A Return to Winter in Places

5th April 2021

Last modified on May 20th, 2021

The Alps is being hit by a distinctly cold spell after the recent warm weather. Up to 50cm of snow is forecast in places and could provide some excellent Easter skiing for those lucky enough to be able to enjoy it. PlanetSKI is in the Swiss Alps.

The latest storm began to arrive on Monday evening and will last until Wednesday in places.

Most of the snow will fall in the central and northern Alps.

There was snow down to the valley floor in the Rhone Valley.

Rhone Valley, Switzerland. Image © Mark Urban.

And it is cold and snowy in Livigno in Italy.

12:30 del 7 aprile 2021 con -9,9°C#inverno pieno a #livigno😊❄️
… e a molti di voi manca, ma un po‘ di caldo no?😍☀️🙊#livigno #snowing #snow #cold #alivigno #tuttolivigno pic.twitter.com/Ur1qVHrj4A
— Tutto Livigno 🇮🇹 (@TuttoLivigno) April 7, 2021

“This imminent and dramatic return to winter follows last week’s very warm spell of weather when temperatures hit the twenties in some lower Alpine valleys,” said the alpine weather expert Fraser Wilkin from weathertoski.co.uk on Sunday as the storm approached.

“Not surprisingly, this led to a rapid thinning or loss of the snowpack across the lower slopes of the Alps.

“The brakes will be put on the spring thaw with the cold air next week though, leading to an expected net increase in snow depths across the northern Alps by the middle the week, at least above 1500m or so.”

There has been a dusting of snow in Val d’Isere and the image below comes from Radio-TV Val d’Isere.

Ski resorts in France and Italy remain closed to the general public though locals are still able to ski in Austria and Switzerland.

There is a small dusting in Innsbruck in the Tirol too.

“Winter pays a short visit with a dust of snow and colder temperatures,” said one of our readers.

Innsbruck, Tirol, Austria

While it is looking wintery in Livigno in Italy.

PlanetSKI has a reporter in Les 4 Vallees in Switzerland.

He goes by the name of ‘Valais Dude’.

Valais Dude. Image © Mark Urban.

“There has been some great snow in places especially on Gentianes in Verbier these past few days,” he told us over Easter.

“The south facing slopes have been suffering in the sunshine and warm temperatures, but the new snow will be very welcome if it materialises.”

On Tuesday morning it was just a dusting.

“A light dusting overnight, visible on the areas where grass had shown through, but so far the massive powder dump forecast a few days back has yet to come,” he says.

4 Vallees, Switzerland. Image © Mark Urban.

As the day progressed it looked slightly better, but not the dumps of snow predicted.

4 Vallees, Switzerland. Image © Mark Urban.

In these Covid-19 times ‘Valais Dude’ has received special dispensation from the Swiss authorities to enter Switzerland for work purposes and has followed all the rules and regulations to the letter.

‘Valais Dude’ will shortly be writing a full-length news feature for us on how the Swiss resorts have dealt with the pandemic and how they have been affected this season.

Speaking to resort authorities, local businesses and skiers & snowboarders in Switzerland from across Europe on how this very different season has unfolded.

It should be an informative and interesting read.

He will also be updating us on the imminent and hoped-for snow fall from his base in Veysonnaz, where he also works as a part-time ski instructor.

There is less snow than in the earlier forecasts, but it still looks good in some of the central parts of the Swiss Alps, including Engelberg.

Further east in the Alps over in Austria one of our regular readers, Holger Gassler, was making a few turns in the resort of Kappl in the Tirol at the weekend from his home in Innsbruck.

We will of course be reporting on the fresh snow as it falls, so do check back…

For the Spirit of the Mountains – PlanetSKI: Number One for ski news