Heavy Snow Falls in the Alps as More Ski Resorts Close
19th April 2024
Last modified on April 22nd, 2024
Some big-name resorts in Europe & North America end their season with deep snow and fresh flakes falling. UPDATED
It has been an excellent April at altitude in the Alps and the Rockies.
There has been some very warm weather in the Alps, but now the temperature has plunged with heavy snow falling in places.
It is set to continue.
The glacier resort of Stubai in the Tirol stays open well into May and reports 90cm of snowfall in the last three days.
It claims a base of 5.5m – the deepest in Europe.
There are similar conditions elsewhere at altitude.
“The snow has been incredible in Tignes – Val D’Isere for the last 3 days with more fresh powder this morning as I sadly left resort,” said PlanetSKI reader, Jon Gapes, on Saturday.
“Excellent on and off piste above 2,000m with very light fluffy powder in abundance just slighter higher up.”
Significant quantities of snow are falling in many northern parts of the Alps, especially in the northern Swiss and western Austrian Alps.
Up to 1m has fallen in places in the past few days.
It is set to remain cold over the next few days with further snowfall in places.
All in all it is more like the middle to winter than the end of April.
The cold temperatures have led to snow falling to low altitudes.
Here’s an image from PlanetSKI reader, Lindsey Cairns, who lives in the Austrian village of St Ulrich am Pillersee in the Tirol.
It is at an altitude of 835m.
St Ulrich am Pillersee, Austria. Image c/o Lindsey Cairns.
At higher elevations in the Alps there are large quantities of snow
Here’s Glacier 3000 in Switzerland.
It’s been snowing in Ischgl in Austria, that remains open.
We have been following the late season conditions on PlanetSKI this month:
“Who says it too late to ski? It’s zero degrees at resort level in Verbier,” said PlanetSKI reader Heather Jefferies on Friday as more snow fell.
Verbier, Switzerland. Image c/o Heather Jefferies.
PlanetSKI’s editor, James Cove, was in Verbier this time last year as it closed and questioned why people don’t realise conditions are often so good deep into April:
Verbier ended its winter season at the weekend alongside the fellow Swiss resort of Saas-Fee.
Other resorts in the Alps closing include Courchevel and Flaine in France.
Plus St Anton, Lech, Kitzbuhel and Mayrehofen in Austria.
The Patrouilles des Glaciers ski touring race between Zermatt/Arolla and Vervier was distrupted by the weather.
The first starts that were scheduled for last Tuesday and Wednesday were cancelled, then the Friday race was delayed until Saturday.
There was better visibility during the night from Saturday to Sunday with a lower risk of avalanche and racing took place.
Verbier, Switzerland. Image c/o Heather Jefferies.
On Saturday there was a ‘considerable’ risk of avalanche across large parts of the Swiss Alps.
Image c/o Swiss Avalanche Institute.
In the USA snow has also been falling and last weekend saw Alta, Aspen, Deer Valley, Park City, Steamboat and Vail among those to close.
Final preparations for our final weekend.
📸: Sam Ferguson pic.twitter.com/yfNhjblbGe
— Aspen Snowmass (@AspenSnowmass) April 20, 2024
We have recently reported on conditions across the Pond in this article on PlanetSKI:
Skiing in the USA. Image © PlanetSKI
Spring skiing in the USA. Image © PlanetSKI
In the USA resort remaining open include Snowbasin, Brighton & Snowbird in Utah.
In Colorado Arapahoe Basin, Copper Mountain, Breckenridge & Winter Park say they will stay open as long as they can.
Palisades Tahoe and Mammoth Mountain in California are expected to continue to late May and beyond.
Mammoth Mountain. Image © PlanetSKI
Back in the Alps a handful of resorts remain open including open Chamonix (Argentiere), Val Thorens and Tignes in France.
Val Thorens in May. Image © PlanetSKI
Austria has seven glacier resorts open into May.
Stubai in the Tirol claims a snow depth of 5m at the top of the slopes at over 3,000m.
Ischgl continues to offer skiing and snowboarding.
Ischgl, the Tirol. Image © PlanetSKI
“This week will remain cold, with the heaviest of the snow shifting towards the western Italian and southern French Alps, with a possible ‘Retour d’Est’ which would also include the Val d’Isère/Tignes area,” said Fraser Wilkin from weathertoski.co.uk.
“If you are planning a late season trip to the Alps, some of the best bets include: Ischgl and Sölden in Austria, Cervinia in Italy, Engelberg and Zermatt in Switzerland, and Val d’Isère, Tignes and Val Thorens in France.”
In Norway one resort, Fonna, is preparing to open for summer skiing.
Here at PlanetSKI we’ll have updated reports from the resorts closing and end of season conditions, so do check back….
Oh, and just in case you are wondering about the approaching winter in the southern hemisphere there have been some fresh snow on the higher slopes in South America, and down to base level for some areas in New Zealand.
