Messages posted by : admin
Geneva Airport - heads-up on Traffic and Transfers for March weekends
Started by User in Ski Chatter, 4 Replies |
|
|
A note from our airport transfer partners Ski-Lifts, with an early warning to allow a little more time if travelling to or from Geneva airport on the first 3 weekends of March.
Although some of the advice applies to those with transfers already booked, there's useful info for anyone driving in or out.
You can see the usual transfer times to ski resorts near Geneva here on J2Ski. To get a quote for an airport transfer visit Ski-Lifts. |
|
|
Thanks for the update Paul; that's a shame - I think the February one had to be limited (to the pubs and clubs!) too...
|
|
|
J2Ski Snow Report 1st March 2018
The Aiguille du Midi, Chamonix, in this great photo from Quentin Iglésis (Chamonix Photographer) J2Ski Snow Report 1st March 2018 The extreme cold of the last week, gives way to a less-cold but snowier outlook in the Alps, and more snow for the western US. This Week's Snow Headlines - Very low temperatures in the Alps; as low as -30C at altitude. - More heavy snow in Western North America (up to 41cm/16inches in 24 hours reported in California). - Snow forecast for the southern Alps and Pyrenees. - Temperatures hit 70F/20C in Vermont as US East Coast areas end seasons early. - Deepest base in North America reaches 6 metres/20 feet. The very low temperatures in the Alps have been the main story this week as we enter 'meteorological spring' on the 1st of March. Temperatures have been dipping as low as -30C at altitude in the alps and below -40C in Lapland, closer to the Siberian epicentre of the current 'Beast from The East' cold front. The weather has not brought too much snow as yet, although the more southerly slopes in Europe have seen some significant snowfall including in the Pyrenees (again – definitely the place for fresh snow in Europe through February), and the southern French and Italian Alps. This currently looks set to expand over the latter half of this week with 30-60cm of snowfall forecast by Saturday for some more southerly French and Italian areas. Across the Atlantic there's a real East/West split with the weather in the east way too warm, severely limiting what terrain areas can open and indeed leading some more southerly areas to close, probably for the season. In the west, the long awaited snow continues to fall in ever more abundance with reports of up to 41cm in 24 hours in California. In the Alpine Forecast The bitter cold of the past week is easing and temperatures across the Alps should be around - or even slightly above - seasonal averages by the weekend. That's going to feel positively warm in comparison! Very unsettled weather is following, with widespread snow now in the forecast (and underway today). Heaviest accumulations are likely to be for the southern and western alps, with most areas with a good chance of 30cm (1ft) or more by the end of the weekend. Avalanche and Off-Piste Risk - avalanche risk remains high in some areas, now compounded by slopes that have become icy in the cold (and sun) of the last week. As always, take local advice before leaving marked runs; have fun but stay safe! 
Sierra Nevada tops the charts! See when and where it's going to snow...
EUROPEAN ALPS Austria It has been a largely dry week in Austria and looks set to be mostly dry over the week ahead. There have been some small snowfalls of a few inches at resorts like Obergurgl, and similar 5-10cm falls are forecast for quite a few Austrian resorts towards the end of the week, but it seems unlikely there'll be anything terribly significant. The good news is that established bases (The deepest remains at 595cm/20 feet in the Kaunertal glacier) mean that most Austrian areas are looking good for their final 4-8 weeks of the season, even if there's no fresh March snow. It's cold though, with temperatures forecast to be -20 to -30C on higher Austrian slopes through this week. France It has been dry and very, very cold in the French Alps over the start of this week with temperatures dipping as low as -30C at altitude on the ski slope. Les Arcs reported -27C on Tuesday. There has been some more snow in the French Pyrenees and in the most southerly French resorts in the Alps like Isola 2000, and more snowfall is expected here over the next few days and to extend further north with possibly as much as a foot (30cm) of fresh snow in Chamonix, Tignes, Les 2 Alpes and Alpe d'Huez and up to 60cm at more southerly French ski areas. Otherwise though conditions continue to be good across the country with still deep snow depths and most runs open and lists operating as we enter March. Italy Italy has seen some of the biggest snowfalls of the past week – topping the tables on most days for areas getting the most snow in Europe during any one 24 hour period. The areas were not the usual suspects either. First up Piedmont in the West, but