Sun Out In The Alps after Snowy Deluge

The sun is out again in the alps after 48 hours of heavy snowfall and the glacier resorts that are open and hoping for bumper business over the coming weekend.

The snowfall was particularly heavy in the Eastern side of the alps with up to a metre of snow reported at some areas and even low lying areas like Kitzbuhel reporting 30cm of snow. The snowfall was also down to lows levels in valleys, not just on the mountain tops as is more usual in the first half of autumn.

The Stubai glacier (pictured this morning above) reported 80cm of fresh snow has fallen and received more than 2,000 Facebook likes when it announced that an epic weekend awaited.
Snowfall was heavy right down in to the Italian Dolomites where again up to a metre of snow was reported.

Resorts opening for the season tomorrow (25th October) include Glacier 3000 (Gstaad/Les Diablerets) and Engelberg in Switzerland. Les 2 Alpes in France will also be opening for a nine day stretch before losing again for three weeks before its permanent opening in late November.

They join 14 glacier ski areas that are already open including seven in Austria (including Hintertux, Kaprun and this weekend's FIS World cup hosts Solden), three in Switzerland (including Saas Fee and Zermatt), Tignes in France and three in Italy (including Cervinia).

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I was in Verbier this weekend and by Saturday afternoon all the snow up to 2400 m have melted and above only patches of snow remain, mostly in shaded spots. But while this week is expected to be mild it's still colder than before.

There is a heap of ski touring going on, heaps of my Austrian friends posting their touring pics.
To make it worse, I was checking out a web cam today, and there were two of the guys skiing down.

Quite possible. Higher up and around glaciers - where snow doesn't disappear completely for the summer it should be a nice top up for the existing base, or at least was OK for a day or two.

Last weekend Kitzbühel, Planai, Loser, Grasgehren and Berwang had enough snow to open some lifts.

When's the next snow forecast? Getting impatient.

Tomorrow.


Somewhere ;)