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Hello and welcome to our last weekly round-up of 2016; so we'll take the opportunity to wish you a Happy New Year, and many happy hours on the snow!
No real change in Europe - yet - and more snow in America. 
Borovets, Bulgaria - thanks to J2Skier Undermanager for the picture This Week's Snow Headlines - More big snow falls in North America. - Up to a 40cm of snow reported in 24 hours to Wednesday at some Austrian ski areas. - Fresh snow over Christmas in Canary Islands. - Another 24cm of snow in 24 hours at Whistler. - Scottish areas open beginner terrain. It's unfortunately a case of deja-vu for regular readers of the J2Ski weekly snow reports with little fresh snow in Europe over the past seven days. There has been some new snow though - a few inches here and there in the Alps, with some bigger falls blessing a few Austrian resorts, and more significant snowfall in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe. Scotland too, has had snow but it fell during five days of near constant gales and yo-yo temperatures. North America, which was dry and warm in November when it WAS snowing a lot in the Alps, continues to see significant snowfalls as it has for most of the past six weeks whilst Europe has been largely dry. Without wanting to sound like a broken record, the message for skiers heading to the Alps remains much as it has for most of the season so far; the November snow at altitude means that (at least compared to the previous two seasons) conditions are still not bad for December; with most slopes open and in good shape, albeit with almost zero off piste powder to be found anywhere. In the Forecast It does now look as if the High Pressure system dominating European weather is finally about to break down. Current indications are that much of the Alpine area will see a gradual transformation to unsettled weather over the next week or so. There is some light snow in the near-term forecast, that should be enough to freshen pistes in most locations, but it's unlikely to be the off-piste game-changer we're all waiting for. Looking further ahead, the forecast models are giving strong hints of a further turn to cold (and the potential for heavier snow) about a week into the New Year but that's outside the reliable timeframe of the forecasts for now. Going Skiiing? Please send us a Photo Snow Report! If you're in the mountains, please show us your snow! Check Snow Reports from Ski Resorts for a quick and easy way to send us pictures, straight from your phone. Find a Ski Buddy or Group You can now easily share your plans, and find others going to the same ski area. See Recent Ski Chat and follow the Who's Skiing Where, When link.
The Alps Austria A dry Christmas week in Austria, in so much as snowfall is concerned, with only a few flakes reported up to Boxing Day but ending with slightly more substantial snowfall to parts of the country, particularly Salzburgerland and Styria. Several ski areas including Filzmoos, Flachau and Obertauern have reported 20-40cm of fresh snow in the last 24 hours. Snow depths are largely unchanged from a week ago – a metre or so on the glaciers and 50-90cm at most areas on upper runs elsewhere, thin-to-nothing-left on lower slopes at low lying resorts without snowmaking. But then most now have snowmaking. France A dry week in France and another dry week ahead according to forecasters with little or no snow falling since snow showers reached the extreme south east of the country's mountains in the week before Christmas. Higher piste conditions continue to be relatively good at most of the major resorts however thanks to the November snowfalls and subsequent snowmaking. High altitude resorts have at least a metre on upper runs and 20-60cm at the base. Lower altitude traditional resorts like Megeve and Morzine lack snow at resort level at present and are still waiting for their first big winter snowfalls. Montgenevre, reporting 90cm at resort leve and 2m on upper runs claims some of the best snow in the country and the Alps. Italy Western Italian ski areas fared the best in the pre-Christmas snowfalls with some areas reporting up to 60cm of fresh snow and most getting at least 20cm. It has been dry over Christmas week, although there is the prospect of some light snow over the next week in places. Cervinia has one of the best snow bases in the country at 30-200cm but made world headlines for the wrong reasons on Christmas eve when over 100 skiers were trapped in a gondola that stopped in high winds. The numbers for the Milky Way area are also amongst the best in Europe with 50-150cm on the slopes. Switzerland Swiss resorts have had another dry week and there's been almost no snow here for six weeks now. The country was one of the major beneficiaries of the November snowfall however so up high things remain good on the pistes, down low most resorts have been able to maintain a ski run or two back to resort thanks to generally low temperatures although the valleys are green and brown. There are signs of changes ahead after the weekend with some fresh snow forecast. The volume is as yet uncertain with the most optimistic already forecasting several feet likely across much of the country, the more prudent suggesting it may only be a few inches although both extremes agree it should hopefully be something! Currently Saas Fee and Zermatt report the deepest snow in the country at just over a metre on upper slopes but about two thirds of areas say there's zero snow in resort