south of the Aosta Valley which was so dumped on in January; then Tuscany where one small centre reported 50cm of snow in 24 hours at the weekend. So Italy is one of the best choices for fresh snow this week, particularly west and central. The Dolomites have been more dominated by sunshine but all areas, like all of Europe, have been cold too. More snow is forecast in Italy up to the weekend with the same areas as before likely to get the most of it with up to 60cm forecast in Piedmont region again and up to 40cm in the Apennines. Switzerland Not a huge amount of fresh snow on Swiss slopes this week, just a few centimetres reported here and there. Once again the main factor is the cold with temperatures in the range of -15C to -30C the norm through the middle of this week. It is set to warm up somewhat towards the weekend when a few centimetres (Typically 5-10cm) more fresh snow is expected on some Swiss slopes. Engelberg continues to post the world's deepest snowbase at 6.2m (nearly 21 feet), but many other swiss resorts have good bases in the 2-5m bracket, particularly on upper runs, so it continues to look good in Switzerland as we enter March. Eastern Europe Not quite such cold weather in the East of Europe, at least when you go as far south as Bulgaria where temperatures have been more in the -5 to -10 range after about 10cm of fresh snow at the weekend. Most runs are open in Bulgaria and almost all lifts operating with Bansko posting the deepest base depth at 40-230cm. Scotland Scotland has had another good week and reports it has now passed the 200,000 skier days mark. There were more clear, blue sky days at the start of this week and almost all runs remain open at all five Highland centres. The 'Beast from the East' weather system did lead to the temporary closure of the three Easterly centres (Glenshee, The Lecht and Cairngorm) midweek but it has not brought a huge amount of fresh snow so far, with most of what has fallen landing further south. Pyrenees The Pyrenees have had some of the best snowfalls through February and there's been more of the same over the past week and more fresh snow forecast for the week ahead. Pretty well every ski run is open in Andorra at present where there was 10-15cm of fresh snow this past week. A bigger snowfall – totalling more than 40cm – is now expected by the weekend. Bases are at around 2 metres across the country so it looks good for March and indeed April. There are similar snowfalls, bases and forecast on both the French and Spanish sides of the mountains too. Scandinavia It's mostly sunny, but cold, in Scandinavia, where resorts are reporting temperatures of -20C to -30C, perhaps less unusual than the low temperatures in the Alps. -40C was reported to have been reached in Lapland too. Not much snow with the clear dry, days but 5 – 10cm of fresh has been reported in the West of Norway, the most at Roldal which is also posting the deepest base in the region at 3.8m. North America Canada It has been quite snowy in East and west Canada this week with Fernie in BC, for example, posting 27cm (11 inches) of fresh snow in the last seven hours, whilst Massif du Sud in Quebec has reported 13cm (5 inches) in the same period. Most resorts across in Canada are reporting conditions as 'snowy' and likely to continue so through the rest of this week. With bases good, particularly in the west, and most runs open, it looks like a powdery start to March here. USA It appears to be all change in the USA. A few months ago, at the start of the year, it was exceptionally cold and snowy in the East whilst the West was dry and warm. As we enter March there have been big snowfalls in the West but ski areas in the east are struggling with the thermometer reported to have hit 7OF at the weekend in Vermont (around 20 Celcius) and ski areas in North Carolina and other areas further south have been forced to close early for the season due to the warm temperatures. California continues its 'late surge' on winter 17-18 with more heavy snowfall at most of the state's ski areas. So in the west we're seeing reports of over 40cm/16 inchers of snow at Mt Rose in California whilst Killington in Vermont in the east has half of its terrain open and little cover on lower runs. |
|
Still six weeks away yet, so snow conditions will change... but there's heaps there at the moment! We did an Easter trip to Champoluc a couple of seasons ago, and are considering it again for this year. There's a short report here :- Easter in Champoluc. Likely to be more snow on the ground this year, but it was still good then - just slushy lower down in the afternoons. Pistes and lifts very quiet apart from the Easter Monday. Which village you choose is really down to your preferences... Champoluc is a reasonable-sized village on one side of the Monterosa area; Gressoney and Alagna are smaller and Staffal's just a hamlet really. |
|
|
Can't help on the route specifics, but...
