signal and thats your mark. You will never get .8 or .5 if the stuff is 1m down. Also if your hand is at waist height then you're only going to get about 1.5 or 1.3 min.
Can you believe it, we have just got our 1st group bookings for Feb half term 2010
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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David Goldsmith, the last forecast I saw for this weekend had the wind speeds in Cervinia up in the 30mph+ range...would that be too high for the Zermatt link to open?
I'm sure MissRibena will be ok (winds can't be like that all week), but I'm off to Cervinia tomorrow for the weekend, so keen to work out if I need to start lowering my expectations!
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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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Off Topic
| ChrisWo wrote: |
| Wayne, totally OT I know, but why would you extend your probe before searching for an avalanche victim? |
You wouldn't. That would be daft. But there is a big difference between passing a basi course and the real world.
At home tonight, put on your rucksack with your shovel and probe in. Now time yourself taking off your rucksack, getting the probe out (all this with ski gloves on) and then take that time away from the 4 mins you have on the off piste module. Say it takes you about 1 min, this leave you with 25% less chance of passing the module. The cost of the course, accommodation, transport, insurance, etc etc, makes that 25% very costly.
On Topic
| ChrisWo wrote: |
| David Goldsmith, the last forecast I saw for this weekend had the wind speeds in Cervinia up in the 30mph+ range...would that be too high for the Zermatt link to open? |
A wind like that from Cervinia (south) will almost certainly create windslab in Zermatt. If there is more heavy snow overnight (likely) then there may be a more serious problem than not being to get a good cup of Italian coffe as the link back is shut
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Wayne - ok, understand now 
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FAQ
