Poster: A snowHead
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Ok so yes obviously there is snow but with this sunny weather recently and one holiday fairly lacking in any decent snow, I've kind of got it into my head that there's no soft snow and that the season is pretty much over. I was hoping to get out again at some point but I really can't be arsed with more piste cruising. Have I just got it completely wrong, is there soft stuff (powder as opposed to slush) anywhere in Europe? I know there has been some recent snowfalls but has it made a significant difference to conditions or has it just covered up the grass?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I've just got back from Val Thorens yesterday and conditions there were pretty good! I stick to pistes as it's my first season skiing and I'm not that daft yet (although I did go through the jump park this time, yay) but everyone else was having a blast off piste and said conditions were pretty good there. I did venture off the piste once or twice after a heavy dumping of snow and there was a good foot of powder.
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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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Haha. April is the snowiest month of the season in Verbier, be patient, much more to come.
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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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Got back yesterday from La Plagne. Yes, low down it is springlike but high up is fine and Friday was a great powder day (ankle rather than knee high, though) after a fall on Thursday night. High temperatures mean that there is no snow making, but key lower runs (e.g. Mont Blanc down to the Les Arcs link) are being kept in good condition. Grass & rocks still visible, but you could still have a great week. I'm just sorry I won't be out again this season.
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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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Norway.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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el nombre, lots of places are going to have great spring snow soon if not already. Powder's a January thing. Right now you want corn and slushy bumps.
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under a new name, Wonder what all that powder I've skied every april was then???
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kitenski, sheer luck
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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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kitenski, and we're still awaiting this season's portions...
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parlor wrote: |
Haha. April is the snowiest month of the season in Verbier, be patient, much more to come. |
Rubbish. April is for mountain biking
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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kitenski wrote: |
under a new name, Wonder what all that powder I've skied every april was then??? |
Was it (real) powder, or just fresh snow?
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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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...my partner back from rhone valley (crans montana) where the snow is bad low down - very bare. Temps are much higher than this time of year in the last three seasons.
The low pressure, high pressure cycle appears to have been disrupted by conditions in the Pacific, which brought such unusual weather to Australia. Google La Nina and El Nino and there is good analysis of the interactions and the resulting trends in European snowfall. Having said that, I have experienced seasons like this before, with the same systems in place in the Pacific. It's thus true what has been said about late snowfall.
If the systems get into the correct sequence and correct trajectory (the rainfall has been high to the South of the Alps this year; ie tracking too far south and then sometimes too far North) where we get, first, high pressure and low temps tracking in from the continental land mass in the East, and then alternating with low pressure systems laden with moisture coming in from the Atlantic, from the West, then we'll get the right conditions for powder all over. It HAS happened late in such years, a couple of times - hence the comments about April. But it's not certain.
The weather models are just not working this year. Metcheck Europe has proved completely unreliable, predicting snow which does not arrive, time after time this year. It's not their fault, it's just that the Pacific features are disturbing the interactions in Northern Hemisphere and rendering the models unreliable. So I use the rain radar on METEOX and SWISS METEO since these enable you to see what's actually happening.
I'm on the hills again in the Rhone Valley next weekend and I hope that the promised late snow arrives - if not it'll still be fun rocking hopping and mud-dodging - won't be using anything other than my rock skis though...
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You know it makes sense.
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BobinCH,
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