It would be best to find some winter tyres! Seriously, it just would. They are readily available in the UK and the additional cost is not significant (as your summer tyres will last longer... and so might you!). It's extremely cold in the Alps at the moment (temps going below -20C for Livigno) and snow is forecast from Thursday through the weekend.
Yes. Winter tyres are mandatory in Austria and Germany. Also, I believe if you have an accident in Switzerland then lack of winter tyres, although not technically illegal (Swingbeep probably knows for sure), is likely to mean you're held responsible whatever the circumstances. HTH. |
|
Stand Out Moments so far - what are yours?
Started by User in Winter Olympics & Paralympics - Pyeongchang 2018, 7 Replies |
|
Doh... fair point... although something being memorable doesn't mean I'm going to remember it! 8) |
|
Stand Out Moments so far - what are yours?
Started by User in Winter Olympics & Paralympics - Pyeongchang 2018, 7 Replies |
|
|
I suspect...
...is the key phrase here. The IOC have form for being extremely robust with their "brand protection" to the extent of going after bloggers using "their" hashtags...
See The full article on Forbes.com, etc. It would be useful to provide a link here to the brand protection policy (which is at www.pyeongchang2018.com/en/brand-protection) but we're not allowed to do that! It's illegal to link to any page on the official site other than their home page (and you need to inform them even if you do that) due to the rules stated at www.pyeongchang2018.com/en/copyright-protection). All of which has to have a considerable limiting effect on Internet and social media coverage.
You'd think so, wouldn't you? :| |
|
|
J2Ski Snow Report 22nd February 2018
More snow fell in Bareges, French Pyrenees... J2Ski Snow Report 22nd February 2018 Some heavy snow in the Pyrenees last week, with attention moving to the southern and western Alps this weekend. This Week's Snow Headlines - Deepest snow base depths now past 5 metres in Asia, Europe and North America. - Up to a metre more snowfall in past week in parts of the French Pyrenees. - Colorado and Utah skiing almost fully open with up to 1m (3 feet) new snow. - Scottish ski areas enjoying increasingly good 17-18 ski season. - Snow forecast for North West Italy through into the weekend. The past week has been one of the quieter ones this season for snowfall in most of the world's major ski regions. In much of the alps and large swathes of North America there have been dry, sunny days more often than snowy ones. That said some areas have seen snow falling. In Europe the Pyrenees, and in North America the Northwest of the continent, particularly around Washington State, have seen big snowfalls totalling up to a metre. The snow has been particularly welcome in Colorado and Utah which are finally almost fully open. Colorado are even offering cheap tickets on the famous ski train to Winter Park this weekend in celebration. Back in Europe there was a little snow in the Alps before the weekend but otherwise the glorious sunshine on the slopes has been largely welcome as bases remain so good. More snow is coming up towards the coming weekend too. In the Alpine Forecast Widespread cold will be a feature of the coming week, accompanied by significant snowfall in some locations; particularly the very southernmost parts of both the Swiss Alps and the Italian Alps - with accumulations exceeding a metre expected in the latter. Avalanche Risk - there have been numerous avalanches, and some tragedies, in the past week and the risk in many areas will remain high with new snow arriving on already laden slopes. Take local advice before leaving the pistes and stay safe! 
See when and where it's going to snow...
