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J2Ski Snow Report 24th January 2019
The Pic du Midi, French Pyrenees, just before the snow came! Fresh snow for The Pyrenees and Bulgaria this week, cold in the US and more settled conditions elsewhere. This Week's Snow Headlines - 24th January 2019 - All of Austria's ski areas open again, as snow stabilizes. - Ski resorts in Eastern US close temporarily as windchill gets to -50C! - Biggest snowfalls since the start of the season in the Pyrenees. - All Scottish Highland ski areas now have beginner slopes open, two with longer runs. - Avalanche danger drops to level 2-3 in Much of the Alps - Big snowfalls in Bulgaria (and increased Avalanche Risk). The focus has - at last - switched away from the Alps after a snowy three weeks. Heavy snow in the Pyrenees tops Europe's snowfall total for the past seven days, and there have been some big accumulations in North America, on both coasts, too. There's also been snow in the Dolomites, Bulgaria, Scandinavia and the south-east corner of the Alps around Carinthia in Austria which rather missed out as metres of snow fell in the north and west of the country from Christmas to January 15th. Where those huge snowfalls did occur, things have been gradually been returning to something like normal – albeit with the snow lying 3-6 metres deep. Access road and rail lines have re-opened, pretty much all closed ski areas have re-opened and most now have all, or nearly all, of their lifts running. The avalanche danger across the Alps has dropped from the Levels 4 and 5 (The highest) of recent weeks to a widespread Level 2 (moderate) although it is still 3 (considerable) in some areas including northwest Switzerland, and Level 4 (High) in parts of Bulgaria. As always... check your local conditions on the day! In the Alpine Forecast Current cold temperatures should ease back to seasonal averages by the start of next week, across most of The Alps. Conditions will be generally settled albeit with scattered snow showers likely across a wide area. Individual falls will freshen conditions rather than deliver huge amounts, although some parts of the French and Swiss Alps may see accumulations total around half a metre over the next week. 
More snow for Bulgaria - see where else it's expected to snow this week...
EUROPEAN ALPS Austria It seemed like it would never end but there is now a lull in the snowfall in Austria and all of the country's ski areas including the high glaciers that had been closed for several weeks in some cases, are reported to have re-opened. A large number of ski areas across much of Austria received many metres of snow between Christmas and mid-January so it's no surprise that bases in the country are now among the deepest in the world with the Arlberg Region posting one of the deepest of all at 4.9 metres (over 16 feet). Badgastein has a 300-420cm base and at the recently re-opened Kaunertal glacier, the snow is lying 4.9 metres deep up top. France Conditions have improved across France over the past week. The French Pyrenees saw the heaviest snow at the start of the week but there have been continued snow showers in the Alps too and these look set to become more frequent in the run-up to the weekend, adding between 10 and 30cm to snow depths. There was more fresh snow up to last weekend which has added around 20-25% to snow depths across the country with the deepest now reported in the grand massif area at Samoens at nearly 2.5 metres. But most of the country's leading ski areas have healthy snow depths from top to bottom and currently fresh snow cover too. Italy Italy has continued to enjoy a fairly peaceful winter without the weather extremes that have impacted further north. So there are no big snowfall or snow depth numbers again this week, but most of the country's ski runs are open none-the-less. There has been some new snow in the Dolomites, freshening up cover there with 20-30cm snowfalls reported, although bases still remain well below the metre mark in most areas, 30-60cm in the Fassa Valley for example. Some fresh snow in the Alps to the west too before the weekend. There's little sign of any major change on the horizon with mostly small snowfalls totalling 5-20cm of snow over the coming week for more resorts. Switzerland A largely dry week in Switzerland too with what snow there has been in recent days falling predominantly in the West of the country, and then just adding up to a few centimetres. There's been little snow at all in the East of the country, where the snow is now lying up to 6m (20 feet) deep at Andermatt, the deepest in the world. As with Austrian terrain that was closed, and road and rail links that were blocked - it is now almost all open again and skiers are enjoying the great snow. The avalanche risk has also dropped from level 5 in places at this time a week ago to Level 2 across most of the country (3 in the Northwest at time of writing). The week ahead looks fairly settled too with the likelihood of a wave of fresh snowfall beginning towards the end of the