Are high altitude resorts always better?

A snowHead

Early or late season, obviously yes, but what about end of Jan to Mid March. I know we tend to head high to be sure of the snow but is there really any need? The reason I ask is that having thought about it, surely there is more chance of losing ski days to wind/snow/whiteouts above the tree line than there is of losing days due to a lack of snow below 1200m.

I'm still going high on the 5th Feb though.

A snowHead

up4it, just check out the snow records for say La Rosiere compared to Chatel. The 750 metres difference in height means not only more snow but a longer season.

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

The higher the resort the better the depth of snow, however it does increase the chance of lost skiing days due to bad weather, tree line skiing is a definate bonus giving you increased depth perception in poor visibility if the weather is bad, and providing shelter from high winds.

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Funnily enough, I was thinking of posting a similar thread myself. As an habitué of Megève (alt 1115 --> 2353m), and having skied there from mid-December to mid-April over the years, I get a bit puzzled by the constant advice to go for altitude. Admittedly, I have been mobile and, particularly at the beginning of the season, have gone as far as Flaine or Courmayeur to find a greater number of open pistes. Megève usually closes in April while there's still plenty of snow. Curiously, at the moment the highest part of the domain is shut, due to the limited amount of snow that has fallen at all levels being scattered by the wind on the exposed Mt Joly. It is unusual for anything to shut there because of the wind per se.

Obviously, altitude is a consideration, and as well as generally more assured snow cover, I accept that there is a different feel among the peaks compared to between the trees. But there are other effects too, like which way the slopes face predominantly and micro-climatic effects due to particular geographic features.

I'm very interested in others' thoughts, particularly of low-level resorts which seem to thrive despite their (lack of) elevation.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Quite a few 'high altitude resorts' in France like Les Arcs, Les 2 Alpes, La Plagne, 3 Valleys, do give you the best of both worlds. You can cover all eventualities with skiing down to 1200m/1300m in all of these. That was much appreciated over the Christmas period with some great powder at Villaroger (1200m) while most of the punters were determined to ski on pretty bare slopes up above Arc 2000!

The other point is that even when snow is scarce at altitude, as a rule snowmaking is more likely to be able to produce the artificial stuff higher up for obvious reasons of temperature. With the uncertainties of current weather conditions, the domains which offer 2000m of vertical up to 3200m+ are surely best placed to prosper, at least in the short to medium term.

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On our trip to Alpe D'Huez last week we accidently skied down to Huez at 1500m one afternoon... the snow was slushy (south facing), yet a trip down to Oz (1350m) the following day the conditions were fine if a little icy (ummm, lots of shade). Up top the conditions were good even though a lack of new snow. So my opinion is that high altitude is better if in the sun all day, if in the shade then the lower resorts should be good. I'd go for high and sun everytime.

PS - Not knowing too much about weather cycles etc... Is it just me or has it been really mild in the Alps lately, last week felt like March/April????

Cheers

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It's been really warm here in Munich for the last few days. 17C over the weekend! So warm that I cycled to work today, which I usually only start doing in April.
We've always had these warm spells here where we get the Foehn wind coming over Alps from the south, but even so, 17C at the beginning of January is really unusual!
Happily we have a forecast for snow starting on Wednesday, so all is not lost!

Lattitude, longitude and grassitude Puzzled

, can be as important as altitude.

Thats why Austria often has good skiing despite being much lower than France and Switzerland. It's further from the sea and therefore much colder and usually a lot less windy. The snow tends to fall vertically and doesn't get blown about as badly. Since it falls onto predominantly grassy meadows it requires less depth for an acceptable skiing surface. It's also easier to build up a decent artificial base. I suspect that its also a drier and therefore a more effective climate in which to make artifical snow, than say the western Alps. The lack of wind would also help in this regard.

Fewer rocks make for more pleasent skiing and less damage to equipment. I've skied in Kitzbuhel at New year and not hit a rock all week. That would probably be impossible in the French Alps in January.

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I still reckon that statistically, you would be more likely to lose ski days in February to whiteouts in high resorts rather than a lack of snow in lower ones.

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If I were coming from the UK I would follow PGs advice and go to a resort with a mix of skiing unless I was booking last minute. But I agree with you that high altitude doesn't equal more snowfall during the winter months as clouds often form below the top of the pistes during this period due to the cold. This is the situation at the mo in the Isère where the last big snowfalls from a couple of weeks back fell between 500 and 2000 meters. There is actually a lack of fresh snow at altitude, especially where the wind has stripped any fresh snow off exposed areas. Obviously the high altitude areas benefit from autumn snowfall so often have a good cover of residual snow.

Last minute booking? I would go to a tree level resort in February.

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Mike Lawrie We're off to Schliersee on the 22nd and have been advised to ski at Spitzingsee - would you agree or would you suggest further afield? We're beginners and intermediates. Thanks

Hi Sue.
Spitzingsee is a relatively small resort, but the ticket you buy covers a few other resorts as well including Lenggries. I have never skied in Spitzingsee myself, so can't comment on it. Lenggries is a place that I often go to if doing a day out with the colleagues from work. It is very quiet during the week, but can get really crowded at weekends when the Muenchener all hit the slopes. It has some decent runs for all levels, including one (Garland) which is deep black...
For a group of beginners-intermediates there's enough there to keep you busy for a while. Plus the atmosphere in these small resorts is a lot more pleasant than in the big mega resorts like St.Anton.
If you really don't find enough to do there then you can always drive a bit further and head for Achensee, or in fact any number of resorts in Austria fairly near there.

You know it makes sense.

I think up4it, has a very good point. Most stats I've seen cover snowfall figures only.

I don't suppose there's any accurate data as to % of runs open or % of days resorts are closed during a season anywhere is there?

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

Mike Lawrie Thanks for the info - now we just wait for snow!!!

A snowHead

Sue S, currently about 30cm on the mountain. Not amazing, but useable. Snow expected the next couple of days so things can get better!

Help!!

Are high altitude resorts always better?

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