EUROPEAN ALPS Austria A comparatively calm week on Austrian slopes with little fresh snow in the last seven days. Instead there have been plenty more great, sunny, blue sky days with superb snow conditions on Austrian slopes for those out there for half term. It's not been non-stop sun though, there have been cloudy days and the odd inch or two of snowfall. The Pitztal glacier is one of those to post 10cm of fresh snow since the weekend. Snow depths remain great across most of the country's ski slopes and incredible – at up to 5.95m (the Kaunertal glacier – that's nearly 20 feet) – on the high runs of the eight glacier resorts. France French ski centres have enjoyed mostly clear days over the past week and the week ahead is looking fairly similar. This has meant that most of the major centres have all (or almost all) of their runs opens and lifts operating. That's particularly good news with slopes still busy with half term skiers. There was some fresh snow at many areas just before the weekend, and unfortunately even a brief period of rain reported at resorts like Flaine but mostly it has been cold and clear. Down in the Pyrenees it's different with the snowy February continuing and more snowfall reported this week. In the Alps bases remain very deep with many resort's having 3-4m lying on upper slopes so it's a great end to February. The forecast is for similar weather in the week ahead with perhaps more unsettled weather and some fresh snow from the weekend but it's not yet clear how much (if any). Italy It has been mostly dry and generally sunny on Italian ski slopes in common with the other major Alpine skiing nations. Again almost every run is open and almost all of the country's ski lifts are operating so really conditions are fairly ideal. Base depths are healthy after December and January snowfalls with resorts reporting up to 4 metres of snow lying on upper runs – it's all good. Things may start to change, at least for some Italian destinations from Thursday though with snow expected to start falling again. The country's westerly ski areas and resorts like Limone and Prato Nevoso could get some big snowfalls through the weekend, with slightly smaller but still significant accumulations for areas further north like the Milky Way, if forecast models prove correct. Switzerland Swiss resorts too have been enjoying a largely sunny week with some really stunning conditions on the slopes. In most cases and at most times temperatures remain low so the snow is being maintained in good shape, despite the sunshine. Snow depths are exceptional with a number of Swiss resorts posting bases of more than 4.5 metres (15 feet) on upper slopes (Andermatt, Laax, Saas Fee) with Engelberg still posting the deepest base in the world at 645cm. The next few days look set to stay largely sunny before increasingly changeable weather begins to move in later this week, which may bring some fresh snowfall here too. Scotland It's been another good week in Scotland with 2018 building in to an ever better season north of the border. Although there have been a few warm afternoons this week the usual British weather problems off too much warm weather off the Atlantic and too strong gales have remained minimal-to-not-happening and all five Highland centres remain 80-100% open with a 30-60cm base and with plenty of cold mornings and sunny days. Fingers crossed it stays good in to March. Pyrenees The Pyrenees have continue to be the snowiest place in Europe – in terms of snowfall if not snow depth – in February. It has kept snowing here for much of the past week with most recently falls of up to 55cm in the past 36 hour in the French Pyrenees and sizable snowfalls to in Andorra and on the Spanish side of the mountains. 7 day totals have now reached 97cm (at Luz Ardiden) and base depths have gone above the three metre/ten feet mark on upper slopes at several centres. More snow is forecast. Scandinavia Snowfall has slowed in Scandinavia compared to a week ago, and indeed much of the season to date, with the biggest accumulations reported only a few inches, and many areas not adding anything to their bases in the past seven days. Slope conditions remain generally good though as here too base depths have built over the past 3-4 months so there's plenty to enjoy with clear conditions on the slopes. It's looking cold over the week ahead with more snow forecast in to the weekend. Eastern Europe No new snow reported in Eastern Europe over the past week either but snow depths are again fairly good almost everywhere with most of the regions runs open and lifts operating. In Bulgaria Bansko continues to post the deepest base at 30-170cm with all lifts operating and 80% of its slopes skiable. North America Canada It has not been snowing quite so much in Canada this week as the rest of February but most resorts in Alberta and BC are still claiming conditions to be "powder" each morning. Resorts in the area typically have 2-3m base depths and with sunny skies, it's great, if cold, on their slopes. Things are not so good in the East where plus temperatures in Quebec and Ontario have been spoiling conditions rather. USA It has been a snowy week in North Western USA with ski areas in states like Idaho, Montana, Washington, Wyoming and Oregon all reporting big new accumulations of up to 1.5m (Mt Baker) or more commonly 60-90cm. In the major ski states both Colorado and Utah have done well, continuing to move towards a snowy end to the season after the lacklustre start – Park City, the country's biggest area now has 289 of its 347 runs open, the most this winter, and 40 of its 41 lifts turning. Things are not looking quite so good in the East, there was a few inches of fresh snow on ski slopes in Vermont and other areas at the weekend but it has now warmed up rather more than most would like. |
|