weekend, although so far that's again not looking like it will add more than 10-20cm to slope depths. Scandinavia After a snowy end to last week in Scandinavia, this week has been more dry and cold across much of the region with Arctic air dominating and temperatures often reaching double digits below zero. Conditions are pretty good in most areas with the focus soon to be on the Alpine Skiing World Championships at Are which has been given the green light in the past week by the FIS with the courses good to go. Stranda in Norway has the deepest base in the region at 1.5m but most areas have all their runs open on much thinner (but normal in Scandinavia) bases. Pyrenees A welcome snowy week in Andorra after a fairly dry few months, although ski areas in the principality have been keen to stress that snow cover has remained good with most terrain open, thanks to snow left from Autumn snowfalls and snow-making top-ups. There's been plenty of fresh snow on the French and Spanish sides of the mountains too and indeed Spanish areas may get a metre of snow by the weekend. Sunday / Monday and Tuesday/Wednesday saw big snowfalls with more expected Friday/Saturday and in total between 30-40 and 1.2 metres of snow is expected to have accumulated by the end of this week, depending on the ski area. This will take snow depth beyond the metre mark on upper slopes at some areas. Almost all lists are now operating in Andorra and nearly all runs are open. Scotland All five of Scotland's commercial ski fields have managed to open some terrain this week – with the first full-length runs opening this week in addition to the small areas for beginner skiing. Arctic air is bringing cold temperatures and some natural snowfall allowing Glencoe to open the first full runs in the country this winter and Nevis Range to offer ski touring on its upper mountain and open a few groomed runs on Wednesday. Otherwise, Nevis Range offers beginner lessons on its snow-covered plastic slope at the top of the gondolas; Glenshee has made an area at its base using natural and machine-made snow and the other three centres are using all-weather and regular snow-making. It's hoped that more Scottish centres will be able to open lengthier runs before long for non-beginner skiers. Eastern Europe Changing patterns in Eastern Europe too where countries like Poland and Slovakia that got big snowfalls with the Eastern Alps from Christmas to mid-January now seeing less fresh snow but Slovenia in the south-east getting much needed fresh snow there. Bulgaria has been having a very snowy time of it though, with heavy snowfall almost doubling base depths towards the 2 metre mark in the past week or so and forecasts projecting another metre or more of snow as conditions look to be staying very wintry for the week ahead. North America Canada Canada has seen small to moderate snowfalls on the Western side this week and larger accumulations in Quebec on the East. Tremblant now has 255cm up top and Whistler 10cm more, though little fresh compared to its bumper December tallies. The week ahead looks similar with no big accumulations forecast and indeed most areas unlikely to see more than 10cm of fresh snow. USA Some real extremes of weather in the US this week with some areas in New York state closing because it was too cold to operate safely (wind chill below -50C) and in Utah, massive snowfalls cut off some resorts. It has indeed been very snowy on both East and West Coasts with resorts in Vermont reporting up to two feet of fresh snow and in Utah as much as 1.2 metres in the past week, with some particularly heavy falls at the start of this week. There's been snow in much of the rest of the US too, just not quite so much. |
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Might be worth considering Italy, as they don't really do February half-term so may be more hotel options available? |
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Ugh, meant to reply to this but forgot...
Some great skiing in Flaine/Grand Massif, but...
Yeah, this. You might have already found these, but... Last trip was a couple of years ago but I like my coffee and remember we got the best coffees off the mountain; the cafe at the bottom of the Molliet chair (between Flaine and Les Carroz) was good, with huge hot chocolates and not stupidly priced. Dropping down to Les Carroz or Morillon for lunch was worthwhile; the hotel at the bottom of the run into LC ("Bois de la something?") was good for a snack stop but might have changed hands recently, and there's a couple of nice pizza places in the centre of LC and a small creperie just down the hill from the gondola which was great value. We also found a good patisserie near the lift base in Morillon (I think!). And, yes, the Diamante Noir is a real Black; can develop a bit of a cornice at the top which turns the entry into a "drop-in" - and that gets your attention... :shock: ...much easier in fresh snow, so don't write it off completely! |
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It's pretty common, yes.