and some like Davos have thin bases of 1-30cm. Pyrenees No fresh snow in the Pyrenees either and it could also do with some and may get some – 10-30cm forecast in the next week. There's currently around 20-25cm on lower slopes at resort level across the region and 40-60cm on upper runs but nothing fresh. Eastern Europe There's been up to 30cm of fresh snow reported since Christmas in parts of Eastern Europe with the Czech and Slovak Republics doing particularly well. Further south in Bulgaria and Romania there's been some fresh snow reported. Currently bases aren't bad with Bansko reporting the thinnest there at 20-40cm. Scandinavia Scandinavia has done the best for fresh snow in Europe again this week with some smaller areas in the north of Norway reporting up to 20cm a day for three days in a row since the weekend. Of the bigger resorts Hemsedal has had 15cm of fresh snow, but its base is down to only 20cm. In Finland and Sweden bases are at around 30-60cm. More snow is forecast for the region over the next week with 20-40cm for most areas. Scotland You have to admire the tenacity of Scottish ski area operators as they battle to try to open after mother nature threw yet another list of weather extremes at them over the past week. We can at least report that things are looking better than a week ago with slopes mostly white again rather than green and brown. But the snow arrived as temperatures varied between -2 and +12C over the Christmas period and the Highlands were battered by five days of non stop gales as successive storms (several of them big enough to warrant naming and bringing gusts over 100mph to Cairngorm) rolled through. Currently there's just enough snow at Cairngorm and Glencoe to open very limited terrain, and the coming week looks to see a mix of snow showers and temperature highs/lows again. North America Canada Canadian ski areas continue to look good after more snow fell this week, topping up already very healthy bases and allowing continuing powder conditions across much of the country. Whistler Blackcomb has reported 24cm of new snow in the 24 hours to Wednesday morning and has one of the deepest bases in the country at 175cm. Conditions are very healthy on the East coast in Quebec too with 140cm including 12cm at fresh at the leading area of Mont Tremblant for example. The snow is expected to keep falling over the coming week across Canada. USA The US, like Canada, continues to revel in great snow conditions across much of the country since the 'warmest ever autumn' ended in late November and the snow started falling in abundance. It hasn't really stopped falling for a month at some resorts now with the snowiest having received more than 20 feet of snow so far this autumn/winter. Jackson Hole, Mammoth and Heavenly are amongst those reporting another foot/30cm or more of snow this week. Snow depths remain healthy across the country, including in New England where Stowe in Vermont for example has 50-100cm lying. |
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Normal holiday insurance should be fine, just make sure the medical/repatriation cover is good (falls on ice are not unknown!).
Obviously check your policy to make sure they don't exclude "high altitude strolling" or "low temperature credit card abuse"... -) |
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I was in Tignes for the week before Xmas and, although I posted a few snow pictures at the time, thought I'd post a few general thoughts that might be useful...
Although I know the ski area pretty well, having taken my first steps on skis there many (many!) years ago and skied there quite a few times way back, I'd not been back for over a decade so it was interesting to see how it's changed. Executive Summary :- great skiing, as always, and many incremental (some major) changes to lifts, road layouts, piste signage and so on over the years. If anything, it also felt "friendlier" than I remember it and we were made to feel welcome and got good service everywhere we went. The Architecture! Let's get this out of the way first... the main resort centres of Tignes Le Lac and Val Claret are unashamedly purpose-built and, for ski resorts, quite "high rise" in parts. BUT... thanks in part to judicious refurbishment and the use of stone and wood cladding, the buildings don't look out of place and (read this in the voice of Kevin McCloud) they do have an integrity with their surroundings. 
Tignes Le Lac viewed from across the lake, from where you can see the lines of the buildings follow the lines of the landscape... 
The impressive Tignespace sports centre, reflecting the surrounds. The Ski Area The ski area is huge and varied, with many runs having quite individual characters and almost all levels of skier are well catered for. The only exception, in our opinion, might be beginners looking to stretch their legs; the less confident might find the progression from the nursery slopes to the Blues a little bit of a challenge here. That said, once that step is made there are long and winding Blues connecting all areas of the resort and an early intermediate will enjoy building confidence (and should progress rapidly) on these. Beyond that level, it just gets better and better... challenging Reds, proper Black runs and interesting Itinerary routes (always read the piste map; some of these do NOT end at lifts and will need a walk or a bus to get back from!). The off-piste is immense. If that's not enough, it's easy to drop next door to Val d'Isere and explore there. 
The views don't come much better than from the top of The Grande Motte 
On a clear day you can see forever... I think that's Mount Everest, K2 and probably Olympus Mons in the background... Lifts and Queues The majority of lifts are modern and fast, with the odd old-style exception still providing calf-banging excitement and scary take-offs for the faint-hearted... It was a quiet week (we're pretty much hooked on coming out at this time of year - the week before Xmas), so very often the queues at the lifts looked like this... 
The only tip we'd offer for the lifts is to beware the "interleaved" chair-lift, with two separate sets of gates, at the top end of Val Claret (Bollin) which serves two different arrival points by peeling every other chair off the line at a mid-point. This did provide great amusement as a certain teenaged member of our party loudly argued with us that both lift queues obviously went to the same place and he was going to go in the other queue to prove it... we waved goodbye at the mid-point as he continued off up the mountain. :lol: 
Another run, another crowded piste... 
There are more pictures, and some reports of the snow in our other posts from the week :- Various posts from Tignes, Les Arcs and Val d'Isere in Snow Reports from Ski Resorts Mountain Story - rebooted Ski Hire in Tignes Le Lac Sleeping, Eating We stayed in Tignes Le Lac with Ski Bonjour, who we're happy to recommend as a good value option. The chalet is a little tired, but they highlight this and the prices reflect that fairly. The team there looked after us very well - especially Max the Chef! For our "chalet staff night off" meal we ate in l'Arbina at the centre of Le Lac and had an excellent meal and great service. For other snack stops and lunches we used the Sandwicherie of the Sherpa supermarket a few times; which was really excellent value for an interesting selection of sandwiches, wraps, patisserie and "chicken and chips"! On-mountain prices were pricier but not outrageous, with the possible exception of the Tovieres restaurant which we did think was expensive although the food was good. Skis 
Our skis for the week were from Mountain Story in Le Lac (see post linked above). |
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Last week in January is still a while away yet, and the current high pressure won't last forever... :roll:
If it's just piste skiing you're after, then there's not much to choose between the two; either in run options or snow cover. Tignes might have a slight edge snow-wise at present but both have lots of good skiing available at altitude. Personally I prefer Tignes, as I find the runs are a bit more varied but that's very much my personal opinion and lots of people love the classic wide-open runs La Plagne is known for. I wouldn't say the snow is enough of a reason to change resorts at the moment, but - as you say you've been to La Plagne for a few years, then Tignes would make an interesting change for you. I think it's a close call in the "ugliness" stakes (sorry Nelly); both have high rises that challenge our "chocolate box" notions but they're functional, convenient, and - I think - in keeping with their stark surroundings. I'll be posting up a short report from our trip to Tignes later today, so that might help also. With regard to the forecasts, the collapse of the current high pressure is pretty much impossible to predict with any certainty regarding the when - they're stubborn sods - and the major forecast models are struggling. That said, it does look like there will be some snow pushing into the East of The Alps this week - possibly as a precursor to a greater change in the first week of January - but nothing remotely certain yet. |
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Not stayed in Gressoney but have skied there from Champoluc a number of times. There's really not much else to do other than ski (in Gressoney) in February unless their "walking" is quite hard-core (i.e. they're happy on snow shoes, are avalanche-aware, etc.).
Champoluc would be a much better bet for a non-skier; it's not big but there are at least some shops, more restaurants/cafes and (probably) better walking opportunities. Just MHO, and happy to be corrected? |
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Looks great! Merry Xmas!
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If there's anyone still out there at this time...
Have an awesome day tomorrow, and may all your wishes come true. If you're in the mountains... enjoy! I'm gonna kick back now, play a little Quo, and lift a glass (or two) and look forward to watching the big fella struggling to work out how to get down the chimney we haven't got... best leave the patio doors open just in case... Happy Xmas All! Dave |
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Worst case scenario you'll be on old snow refreshed with cannon stuff; but this is still providing decent (piste) skiing above 2,000 metres so you'll have something to ski on at least...
I think Bedrock_Barney's still out in Tignes (today) so should be able to give us an update later. BUT BUT BUT (here comes the answer you know is coming... 8) ), you've got 3 weeks yet and that's time enough for things to change completely. There are hints (no more than that) in the forecast models of a possible turnaround at the start of next month, and the models are struggling to put out much consistency beyond a week from now. *Some* of the possible outcomes look very promising, but that's for about 10 days out from now, so certainly not to be relied upon. We'll have a much better idea by this time next week. But it's a more positive outlook than it would be without those possibilities showing up... :lol: In the meantime, keep the faith, and look up OldAndy's Snow Dance video for inspiration... and something to do between Xmas Dinner and Doctor Who on Sunday... 8) |
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