J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by admin

arnoldol wrote:Anyone is resort got thoughts on the current conditions and how the longer term forecasts are looking?

Brucie's the man on the ground, but current weather looks set for another week or so. Beyond that, a couple of the main forecast models (including GFS) are indicating a change in around 7-10 days time but it's anyone's guess how that's going to pan out at the moment - crossing fingers won't hurt...

Just to bring this up to date...

Avalanche Risk Level 5 now declared for parts of northern Upper Styria (as of 18:00 local time, today, Tuesday 8th January)

The following translated from https://steiermark.orf.at/news/stories/2957427/

steiermark.orf.at wrote:For individual regions in northern Upper Styria, the highest avalanche warning level will apply from 6 pm onwards. In individual cases should then be weighed, whether buildings are evacuated. More than 1,500 people are still cut off.

On Tuesday afternoon, a so-called Land Coordination Committee with Governor Hermann Schützenhöfer (ÖVP) and LH-Stv. Michael Schickhofer (SPÖ). The emergency services informed the state government about the current situation in northern Upper Styria and they discussed the further course of action.

The danger situation is geographically very different. While there is no danger in Schladming or Haus, the situation in the high alpine area is very critical. Avalanche warning level five therefore applies in the areas from the Dachstein over the Loser and the Hochschwab to the Rax.

As a reminder (see Avalanche Risk Levels), Level 5 is :-

Very High (Extreme) - Snow pack is weakly bonded and largely unstable - Numerous large natural (spontaneous) avalanches are likely, even on moderately steep terrain.

I've had a few questions by email, regarding the current and ongoing snow situation in Austria, so thought I'd drop my answers in here as they may be useful/reassuring/downright scary (depending on your disposition...)...


Firstly, for anyone in the affected areas; please be patient and follow the advice of the local authorities.

The snow conditions, the forecasts and the local effects of the weather vary hugely from valley to valley and the situation will be evolving as more snow arrives this week, so it's important to take local advice!


> is it safe to go skiing?

Yes, absolutely; provided local conditions and advice allow. The French Alps, much of Switzerland and Italy have not received the quantities of snow that Austria and southern Germany has.

Even in the affected areas, the resort staff will be working hard in difficult conditions to make things safe and if lifts and pistes are open then they should be safe to ski (and conditions will be fabulous) - provided you stay within the marked bounds of the pistes.

The caveat - of course - is that if lifts and runs are closed, they will be shut due to very dangerous conditions; so don't even think about entering a closed run! You should consider a closed run to be as dangerous as skiing off-piste at the moment.

As an aside; road closures should be strictly obeyed - some resort roads may be closed at times due to risk of avalanche or for avalanche clearance (blasting) to take place. Don't go down closed roads!


More experienced skiers will be looking to leave the pistes and we would strongly advise everyone - again - to take local advice and err on the side of caution. Once things have settled down; continue to follow local resort advice, never ski off-piste alone and always carry appropriate safety gear (transceiver, shovel and probe) and know how to use it.


> Where has the highest avalanche risk?

Avalanche Risk Levels are assessed on a common scale running from 1 (low risk) to 5 (extreme risk). Large areas of Austria currently have the Risk Level at 4 (and even 5) in places. The Avalanche Risk Levels apply only to off-piste, "uncontrolled" areas - they do not apply to open pistes.

Again, Avalanche Risk Levels vary considerably - although they are all pretty high in Austria right now!


> is this season in particular worse than any other

Not really, no. You could say this month is bad, specifically for the affected parts of Austria right now; the quantities of snow in *some* locations have broken 40-year-old records in the past week. On the other hand, France has had very little fresh snow in the past fortnight whilst last year saw some French resorts in lockdown through much of the New Year week due to huge falls of snow. It happens; it's not "usual", but it's not really unprecedented either.

In essence; "be patient, and take local advice!".


And, of course, if the lifts and pistes are all closed... there's probably a bar that isn't!


Anyone in Austria right now like to add to this?

blackpool-skier wrote:Are there any signs this snow is going to let up in the next few weeks at all??

In a word, no. Not yet anyway.

Anything beyond a week is subject to a lot of change but right now all the forecast models are pretty much aligned; there should be a pause of a day or two around the middle of next week... after which more snow!

It's starting to look likely that the high pressure currently over France and UK - that's effectively been blocking the cold and snow in Austria - will move away (hopefully North-West-ish) to allow it into the French Alps. So, fingers crossed, that might mean the snow keeps coming but gets spread over a wider area... kind of. Maybe! :lol:

dobby wrote:Any top tips for competentish intermediate happy on reds and easy blacks? Tips on Val d'Isere also appreciated.

As Barney said, Double M is a great run (long, wide, usually good snow) - try and maintain a consistent speed top to bottom and feel those thighs burn... up the funi and do it again!

No mention of Blacks in Tignes would be complete without La Sache! Long black down to Les Brevieres. Generally quiet and a fabulous ski, albeit with one or two unavoidable sections that can be tricky depending on conditions (from memory there are 2 short bits that are quite steep and often mogul up a bit).

Trolles ("home run" back to Le Lac) is great fun with good snow but the bottom section can get hard/icy quickly even after fresh snow.

Golf is an un-pisted but marked "itinerary" run that's fun too, but (IIRC) this ends on the road between Val Claret and Le Lac so you just need to grab a bus (or walk!) to get back to a lift. Buses are every 15 minutes or so and there is a convenient stop to aim for. If you've got the kit, and it's safe to do so, there's also some nice and fairly benign off-piste in the same area (all known just as "Golf" as it's a golf course in the summer... bizarrely enough...). Check with the Snoworks guys as they go through there often!

Have fun!

Iceman wrote:When. Where?

Er, Sunday!

(that'd be yesterday)

Alright Icey? You just woken up for the winter then? :lol:

Catch it on iPlayer... the Audi Nines ski/board cross/freestyle course segment was amazing...

That is all... :thumbup:

RoiM wrote:a resort close to Geneva, but with good conditions at the end of march

Plenty of choice, without having to drive all the way down to the 3 valleys.

Grand Massif (I second the recommendation for Les Carroz), Portes du Soleil (Morzine great for kids but might be slushy) or the Aravis resorts (La Clusaz and Le Grand Bornand both fit the bill - both have good beginner areas) are all an hours drive from Geneva.

March 21st really isn't that late in the season; even if it is mild it's unlikely to be unpleasantly slushy - and youngsters often have a better time if they're not getting too cold.