Most tour / chalet operators will hold out in the expectation/hope they can fill their rooms at half-term. They (and hotels, etc.) will usually get a lot more flexible when it gets to last minute and they've still got space. Where are you going, and do you need to use a tour operator? Some hotels/chalets, if booked direct, have a single room or two and some hotels offer reasonably-priced "mini-suites" with separate bedroom and sofa-bed in the lounge; that's worked well for us in the past with odd numbers of people. |
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Definitely. I'd like to go back and do more of it... and the views really are special (even by the standards of the Swiss Alps) when you want to stop and stare! |
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Andermatt Trip Report - January 2019
Supported by Andermatt Swiss Alps Having read much about the extensive development taking place there over the past few years, and knowing little of the skiing in the area, we took the chance to visit Andermatt last week. Almost a Billion Swiss Francs has recently been invested in the town and ski area, and almost the same again is planned over the next few years. As well as new hotels, including the already-famous Chedi, there are new lifts, extensive snow-making (covering all slopes) and a link to Sedrun via Oberalp. There is more information about Andermatt in our resort pages, so this trip report will focus on the skiing (and we mention the eating!). The Ski Area - SkiArena Andermatt - Sedrun 
The ski area extends from the 3,000 metre Gemsstock on one side of Andermatt (far left in the plan above), a playground for good piste and freeride skiers, across to a nicely mixed and sunny terrain suitable for all that stretches across several valleys to the lift and train-linked village of Sedrun (and, next winter, Disentis). There are over 120 kilometres of piste, accessed by 22 - generally modern - lifts. The Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn (railway) line connects all the valley villages and provides an alternative to the lifts in both directions; including - twice a day - the Apres-Ski Train with bar and lounge (and DJ at the weekends)! Andermatt to Sedrun (or the reverse) is about 45 minutes. Getting to Andermatt Andermatt can be reached by road and rail, with the nearest major airport being Zurich; normally a train ride (under 2 hours) away. In addition, combined bus and lift passes allow access by bus from a number of towns in the region. Our visit coincided with the tail-end of a huge snow-storm, however, so access to the resort became interesting! Andermatt nestles in a large valley surrounded on all sides by high mountains and accessed via road on winding passes... 
...but it has a railway station and, even when main rail lines are occasionally and briefly closed (due to avalanche risk) can be accessed by train. And so it was; all the road passes into Andermatt were closed, as were the main railway lines into the nearest valleys, so a taxi ride from Zurich Airport brought us to the historic village of Göschenen... 
Down in a Swiss Station at midnight... Göschenen station doesn't always look like this, but when it does you know the skiing tomorrow is going to be good... ...from where we caught a shuttle train running through the short tunnel into Andermatt. Ski Day 1 - Tuesday 15th January Due to avalanche risk, all the upper lifts remained closed for the day so our skiing was restricted to the lower half of the Gemsstock and runs above the town on the other side of the valley (Nätschen). The Gemsstock was very quiet, due to the top gondola being closed but the lower runs had great snow and there was safe, low-angled side-piste with bags of fresh powder to dip into. Nätschen is the "sunny side" of the Andermatt valley and most of the few skiers that were out headed here. 
A morning under cloud on the lower slopes of the Gemsstock... 
Photo courtesy of Patrick Thorne ...moved to an afternoon above, within and below the cloud! 
We weren't able to explore further up the valley due to lift closures. 
"That lift's being dug out... and there's too much snow over there..." ...there was just a little bit of snow in the village... 
Photo courtesy of Stefan Kern 
Ski Day 2 - Wednesday 16th January The weekend's snow had now stabilised, bringing the Avalanche Risk Level down to 3 (Considerable) so we took the opportunity to be guided away from the pistes and into the huge and varied terrain of the Gemsstock bowl. 
Our guide for the morning was local Fränggi Gehrig From a couple of well-used entry points off the piste, traversing skier's right gives access to a whole range of different ridges and pitches and we barely scratched the surface in a series of descents through creamy powder - seeing few other skiers even though the day was a popular one! Exiting the bowl can take you back up via a chair (skier's left) or T-bar (skier's right) or you can drop toward the town by piste and the mellow pitches we skied the previous day. 
The 360 degree panorama from the terrace on top of the gondola station is, frankly, something else! The photos don't come close to doing it justice... 
Andermatt now uses dynamic ticket pricing and this was one of their "10 Franc Wednesdays" - off-peak Wednesdays on which the lift pass price is just 10 Swiss Francs. The combination of that, sunshine, and fresh snow certainly brought out the locals and we imagine many offices were empty for miles around... Accommodation, Food and Drink Andermatt, and the area in general, prides itself on the quality of the food and our experience certainly bore that out; from the "simple" soup and burgers on the mountain to both traditional and innovative evening dinner, everything we ate was excellent. Eight restaurants operate under the brand "Mountain Food" and emphasise local produce... even down to the water (Berg Wasser)! 
