J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by admin

Dave Mac wrote:It's one reason that the best powder is always found right beside the treeline, on the lee side.

It's also the cause of wind-slab, on the lee side of ridges.

Huge amounts of snow can accumulate quickly in such slabs, and is laid down in discontinuous layers as the wind swirls from one direction to the next... the combination of which is extremely unstable and a common source of avalanche. :shock:

Partly prompted by Iceman's recent questions - Anyone interested in, er, Snow (I guess that's all of us here!) might like to have a look at two excellent little handbooks published by Cicerone.

We often refer to them at J2Ski Towers and thoroughly recommend them to anyone seeking a little understanding of how snowflakes form, fall and transform - and, crucially, how that all affects the structure and stability of the resulting snowpack.

If you ever ski off-piste, they should really be on your reading list already... the more you know, the safer you can be.

SNOW - by Robert Bolognesi

This practical guide is aimed at walkers, climbers and snowsport enthusiasts who want to acquire or improve their knowledge of snow and avalanche release. It is equally suitable for snow professionals, guides, mountaineering and snowsport instructors, and ski patrollers. Translated by the late Blyth Wright, it describes the formation and evolution of snow, and shows practical methods for examining and analysing snow cover. It illustrates how to identify the many forms which snow may take and how to assess avalanche risk more precisely and reliably. The guide also explains a system of snow observation and comes with a handy snow crystal card for identifying crystals in the snow layer.

Avalanche!: Understand and Reduce Risks from Avalanches

This guidebook, aimed at winter sports enthusiasts and professionals, can help you learn the skill of avalanche prediction. The skill of avalanche prediction is both an art and a science. Mountaineers, skiers, climbers, snowboarders, snowshoers, walkers and all who love winter and snow sports need to learn that skill. Translated by the late Blyth Wright, the guide draws on the expertise of a wide range of professionals involved in mountain activities, as well as first-hand accounts of avalanche scenes from witnesses and survivors, to help you understand and predict avalanches, evaluate the risks and reduce the dangers. This practical, pocket-sized guide is for use on the mountain and during planning. The guide also includes a NivoTest designed to help quantify the risks from avalanches.

This past week, Europe again stole the (snow) show and last weekend's forecast storms delivered huge quantities of snow across much of the Western and Northern parts of The Alps. Many French and Swiss resorts have reported fresh snow totalling more than two metres in the last seven days, and some areas in the North have now had more snow than in the whole of last season!

As always, however, that meant mixed news at times - with roads blocked and mountains closed at times due to avalanche risk. The rewards were nothing less than epic, with powder skiing being reported throughout The Alps and the vast majority of Alpine ski resorts now open.

Snow also arrived in the Pyrenees, with 50 to 60cm of snow allowing the majority of resorts at least a partial opening.

Resorts in North America saw little new snow and some ski areas are relying on snow making into the holiday season.

European Weather and Snow This Coming Week

The major snow storms are just about done with The Alps for the moment, although light scattered snowfalls are expected to the East over the next 24 hours.

A period of more settled weather looks likely to control conditions over the next week. Temperatures will be up and down (cool and clear on Christmas Day in many parts) before becoming relatively mild for a few days next week. This will have the effect of consolidating last weeks new snow. Christmas skiers can look forward to fast piste skiing on a good base, with a good chance of clear skies much of the time.

Further out, the forecast models are indicating reducing temperatures and a fair chance of new snow in the first week of January - perhaps before.

:thumbup:

Iceman wrote:However, how is that 200cm measured?

Pretty much all resorts have several set measuring points at different levels on the mountain - sometimes just a ruler painted on a lift pylon but usually a pole in a fenced off area where the snow is relatively sheltered.

So, generally, the measure is of settled but un-bashed (i.e. un-pisted) snow.

The density of fresh snow varies massively - one reason why it's almost impossible to predict new snow depths accurately - and it compacts quickly under its own weight, and due to the effect of temperature changes. Light powder can easily halve in depth within 24 hours of falling.

That 200cm probably represents 4 or 5 metres of fresh that has settled over the past couple of weeks.

Ian Wickham wrote:Yep I got one .... well I am Special :wink:

You certainly are... especially as we haven't sent it out yet! :shock: :lol:

So Ice can Chill... it's on its way (like Santa but more frequent and less disappointing - sometimes).

A quick update from Formigal...

With levels of snow from 30 to 60 at 2.000 m. Formigal is opening its season today, December 22, with 26 kilometres and 20 slopes in the 4 valleys. These levels will be increasing with more snowfalls during the following days and may enable us to open more kilometres and slopes for our clients in this weekend, about 60 kilometres.

For more information - visit www.aramon.es

All looks fine from here - are you at work and accessing the web via a proxy? It sounds as if something between our server and you is caching an old version of the page.

Clear your browser cache and try accessing the same page via a different device (e.g. your phone).

scousefly wrote:Ah go to current snow depths on the same page and thats were it says 3rd of December

Whereabouts? I'm not seeing that... :?: