The Mid-January PlanetSKI Snow Report
15th January 2024
Last modified on January 18th, 2024
Storm clouds have rolled in to parts of the Alps with some snow but also rain. In the Pyrenees it has warmed up with some decent piste conditions. UPDATED
Thursday 18th January
Another storm is hitting the western Alps with a mixture of snow and rain as the temperatures fluctuate.
There’s been a little new snow elsewhere in the Alps too.
Our Chief Reporter, Jane Peel, has been enjoying the slopes of Obertauern in the Austrian Alps today after a modest top up of the white stuff.
Obertauern, Austria, on Thursday. Image © PlanetSKI
Yesterday rain was falling at 2,500m in parts of the French Alps, but the freezing level fell to 1,800m overnight and is set to fall further today.
The high-altitude resorts are seeing the best of the snow.
“All in all, it’s clearly a very complex situation in the Alps over the next 48-hours,” said the alpine weather expert Fraser Wilkin from weathertoski.co.uk on Wednesday.
“Above 2,500m we can expect storm totals of well over 50cm across some parts of the Alps by the end of Thursday, especially in the French Alps.
“However, it will also be the French (and western Swiss) Alps that will see the most rain damage lower down. Further east, there will be less snow albeit with a slightly lower rain/snow limit.
“Friday will be a calmer day all round but cold, and it will then start to turn warmer again over the weekend, and especially into next week.”
The wild weather and snow is affecting other parts of France.
These images were taken by a PlanetSKI reader to the south of Calais on Wednesday afternoon as she returned to the UK from a ski trip.
Northern France. Image c/o PlanetSKI
Northern France. Image c/o PlanetSKI
Northern France. Image c/o PlanetSKI
Northern France. Image c/o PlanetSKI
“Traffic slowed to 25mph and well over an hour was added to the journey time,” she said.
“I had snow tyres on my vehicle, plus chains in the boot, so I remained unfazed and I made my channel crossing in good time.”
More to follow…
Wednesday 17th January
The PlanetSKI video snow report today comes from Obertauern in Austria’s Salzburgerland:
Sadly there wasn’t as much sunshine around as there was on our arrival on Tuesday afternoon, which would have made it feel a little less chilly.
But, as Jane says, the snow is nice and crisp.
Obertauern, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
A fresh storm is hitting the north-west Alps with French resorts seeing some of the most snow.
There is ‘considerable’ risk of avalanche in some areas with the snow accompanied by high winds.
Many of the high altitude French ski resorts saw one of the best January snowfalls on record last month and it seems to be continuing in paces.
At the beginning of January Chamonix became the first in the world to claim 4m of snow on its highest slopes.
Last winter no resort in France recorded 4m of snow before March.
We’ll report more on the current storm later.
Tuesday 16th January
PlanetSKI’s Jane Peel has just arrived in Obertauern in Austria where her first impressions are rather good.
Obertauern, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
Obertauern, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
PlanetSKI editor, James Cove, is continuing his travels round the Pyrenees where a bit more snow would be rather welcome.
Monday 15th January
We have full details of the conditions in the Alps where the excellent winter continues at altitude in the Alps with more snow falling.
But we start in Andorra in the Pyrenees, where PlanetSKI’s James Cove is.
And here’s what Les Portelles looks like inside:
Arcalis. Andorra. Image © PlanetSKI
Soup of the day comes highly recommended.
Arcalis. Andorra. Image © PlanetSKI
What Arcalis lacks in size, it more than makes up for in variety.
“There is something for everyone in Arcalis and for me the lift-accessible freeride terrain is quite simply some of the best in the world,” said James.
“It’s a shame that there is not enough snow at the moment, but so be it – the snow will come”.
Arcalis. Andorra. Image © PlanetSKI
Arcalis. Andorra. Image © PlanetSKI
Arcalis. Andorra. Image © PlanetSKI
In the Alps today there have been generally cloudy conditions, with the odd snow shower.
The sun has made an appearance in the Dolomites.
It is though much colder than the Pyrenees with the freezing level at around 1,000m in the French Alps.
It is at 400m in the eastern Swiss Alps and western Austrian Alps.
More snow is expected overnight on Tuesday and it looks like it could be another big one with decent amounts in the north- western Alps.
We’ll keep you posted as it develops.
Overall as we reach mid-January it has been a very good winter so far in parts of the Alps, but less so in the Pyrenees where more snow is needed.
PlanetSKI’s James Cove is in the Pyrenees for much of January.
After Andorra he’s off to Baqueira Beret in the Spanish Pyrenees to report on a leg of the Freeride World Tour and to review one of the most popular ski resorts in Spain.
PlanetSKI’s Jane Peel will be focusing on Austria for the second half of January visiting Obertauern, Schladming and Bad Gastein.
While our reporter Simon Wilson in planning to be in the French Alps.
More to follow…