Photo (c) Andermatt There are a number of new 4 and 5-star Hotels, in addition to the existing hotels in the old town. We stayed at the Radisson Blu Reussen which was excellent; with super-friendly and efficient staff, high quality furnishings, very comfortable rooms and great food. In Summary Andermatt, although not the largest of ski areas, genuinely offers something for just about everyone. From freeride on the Gemsstock to children's areas on the sunny side. Although we weren't able to try it for ourselves on this trip, the journey across the valleys to Sedrun (and maybe back by apres-ski train) looks fun for those who like to travel. The local focus on quality of food, service and skiing was inescapable and we thoroughly enjoyed the trip. |
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J2Ski Snow Report 17th January 2019
Much snow, all over everywhere, Andermatt, Switzerland, surveyed by local guide (and ace accordionist!) Fränggi Gehrig Some massive snowfall, followed by clearing weather in The Alps this week. This Week's Snow Headlines - 17th January 2019 - Base depths pass 5, then 6 metres at Andermatt, Swiss Alps (deepest in the world at present) - Avalanche danger at maximum (level 5) for a time in parts of Austria, Switzerland. - First big snowstorms for almost a month in Western Alps. - Whistler reports that despite the slow start it got the most December snowfall in its history. - Turning colder in Scotland at last, but more snow needed for full runs to open. - (Possibly) One of biggest blizzards of past decades due to hit California. - Fresh snow in the Pyrenees. It's been another week of spectacular snowfall stats for parts of Europe. The Eastern Alps have continued to see the biggest snowfalls in Europe with a story in The Times claiming that some areas saw 3 metres (10 feet) of snowfall in 48 hours, which they're reporting as "the most for a century" although the most we've seen at J2Ski in terms of ski resort accumulation have been still astronomical amounts of 1 metre (3.3 feet) in 24 hours, 2.1m (7 feet) in 72 hours and 3.3m (11 feet) in a week. The latest snow comes on top of similar accumulations over the previous three weeks meaning that resort and transport infrastructure continues to struggle; with airports, roads, rail lines and ski slopes closed for periods in places. The vast majority of ski areas are open, however, with the situation improving as the weather clears. The newly linked Andermatt-Sedrun-Disentis area posted the first 5m base depth in the world for its upper slopes last week and then a 6 metre (20 foot) depth on Tuesday, whilst Austrian resort Loser hit 5.1m (17 feet) for its upper slope snow depth. After a dry month the promised snow arrived in the Western Alps on Wednesday/Thursday last week with a second snowstorm at its peak on Sunday/Monday. The resulting accumulations were over 50cm of fresh snow for many, and almost a metre for some, so conditions were transformed with the fresh cover. Elsewhere in Europe it has been snowy in the East with conditions great in most countries and there's also been some fresh snow in the Dolomites. The Pyrenees also got a little new snow after a dry month but are yet to see a major snowstorm (unless we count the unusual ones back in late October and early November). In Scandinavia there have been some moderate falls in parts of Norway and smaller accumulations in Sweden. Scotland is yet to open any full length runs as the slopes remain just 'dusted' with snow but it is getting colder so hopefully this will change before the end of the month. Across the Atlantic it has been a fairly quiet week with conditions turning colder on the East coast and some fresh snow. There's been more snow on the West too but not so much as the previous week. However what looks like another big snowstorm is just getting underway in California. In the Alpine Forecast Snowfall does look like easing for the Alps over the next week, with temperatures - after a mild day or two - staying below seasonal averages. Mostly light, scattered snowfall will continue but there don't look to be any more huge snowfalls imminent. 
See where it's expected to snow this week...
EUROPEAN ALPS Austria It has been another remarkable week for snowfall in Northern and Western Austria with base depths now past the 5 metres mark at Loser ski area in Styria and at 4 metres plus at a host of big name ski areas including Solden and St Anton. As has been widely reported, the snowfall has been causing problems both on and off the slopes with high avalanche danger and a number of smaller ski areas as well as some glaciers remain closed for the time being whilst the ski areas are made accessible and safe. However the vast majority do continue to function and have a sizeable chunk of their terrain open, with that amount likely to grow quickly now as conditions ease. Solden reports 100km of its 140km of runs open for example, although in the Arlberg it's more like 40% at present that's open – 140km of 305km there. France It has been looking increasingly wintery in France over the past week with the long-awaited return of snowfall to the French Alps last Wednesday/Thursday and then a heavier band of snow moving in on Sunday/Monday bringing more than 50cm of fresh snow to some resorts and a good healthy fall (20-40cm) to most others. A number of ski areas including Val d'Isere, La Rosiere, Tignes, Bonneval sur Arc and Sainte Foy have all moved beyond 2 metre upper base depths as a result for the first time this season. The forecast is for more of the same, a few sunny days followed by a few snowy ones, which should keep improving things nicely. Italy It has been the snowiest week for some time in Italy with ski areas across the country receiving at least some fresh snow to freshen up their slopes. Some of the biggest falls were reported in the Lombardy region at the start of the week with Bormio posting a 30cm accumulation in 24 hours and Livigno 32cm but over in the Dolomites there was 10-20cm of fresh snow on slopes that haven't seen any natural snowfall for more than a month - and there was snow for the West too along the French and Swiss borders, where Cervinia got 60cm (two feet) of new snow from the storm, improving conditions almost everywhere. Switzerland A very snowy week in Switzerland which saw the snowfall spread to the centre and west of the country with some sizeable snowfalls on Wednesday/Thursday last week and then again on Saturday-Monday. The heaviest snowfall was on Sunday when many resorts reported 30-40cm and Zermatt a full 70cm in 24 hours. The East of the country still got the biggest snowfalls though with Arosa reporting 1.8 metres (6 feet) of snow in the past week but conditions are easing now and roads and slopes opening. Scandinavia More of the same really in Scandinavia with some snowfall reported, most of it in Norway with 20-40cm reported in the past week. Bases across the region are typically in the 30-60cm bracket which is fairly normal for this early in the season and means that most areas have most of their runs open. Pyrenees Some improvement in the Pyrenees where there's been very little snow since the big snowfalls started the season early back in late October and November. The French Pyrenees saw the biggest falls in the region last week with some reporting up to 30cm of fresh snow, dramatically improving conditions there. In Andorra the numbers were closer to 10cm but still very welcome. Vallnord (40/70cm) has the deepest snow base and most of its terrain open. More snow is forecast next weekend. Scotland Scotland's ski season is yet to properly start after the mostly warm and dry end of Autumn and start to winter in the highlands. However the past week has seen more promising signs with some modest snowfalls on the hills, probably not yet enough to open much but a step in the right direction. Three centres are continuing to offer beginner lessons on small snow areas created with their new TechnoAlpin all-weather snow-making machines – Cairngorm, Glencoe and The Lecht. Cairngorm in particular has been opening a bigger area with temperatures low enough for it to run its new conventional snow-making too in the past few days. Eastern Europe Parts of Eastern Europe continued to see some of the big Eastern Alps/Tatras snowfalls over the weekend with Slovakian ski areas seeing another 20-40cm. Vrátna Malá Fatra (50/140cm) has the country's deepest base but unlike in Austria and Germany there haven't been many issues keeping access and slopes open. There was less fresh snow in Poland to the north where the famous Kasprowy Wierch (57/221cm) at Zakopane has the deepest base. Bulgaria's ski areas are looking much better than they did at the start of the year thanks to ongoing snowfalls. North America Canada The huge snowfalls that have been dumping deep powder on Canada's West Coast have taken a bit of a break over the past week although there are now signs of the snowfall returning over the next few days. Whistler, which recently reported that it got more snow in December than it had received in any previous December, is reporting the country's deepest base at nearly 2.7 metres (9 feet) but snow cover is good across most of Alberta and BC. Parts of Quebec had previously reported unseasonably warm temperatures but that now appears to be a thing of the past with colder weather and some fresh snow here too. USA As with Canada the West Coast has seen a bit of a break from the snowy onslaught over the past month, particularly in the Northwest corner of the country. The deepest bases in the US, at over 3 metres (10 feet), are still there but the little snow that has fallen over the past week has largely been further south in New Mexico and southern California. The snowfall is now returning across a wide area of the West however and is set to intensify through Thursday, although California (where there may be as much as a metre of snow from the latest storm by the weekend, as well as winds reaching 100mph according to some forecast creating the potential for a serious blizzard) and Utah (more like 30cm/a foot) look set to see more snow than Colorado to the south. On the East Coast temperatures have dropped back to nearer normal and there has been some fresh snow too, greatly improving conditions in the region. |
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It was a bit of a bitty day TBH; a cloud layer at mid-mountain and all top lifts shut meant we were in sunshine for a few 100m, then fog, then flat light, etc. There were some clear intervals though, and we hunted for powder on the mellowest of off-piste pitches due to the avy risk yesterday.
Today the Gemsstock will open, so should be some good skiing up there, but the links to Sedrun look to be closed for at least another day. |
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